AJV (00:02): Hey y’all, AJ Vaden here and welcome to the recap episode of my conversation with Megan Rabu from Keep With Y’all. Such a information helpful interview that has ongoing tech based solutions. But just generally speaking, the importance of relationship building, aka networking was such a powerful conversation because there were three big things that came out of this conversation that I think is very applicable to you. Whether or not you use Keep with the app or use any sort of technology. These are just really great reminders around networking, again, aka relationship building. So here’s the first one I think is really important is as any sort of business or personal you know, realm, I guess what the word is, whatever the word is, like whatever your sphere is, business or personal, you need to be really clear about knowing who you wanna be introduced to. AJV (01:11): It doesn’t matter if you are a stay at home mom who just moved to a new town. It’s like what type of friends do you wanna meet? You know, it’s like what type of activities do you want your kids to be involved with? Like, what type of families do you want your family to meet? Like that’s really important of just being really super clear both personally and professionally of who am I trying to meet? Who am I trying to build as my sphere? Who do I wanna surround myself with? Because if you’re not intentional with that, it will happen by default and you’ll look up one day and go, I don’t fit here, or I don’t feel like I’m growing here. Or I feel, I feel out of place in my own friend group or church group or professional networking group. And it’s because it wasn’t done with strategic planning or strategic effort from the get-go. AJV (02:00): So I just love that. And some tactical advice on that of just going like, who are the people that I’m actually trying to build as a part of my network, right? What type of people are they? What do they do? What do they think? How do they, you know, view personal development? Who are they trying to meet? Like what is it that you wanna have in common? Are these people that you wanna be able to do business and life with? Are these people that you are searching on cause you want to learn from them? Versus are you trying to have a reciprocal business, you know, referral relationship with them? Or you know, just like what is the intent of the individuals that you want to be in your sphere? What are their psychographics and what are their demographics, right? I think that’s really important. Like, do you care about, are they in a very similar life stage of you? AJV (02:46): Should they be married, single with kids without kids, certain age range? I think those are things are really important. So that you just, you start building this intentional network. And then from there it’s asking yourself, who do I want to be introduced to from these people? And I think that’s where a lot of us struggle, just as much of going, who do I wanna be in business with? Like, who do I want to do business with? And you know, we use this example on the podcast so that if, you know, if you’re a real estate agent and you go, I just wanna be introduced to anyone who’s looking to buy or sell a home, as you know, a human being, it’s really hard for me to pinpoint an individual when I’m going. I think that’s anyone potentially. I’m sure I know someone. AJV (03:33): Let me think about it and I’ll get back to you. And that’s a very typical common response that we hear in business when somebody says, Hey, do you know someone who’s looking to buy or sell a home as this specific example? Versus if someone said, Hey I am a, you know, home buyers, you know, agent who specifically works with first time home buyers who have just moved or who have been relocated for work to the Nashville, Tennessee area. So do you know anyone who is brand new to Tennessee who’s maybe been renting, who’s gonna be a first time home buyer who is not from this area and has potentially moved here in the last two to five years? Well, it’s like immediately I know literally five people who are currently renting who have moved here from rather New York, Colorado, or California along with Half City and who I’ve been talking about just waiting for the right time to buy. AJV (04:28): And they will be, some of them are first time home buyers, some aren’t. But the fact that it’s like, I want to know someone who has moved here in the last two to five years and I’m going, Ding, bing, bing, bing, bing. So it’s just being really clear on who you want your sphere to be and then who you want to be referred to. So I think that was like the first eye opening part of this conversation of most of us aren’t really good at networking or, you know, strategic relationship building or asking for referrals is we’re not actually clear on who we wanna build relationships with, with and who we want to be referred to. So that’s kind of step one. The second thing is, you know, what’s your game plan for actually relationship building? And I loved what she said that was again, should be so not an aha moment for me, but it was around the importance of, you know, networking and relationship building happens everywhere you go. AJV (05:20): So I view it as, you know, what are, what are you doing for volunteering and how are you meeting people doing that versus, you know, who are you meeting and spending time with on different wellness endeavors? So I love to go hiking, I love going to bar class. I love going on long walks. It’s like, who am, who am I like doing those types of things with as a part of relationship building, not just going to coffee and having lunch but it’s actually creating memories, creating experiences doing things that really help you get to know someone versus just having coffee, AJV (05:56): Exchanging business information or questions. It’s now it’s like I, I wanna relationship build through volunteer work and through doing life things together that I can see you on a regular basis and continue these conversations and help you get to know me and help me get to know you. And I love that concept. So, so good. And then the last thing that I would say is just this importance of this mutual opt-in is what she called it. A double opt-in of making sure whenever you connect people through referrals that both people are giving you permission. And so instead of just firing off an email cuz it’s easier, it’s making sure that person A has agreed to be connected and person B has been, has agreed to be connected because that creates this reciprocal trust environment where you’re not getting random emails of going, Why, why, why are you introducing me to this person? AJV (06:49): I don’t know. I’m really busy right now where it’s like, no, I’m giving you a heads up aj. Hey, I really think you should meet this person and here’s why. Are you okay if I introduce you with me going, Yeah, that’d be great, Pass it along. The other person gets the same thing. So when the intro happens, I’m all that more ready and excited to accept it and to act on it. Simple, but so wise, so wise and would make me quite honestly that more, much more willing to go, Yeah, how can I help? What can I do? Yes, but it’s a part of building this trusted network where we’re all signing off on it. And people aren’t ghosting you because there’s been this mutual agreement in advance that yes, this is a good time for me, I want to do that. And so nobody is feeling left out or left behind because there wasn’t any response. So, so many good tips. Go check out the full interview, check out, Keep with you can go to keep with.com to learn more, but go listen to the full interview with Megan Rabu and we’ll catch you next time on the Influential Personal Brand. See you later.