How To Network Like a Pro!

Lane 0:03
Welcome to another episode of the slow pitch podcast. This is lane, you’d usually hear Rob right now. So say hey, Rob,

Rob 0:09
Hey, how you doing?

Lane 0:10
I’m alright, so last time we talked about sales funnels, not marketing funnels, but sales funnels, which, you know, as I think you pointed out is more about bringing in leads in what you do with them after that as as the topic for more shows, but getting those leads in is the first step.

Rob 0:27
Yeah, I thought it was really good information in terms of when you said, Hey, this is something we could do as a whole nother show. So I think we have to plan that. This episode, however, is going to be about how to network like a pro. So we’re gonna talk about like, networking skills, networking skills. Yeah. Who do you know, has mad skills for networking? Anybody? Don’t say me?

Lane 0:48
Yeah, just Rob?

Rob 0:50
No, come on now. So here’s what I would say. I would say that I don’t have mad networking skills. But I would say that I’m probably better than most. And what I mean by that is, when I go networking, I run into a lot of people that are all over the spectrum. So what you could have is somebody that’s really good. And you know, they’re really good. Just when you talk to me, like, boy, this guy’s really good, or this woman’s really good at this. And then there’s other people that I talked to that I’m like, I don’t want to ever see that person. Again, if I ever have a choice in the matter if I fact, if I ever saw that person, that networking event, I would probably turn around and talk to somebody else, quickly as I could.

Lane 1:26
That’s been my experience. Again, there’s a lot of you got to some of these networking events sometimes, and I don’t like going back because I just dread those interactions, you know, they’re there to sell something rather than to, to, to build a relationship. And I and I guess I’m probably going to steal your question here in a few minutes. But to me networking is more about building those relationships. And and it would be more of a genuine relationship getting, you know, getting to know someone and and having that you know that one on one. Rather than just talking to someone for two minutes and having them decide out, it’s time for me to back you into a corner and make you buy something from me.

Rob 1:58
Yeah, you know what? That is exactly right. So most people approach networking, I shouldn’t say most, a lot of people approach networking in such a way that it’s almost like they’re trying to sell you something right then and there. Right? You’ve had the Oh, yeah,

Lane 2:10
absolutely. That’s like really annoying.

Rob 2:12
Yeah. What in the world? Why would I didn’t come here to buy it? Let me ask you this. Did you go networking to go buy something? Absolutely not? No. And I guarantee you nobody did? Like I didn’t, nobody else did. So why would you approach networking, like you’re going to try to sell something and somebody’s actually there to buy, I just don’t understand that. And I think that’s where I, I start because for me, most people when they go networking, they think that’s their job is to go sell something, and and some people don’t.

So this, this episode’s gonna kind of be a little bit of a mix between those that are semi good at semi efficient at networking, meaning they’re good at knowing the right questions to ask and how to do it, but they want a little bit better skills to do that. Right. And then there’s other people that are that are gonna be listening who are like, I have no idea. I’ve never done that before. And I just want to learn the basics. And so this will be good for either one of those types of people I feel like so I always look at it in terms of what is your goal when you’re networking? And I think you hit it on the head with is it’s not there to sell, you’re not there to sell.

But when you are networking, what is your goal? When you go networking, if you had to think about for you, lane, what would be your goal, if you were going to go networking, what would be the goal that you have priority, even showing up? What would be a goal that you have?

Lane 3:26
I think one of my goals would be to, you know, meet some new people that I haven’t met before. And as I mentioned a moment ago, I tried to try to build a relationship where you could get a referral. Yeah, you know, maybe they would actually buy something from you. But no, it at least that referral.

Rob 3:39
Yeah. And I think a lot of people looking at exactly what you just described, what if I said, That’s half right?

Lane 3:45
I’d say that that’s better than than not right at all. So

Rob 3:48
that’s true. That’s true. It’s a half glass fold. Yeah, that’s true. Yes. Listen, listen, you know, there’s some people that would say that’s half full, and some people say it’s half empty. And you know, to me, it’s half right. So for most people, their job or their goal is to go meet somebody new. My goal when I go networking is not to necessarily meet somebody that’s new. My goal is to meet a specific person. And by that I mean, let’s, let’s back up a second. Where would you go networking? If you had to go networking? Where’s a good place or a good avenue to go? network? Give me you have an example or someplace where you’ve gone?

Lane 4:21
Oh, I don’t know, some of the local tech associations have, you know, little meetups at a brewery or something like that. And we’re in a coffee shop or something like that.

Rob 4:29
Yep. So you so there’s an association. Sometimes chambers are another avenue, right? There’s other networking events that are going on, you can find them on meetup, or you can find them on a variety of different websites out there. But let’s say you go to a tech event, you’re on your way to a tech event. But before you get there, what are some of the activities you should do? Do you do anything before you get there? Have you ever come up with here’s one or two things I do before I go to the event itself?

Lane 4:52
Sometimes out of curiosity, I’ll look and see who else has signed up but I get a feeling you’re going to tell me I probably need to do a little more than not just how to cure

Rob 5:00
sec who who showed up? Maybe? Yeah, so no, actually, you’re partly on the way. So one of the things you should always do is if there is a list of people that are going to be there, you should look at the list. Is there anybody on the list that you say, Man, if I can walk away with that person’s contact information? That would be incredible. And I don’t mean like, get it from somebody else. I mean, it directly from them, right? So if that’s if that’s something as a as a Have you ever had that? Were you ever seen somebody on the list that you say, I would love to talk to this person?

Lane 5:29
No.

Man, not that comes to mind. Okay, honestly.

Rob 5:33
So the most effective use of networking time is look at the list of people that are going to be there, identify one, two, maybe three people that you absolutely have to meet. Now, the event starts at 5:30pm. And again, this is pre COVID. And post COVID, right, the event start and even if it’s via zoom, and you’re doing a networking event via zoom, which which does happen, if you had that list, and you had three names you wanted to meet? What would you do with those three names before the event?

Lane 6:02
I’d probably go look on LinkedIn, try to learn a little bit about that person, maybe with a little go to their website, perfect. Things like Yeah,

Rob 6:08
yep. So you’re gonna want to do all those things, then what I would do is one more step would be, I might call the people that are running the event, I might call them up and say, I want to learn how to meet this person. I want to know, do you know this person? I want to know, do you have any insights on this person? How do I meet this person? Do you? Is there a way that you could introduce me if I show up tonight, which I plan on doing? Would you ever be interested in? Like, just give me a quick introduction?

Lane 6:33
I don’t need you to tell me you’re stalking them?

Rob 6:36
No, I’m not stalking them. I’m doing my job I’m prepared. So if I if I call the person that’s hosting the event, and the person hosting the event says, You know, I, I know this person personally. Do you want an introduction? I could get you one. That’s all you want. Right? All right. Let

Lane 6:51
me ask you this. Yeah, I’m sorry. I don’t mean to interrupt, but I’m interrupting. So do you already have a relationship with the people organizing the event? Not necessarily. So you’re going to cold call the the event organizers and just hope that they’re just going to be willing to introduce you to this person.

Rob 7:07
So nine times out of 10? If I’m going to an event, and these events are something I go to regularly, the organizer already knows me? Okay, so that’s a good question. Because if I’m going to an event, and the organizer does not know me, I will not do this.

Lane 7:21
Yeah, fair enough.

Rob 7:22
I will go to the event to meet the event organizer, who’s the most important person that that event, the organizer. They’re the one that puts this all on, they’ve invested time and effort and money to put this on. Yes, you’re paying maybe for it, you’re doing the activity to go there. But they’re the ones that have literally put their neck out there and said, I’m gonna put this event on and people may or may not show up. And so they’re kind of risking that. So people that call, I will tell you this, I’ve hosted several networking events myself, guess how many people have called me prior to the event for that question?

Lane 7:52
How many events have you done?

Rob 7:53
I probably done 15 events.

Lane 7:56
I I’m torn. It’s either zero or 100.

Rob 8:01
Yeah, not a single person has ever called me and said, Hey, do you know this person, the people on the list that signed up nine, maybe eight out of 10? I know who they are? Because they’re my contacts? And then I may bring one or two, three, everybody brings one or two people that they know that I don’t know. You don’t I mean? So yeah. All of a sudden, you’ve got this whole group of people, maybe you have 20, 30, 40, 50 people, depending on the night, they show up, right?

So all of a sudden, those people show up, I might, if I’m organizing the event, I might look at the people that are showing up and saying, who invited this person, I might even email that person and say, Hey, who invited you tonight, because I would like to know that number one, number two, I’d like to thank them for inviting somebody. But number three, that’s somebody I want to talk to. And if that’s somebody want to talk to you, they’ll introduce me, right? reasonable.

If I’m hosting the event, that’s one thing. But if I’m attending an event, that host typically doesn’t get that phone call, they’re happy to do it, because that’s what they’re all about is connecting people. If you’re going to a chamber event, I guarantee you, that’s their job to introduce people, that’s their sole purpose, like there for that night for that evening. for that event, their sole purpose is to make sure that everybody’s comfortable, everybody’s happy. And if you want to be introduced, be introduced, I can’t tell you how many times I’ve walked away from an event with some buddies contact information that weeks later, they reach out because the person that introduced me was the person that hosted the event. And the person that hosted the event has the most credibility has the most influence. They’re the trusted advisor. Yeah, they’re the center of influence of the whole group.

Everybody knows who that person is. And they introduce me, and suddenly you have credibility yourself, because they introduced that Right, right. Again, if this is the first time you’re attending their event doesn’t work that way, right? Because they can’t feel comfortable doing that, that whole purpose of anytime I go to an event where I don’t know the person that’s hosting it. If I go to an event that the person is hosting it, and I don’t know, then I will make sure that I will introduce myself get to know that person a little bit. And that’s my sole purpose for that event.

Lane 9:55
organizer, right.

Rob 9:56
Yeah, to meet the organizer, but if it’s somebody that already know because I’ve attended their events a few times, then I will go and ask for introductions to those people. And it’s incredible how many times they will introduce you and say reasonably nice stuff about me. I don’t know why they would say that.

Lane 10:12
I have no idea.

Rob 10:14
Yeah. So I think you’re, you know, the other thing you mentioned earlier was LinkedIn. So if you look at LinkedIn, you look them up, what is some of the information you want to know, once you look them up on LinkedIn,

Lane 10:25
if I know who’s going to be there, I’m going to look up and see, you know, trying to find out a little bit about their history, what they’ve, what they’ve done what they’re doing, I guess, maybe it would probably be a good idea to, to look and see who they know. And that I might know, and see who our common connections are, and, and maybe someone that might be able to give us an introduction,

Rob 10:45
that’s a really good place to start. And I think a lot of people do something similar if they think of doing it before they leave to go to this networking event. Right. So, you know, to me, one of those pieces that you just mentioned was really important is somebody that I’m connected to, how do I get connected to them? Right? That’s a valuable connection to know about prior to the event. In fact, if you had a connection, and you had time, before the event, sometimes it’s helpful to just reach out to their connection that, you know, see if they actually know that person. Because what if they knew them? And they could give you a little insight about them that would that be helpful?

Lane 11:22
Yeah, that would be good.

Rob 11:23
Yeah. So that’s one piece that I would like to do, I typically like to try to look somebody up, say, who do I know that knows them. But the other piece of that is, is knowing the people that put the event on, and using that person as an introduction piece, because they typically will know the people that are going to the event, right, so those types of individuals who are running those events, I always try to use those folks to basically get an introduction. The other thing that I want to look at when I’m on LinkedIn is kind of get a feel for their personality a little bit.

What kind of things do they post? What kind of things do they talk about? What are they sharing? What are they showing that is really important to them? What groups are they a part of? So if they’re part of a group, if there’s an IT person, they’re not a part of any it groups? That seems a little weird to me, right? Now, are they? Are they really an IT person? Or are they just like a fake one, like, but but if they’re, if if they’re, if they’re a landscaper, and they’re a part of all these landscaping groups, and some of them look very, very interesting, because they’re high end landscaping, that would tell me that they’re either trying to break into commercial, high end, large, large multimillion dollar homes that they’re trying to break into, do the landscaping for, or that’s where they already are.

And that’s where they want to be known and continue to be known. But if they have none of those high end things, then maybe they’re just a regular landscaper, which is totally fine. But they are just, that’s where they are right now. So you can get a little subtle insights by looking at some of the groups they’re in some of the things that they share the way that they converse with people. Have you ever noticed that when you look at somebody’s LinkedIn profile, that person looks really fun, or that person looks dry? Is toast? I mean,

Lane 13:08
you can go either way. I was looking at yours last night. So Uh huh. And

Rob 13:12
what did you find? What did you find? I’m curious, dry as dry

Lane 13:15
as toast?

Rob 13:17
Yeah. So that’s, that’s one of the things you talked about the connections. And I think those group things are really important. So those are some of the elements you can pull out of a LinkedIn profile. And I think there’s another piece that I might recommend or talk about is, there’s a there’s a website, that’s, I think it’s called crystal nose. I’ll put it in the show notes. But basically, what it is, it’s a a an integration that you can use on your website that will look at a LinkedIn profile and tell you their disc profile, which is very helpful and very informative. And we haven’t really talked a lot about disc profile. Before that, I

Lane 13:52
was just gonna say, Hey, I know, we’ve, I know, you’ve mentioned it when we’ve been out for beers in the past. But maybe we need to get a little deeper on that.

Rob 14:01
Yeah, and I think we will at some point in another episode, but the high level of disc profile is everybody has one particular profile that they tend to portray or put out, that’s just natural to them. And then there’s sometimes there’s a personality that they have, that is their perceived need to be. So when I’m at work, I might come across a little more this way versus when I’m at home, but your natural one is really the most important and that’s typically what people share on their LinkedIn profile.

Lane 14:32
So there’s the four that are in a disc profile. There’s the D profile that is let me interrupt you for a second. So you know everyone posts on social media but everyone’s always trying to portray themselves as living their best life. I don’t believe anything that people except for you. Yeah, every word you post I believe Be careful No, but you know everyone everyone’s it’s it’s it’s a magical world. They’re they’re posting online. Yeah. So how does how does this really know what their disc profile is? When you’re You have your your online life and your real life?

Rob 15:02
Yeah, that’s a good question. And and quite honestly, I don’t know how that works. It’s not 100% accurate, but it’s pretty darn accurate. I mean, I have, I don’t know how many times I’ve looked up people that I know. And then I haven’t run the analysis. And it’s pretty close, it says, Well, they’re this or that, when you look it up on that website, or when you use that integration, it’s going to give you a general feel, and you have to then go into the with the attitude of, I think this is what their personality is.

Now I need to verify that and that’s going to help you determine how to speak to them to begin with, and start to test some of the ways you speak to them. Let’s go through the four different types of personality. So the D personality is somebody that’s very, like, have you ever thought of like a very dominant personality, where they’re just driven, they pretty much steamroll over everybody. They’re like, they don’t care about people’s feelings. They just get stuff done, like get on my way. Ya know? It’s

Lane 15:52
like that.

Rob 15:53
Oh, yeah. And and they’re, they’re sometimes fun. They’re not so fun. But you know what, they’re, that’s the way they are. And everybody knows who they are. Yeah, I

Lane 16:00
think the D really applies to them.

Rob 16:02
Yes, yes. in more ways than one, sometimes. I’m just saying, but. But given that, that is one type of personality, and then there’s another type of personality, and there’s some nuances, and we’ll get into this in another time. But then there’s the eye personality, which is also known as kind of like an influencer, kind of a style person. That type of personality is the most fun person you’ve ever met. Those are the people that come up with fun things to do. They’re the ones that are like, hey, let’s just go do this. And you’re What was that? Okay, let’s go do it. You do it, because you think, well, I want just want to be around this person.

They’re the ones that you just want to be around. And there’s a lot of other nuances to those types of people. But I’m sure you’ve met somebody like that before, where you’re just like, this person is fun. Have you? Oh, totally. Oh, yeah. So and then there’s another person that is called the steady relator. And they’re the s and they’re the person that is they’re just constant. They’re steady, they’re very even keeled. But they’re also the type of person that is really caring about a family about other people on the team about other people.

They’re just a very caring person. And what you’ll notice is that the steady people and the influence for people, the eyes and the S’s, their people, people, if you will, right, they’re the people that love dealing with people fact, if they had a choice of doing and washing the car, versus calling the front of the phone, they’re going to call the front of the phone before they ever talk about or get going on the car, right? So that’s wouldn’t I know, Well, listen, some people like to get the tasks done, which is the next person, which is the C, the C is a very compliant person, they’re the type of people that are, you know, you give them a set of rules, and they’re gonna go, Okay, that’s what I got to do, they’re not gonna vary from that.

And they’re gonna follow the rules to the tee. They’re the ones that remember when you had to school where they’re like, here’s a list of instructions. And before you get started, make sure you read all the directions, and then get started. And then you read all the directions and the C’s in the class, read all the directions. And the last step in the directions is put your name on the paper, and that is the end of this exercise, you don’t have to do anything else. And they’re the ones that go, Hey, I did it all because I just read the directions.

Now the D’s, they go, I’m gonna get this thing done, they start filling all the answers to the quiz or whatever the paper says. And they didn’t read the instructions, which said, you don’t have to do anything other than put your name on the top of the paper. That’s the difference, right?

So the D’s and the C’s are high, high task, people, the eyes and the S’s are high people-people, right. So those are the types of things that you want to know before you walk into a networking event. If they’re really good at being a people person, then there’s a way you need to talk to those individuals. If they’re a high D, or if they’re a high C, there’s another way you need to talk to those people. And so you have to vary that those are the things you’re going to learn on LinkedIn.

And you can honestly, you can figure it out a little bit just by looking at the profile. But if you use that plugin, it’ll actually help you a little bit more and will give you a starting point. I’ve had it be wrong, totally wrong. And that’s probably because somebody else wrote their profile. And then they post it and then you go, Well, what happened? So you just got to verify it. That’s the whole idea. Right? So the next thing we should probably talk about is like, you know, what are some of the good things you should be asking when you’re at a networking event? Right? Have you ever been to a networking event and found somebody just asked you a bunch of really good questions? No, no? Oh, my God. No.

I have had a few occasions where somebody who I spoke to was phenomenal at just drilling me with questions. And I think after that point, I had a conversation with somebody else, and that person has a lot of good question. They said, Yeah, they work. They work a lot. And they’re really good at it. I started to realize that is one of the top skills and networking is asking high quality engaging questions. Okay, so give me give me some examples. So some examples, depending on the end of it, again, depending on the personality style, you’re going to start high level obviously gonna ask them what they’re doing right? They do you probably already know before you talk to them, but you’re gonna ask them what they do and what do they enjoy about their work and that kind of thing? And they’re,

Lane 19:45
like talking about themselves?

Rob 19:46
Yeah, they like to talk about themselves. And so you get uncomfortable a little bit that way. But but you might also ask questions after you find out a little bit more about them that are more intricate and detailed about their work. So maybe what you end up asking was something like in the next Three or four years? What do you see changing in your industry that most people don’t see? Or what are some of the challenges that you’re running into in your workplace that most people don’t understand? Or they’re, even though they should understand it or see it while deep? Well, it’s not a really make

Lane 20:19
deeper than the most questions you’re gonna get at a networking event

Rob 20:24
yet. Well, yeah. And so the idea being that you’re doing two things. One, you’re engaging them with thought provoking questions, which who doesn’t like that? It makes you think, Hmm, this person made me think a little bit. So that also makes you memorable? And what do you want when you go in networking? You want to be memorable? Absolutely. And remember, we said earlier, you’re not there to sell.

So if you’re not there to sell, when you’re networking, you better be memorable, you better be memorable, and you better learn a little bit about them and make it about them, because they love talking about themselves. Right. Some of the other questions I’ve asked too, is like, you know, what are some of the books you’re reading right now, if I find out that they like to read books, sometimes it’s just a simple thing where I’m like, I need another book to read.

What do you have for me? What do you have you got any ideas for another book? Because I’m looking for something that’s a little different that most people haven’t recommended you got any books that you’ve read lately? that are really good? Cheers. By being silent? It sounds like you almost don’t think that’s a very good question.

Lane 21:23
No, you asked that question. It really makes me stop and think because I think a lot of people that are at an event like that might be really more into business books, or self help type books, or topics like that, where, you know, when I go to read, I’m typically trying to escape the world as it is. And you know, I’m looking for the fiction, you know, the science fiction, fantasy, things like that. So to me, that would just that’s an interesting question, because it would it would make me pause for a second, I’ll tell you what I’m reading. But I don’t think it’d be the typical expected response. Well, I

Rob 21:53
think that’s also then interesting, because if you said to me that answer, which is, you know, I usually try to read to escape work. I don’t want to be in that world, right? When I read that would make me ask you another question, which is like, well, well, tell me more what, what’s what style? What area would you get into? And then depending on what your answer is, like, wow, how did you get into that area of reading?

Like, if you said to me, Well, I like sci fi, that’s, you know, and you start naming off all these weird things, I would say, holy cow, how did you get into sci fi? Why, why that area of sci fi, and it might give me some more information that’s really interesting, I might find out enough information where I could actually take that information and say, Okay, I know, these are your likes and dislikes. That doesn’t mean I’m going to use it against you, I just want to know enough to help you and me feel comfortable talking to each other.

And if I feel comfortable and you feel comfortable, there’s a much greater chance that we can engage in more communication and contact and and talk. And and I think that’s the important part, right? And and part of networking is getting to know a little making sure they’re comfortable, and then see what happens. That’s really all it’s about, right?

Lane 22:59
Very true.

Rob 23:00
Another area that usually comes up when networking is and particularly how to network like a pro is how do you get out of a situation where somebody cornered you, and you really don’t want to continue to talk to that person?

Lane 23:16
Have you ever had that every time? Oh,

Rob 23:19
every time I have to every time I get into this situation? I’m like, why does this person always like to talk to me? And why did they go on and on? And I just have to listen to them. I can’t get away from them. Or if it’s the first time I’ve ever met them, it’s the same type of situation and same feeling, right?

Lane 23:33
Yeah, I feel like I feel like I get stuck with these people. And I don’t know how to get out of the situation. What should I do?

Rob 23:39
Yeah. So when you get into that situation, there’s an easy couple of things you can say, one of the easiest things you can say is, and this is one that’s highly effective, and they don’t know what’s happening until it’s too late, you’ve already walked away. And that is, which is my favorite part of this whole deal. And that is, Hey, I know you came here to network with a lot of people here tonight, I don’t want to stop and take all your time up.

I really appreciate meeting you and learning a little bit about you. Here. Here’s what I would like to do. I would like to introduce you to other people, if it makes sense. Is there like one or two people that are good introductions for you to introduce you to that maybe would be helpful later on after a networking event. And by by saying those words, their brain starts to think, well, that’s a person that what is the person that I would want to talk to, and then they start telling you what that is, and some people don’t know very well.

But when they tell you that now they’re gonna, they’re gonna stutter and pause a little bit, they’re gonna figure out what it is that they need for an introduction, or they’ll know and they’ll tell you, once they get to the point of telling you who that is, then then it’s very simple to say, All right, cool. Let’s do this. Let me network around a little bit. Let me see if I can find you a really good introduction that’s here tonight, because maybe there’s somebody here that is exactly what you’re looking for, or know somebody that would be willing to do that. And I can introduce you to them to who would then potentially introduce you to the right person.

Would that be alright? Well, we know that right. So and then all of a sudden you go Oh, Cool, well, let me get let me take your card, and then off I go. And then that’s about it. Like it’s a, it’s a such a smooth transition that nobody realizes. And as soon as you take their card, you’re walking away. Nice to meet you. We’ll talk soon, and then Off you go, like, just walk away. And and they can’t help but go. Okay, cool. Nice to meet you. And that’s it. Right? But that is what what I would do is have that type of a conversation, because in the end, nobody feels bad after that whole conversation. Now, they may think back later and go, Wow, that was what just happened. But if they do, so what I’m getting ready, right? So

Lane 25:33
very, very true. Very true, right.

Rob 25:35
There’s another trick also to know before you network, and here’s the one small piece of advice that I would give you and I try to give to anybody that I can give this to is please don’t hand out your business card to anybody and everybody only give them to the people who asked for it. Make them ask for it. make them want it, have them have a reason. Because you’re engaging. You’re asking all the right questions, they want to talk more to you. you’ve run out of time, you know, that old, that old showbiz phrase of you know, leave them wanting more?

Exactly, absolutely. Yeah. Yeah, that’s the goal of networking is to leave them wanting more. And by asking engaging questions, and having them ask for the card, that gives you the feeling that, okay, they would be interested in having a longer conversation. But if they don’t ever ask, they were being polite, they were being nice. They were listening, if you were talking, and that’s probably going to be the end of the conversation ever. So you

Lane 26:32
just gave an example a moment ago of asking someone for their card, when you have probably little, little chance of interacting with them willingly in the future? That’s

Rob 26:40
a good point. Yeah, that’s a good point. So I asked for their card for two reasons. One is I might have a database that I want to put them in. And that database might be the I don’t want to talk to this person, again, database, work on their special letter that basically says to me, because I know do not engage. And then there’s another letter or another symbol that you use, when you say, this is a person I need to follow up with because we had a very good conversation, they sounded like they wanted to ask more questions. They sounded like they had more information that they wanted to share with me about what their needs are. Maybe I should talk to them again. And I’ll reach out again. So there’s designations I would give for each,

Lane 27:14
you’re swiping left or swiping right.

Rob 27:16
Essentially, yeah, that’s, that’s a good way to put it. Yeah, that’s the kind of the newest way to do it. But I’m still old school, and I write on the guards and I sorted them out that way. And I get stuff. And that, yes, there’s databases. Everybody has a newsletter, dues database, whatever. And sometimes it’s annoying that you end up on one. But if you do, you always have the right to unsubscribe. And before I take their card and put them on a database, I will usually just ask them beforehand, what before I leave the event, say I’ve got your card, some people want to be on a database, like, Hey, here’s what’s going on with us.

And some people don’t. And I don’t care either way, you want to be on the list or not. And if they go, you know what I actually I’m interested in seeing what you guys do in the industry? Yes. And then there’s other people that go, I don’t really need it. Okay. And that’s okay. I’d rather have people that are engaged and want to learn more. Right? Yeah. So and then in my early years, I probably just put them on the list, and it shouldn’t have been there. So lesson learned. And now I’m sharing right? opt in,

Lane 28:09
always opt in, I always opt in.

Rob 28:11
So and obviously along the whole phrase, when you go through this is read their body language. When they’re feeling uncomfortable when you’re talking to them abort, you know, time to get away time to move on, abort, abort, get out of the way, just they want to go network and again, same phrase. And no, you wanted to network, a lot of people here. I don’t want to be in the way. So let me take your card. And if I ever need to talk to you again, I’ll I’ll give you a shout and whatever. So anyway, so that’s that. Is there anything that you picked out of this episode that you go? Boy, that was valuable information?

Lane 28:41
Yeah, I think the most valuable is probably how to get out of those conversations. I mean, you’re there to talk to other people and you don’t want to get stuck with one person for 20 minutes when it’s it’s there’s not any value there. So I think that’s for me that that was the best is how do I extract myself from that and move on and go meet other people?

Rob 29:00
Yeah, that took me a long time to learn that trick. that’s helped me many times. I can’t tell you how many times. Let’s call it a show. And thank you again for listening. Until next time, see ya.