Transcription
Networking is one of the most important aspects of business because deals, jobs, and partnerships don't just go to the most qualified, they go to the most connected. The truth is 90% of people don't know how to network. Most people think networking is about collecting business cards and meeting people. And that's an element of it. The hard part is building relationships and maintaining relationships. And now I'm going to share seven strategies and principles anyone can apply to build their network.
Number one, invite everybody. This past year, I was going to a Polar Plunge. I had 20 tickets and I would call people up and invite them, be like, "I'd love to do this event with you. It's a fundraiser. You know, we're going to jump in a frozen lake. It's a Polar Plunge." Now, some would say no, but they still appreciate it and thank me so much for thinking of them. And others would say yes, and then we had an incredible experience and memory together. But the bottom line is I didn't invite 10 of the 20 tickets. Everybody gets an invite. Go out of your way. Invite everybody. Fill up the tables because people feel heard and wanted and they remember and appreciate the ask.
Number two, gifts are a powerful weapon. So, I'm a big believer in gifting. Every time that I do a podcast, I send the person that hosted me on their podcast a gift. It should be the opposite. Usually, like the person that does the podcast, maybe they would get a thank you note. I flip the script on that. And I'll say this. Hey John, there's 8 billion people in the world and you chose me to be on your podcast. Thank you so much. As my appreciation, I want to send you this whatever you're sending a book, a gift card, a watch, I don't know. Gifts can be a really big part of your business strategy and certainly of your networking strategy. And a gift doesn't have to be expensive. It's the gesture and the thought when people least expect it. That's the key. Gift them.
Number three, three minute a day rule. So networking isn't about collecting business cards. It's not even about how many people you know. It's about who knows you. And everybody is one meeting, one referral, one introduction away from changing the entire trajectory of your life. So I've always been a big believer in planting a lot of seeds in a lot of different directions. And I take about 3 minutes a day to do it. I'll give you an example. I went to a basketball camp every year for 20 years that Coach K, the coach at Duke puts on. So, one day I was getting on a plane. I shot coach a text that just said, "Coach, thank you so much for doing this. Every year I feel like an 8-year-old when I go to your camp. No need to respond. Thank you. You're having an impact. Send." Took about 45 seconds to send that text. But what now what I've done is now I have permission now if I see Coach K ever at a restaurant to say hello to him. He'll be like, "Oh, coach, I sent you a text. Who's the first person he's going to hug at out of a hundred campers at camp?" Me. It took less than a minute. If I invest three minutes a day and send three of those text, DM, handwritten letter, the three people a day over the course of a year, I'll plant over a,000 seeds in all kinds of different directions.
Number four, follow up on everything. If you say you're going to do something, do it. Now, what does that have to do with network? It is everything to do with networking because networking is built on trust. People want to do business with people that they trust. People want to be around people that they like to be around and that they trust. Everything gets a follow-up. You have a meeting, they get a thank you note. You get a call and say, "I'm going to call you back in an hour." You call them back in an hour. It's part of your reputation, and your reputation is a huge part of your network.
Number five, drop in when they least expect it, but they need it the most. So, this year was the 2-year anniversary of my father's death. I woke up that morning and there was a text on my phone from my friend Moren. I'm not even that close with Moren. And it said, "Just thinking about you today. I know it's the two-year anniversary of your dad's death. Really hope you're doing okay. Sending love. Our family's thinking about you." How in the world did Moren remember that it was the 2-year anniversary of my father's I have over 10,000 people in my contact list. Of those 10,000, Moren's the only person that reached out to me 2 years after my father died. Unbelievable networking tool. And I'm sure she didn't do it to network. She wanted to reach out to me on this day, but I'll never forget it. And anything Moren wants, I'll do for Moren just because of that simple gesture. I actually call that Mo's rule. That's Moren's rule. So, one thing you could do is just make a list of people in your life that are important to you and big moments in their life. Call them on the anniversary of those days. Maybe they stopped drinking, maybe they stopped gambling, maybe it was a victory or celebration or an anniversary of selling their company, whatever. Reach out to them when they least expect it and they need it the most.
Number six, show up. People do business with people that they see all the time and people that they trust. And showing up is one of the most impactful, underrated skills that anyone can do. I had a terrible thing happen to our family. The next day, I get a knock on my door. It's my friend Douggee Fresh the rapper. I'm like, "Doug, what are you doing here?" He said, "Man, when you get news like that, you don't call. you show up for the rest of my life, I will never forget that. And it's so true. If you have people in your life that are grieving and you don't reach out to them or show up for them, they'll never forget it. And if you do, they'll always remember it. Be remembered for showing up. I've met so many people in my life that like are so much more talented than me, smarter than me, but I was always the one that showed up. More times than not, it got me deals.
Number seven, stay in the mix. Stay top of mind with people. Don't ever underestimate the importance of reaching out to people and sending them an email. If you know somebody loves surfing, send them a YouTube clip on surfing. If you know someone loves some kind of healthy food, send them a recipe. Like, stay top of mind. I think that's the most important thing of networking is to create a strategy that allows you to stay top of mind. So, for me, that's emails, that's DMs, that's handwritten letter. Man, who would love this information? Who would love to go to this concert? Who would? And send them. Hey, thought of you. Thought you would like this. Hey, thought of you. Thought you would like that. Very simple, one way, without asking for anything. And watch the floodgates open. The whole web is connected. It might not be the person you meet, but it could be the person that you meet that can introduce you to the person you need to get with. I remember when I went to college, the first day I got great advice, and it was like, put yourself in your dorm room and go right to the basketball courts. And I was like, "The basketball course?" They're like, "Yeah, get in a pickup game and you'll meet 10 people right away in the first hour." And I actually did that and met some of my best friends, joined the fraternity of the guys that were playing basketball and totally changed my college trajectory cuz I put myself in a situation to meet people. Since then, when I graduated college, same thing. I'm not making connections sitting in my apartment and watching the Kardashians. I'm making connections, walking the streets, going to coffee shops, going to events, and putting myself out there. So, anyone that just moved to a new city, go out, put yourself in situations where you can network. And don't sit in the corner of the room. Own the room. Make yourself stand out. You know, stand out through caring the most. Stand out through your energy. Stand out from being friendly. Stand out by asking questions. Stand out by being curious. Stand out by following through after you leave the club when you have people's numbers. The best networking is for me has always been face to face. Especially in my 20s and 30s, I really spent a lot of time making sure that I was going to the places where people congregated that I wanted to meet. That was really important. And I also followed up. It happened the other night to me at the Nick game. I saw someone sitting across from me and I wrote him a text and it said, "I didn't get to introduce myself in the Nick game. Saw you. I'm a big fan for XYZ reasons. Send." put yourself in situations where you can network, but you can also do virtual taps on the shoulders, too, to stay and get connected. I met my business partner on a basketball court in New York City playing basketball. He was in the apparel business. I owned the Go New York Go, the trademark at the time for the Knicks. I wanted to put the Knicks song on a t-shirt. I went to him and we built four businesses together after that for a lot of money. Every situation's an opportunity. Standing online at a coffee shop is an opportunity. My brother's close friend was at a bar and met a guy at the bar that gave him a job at his hedge fund. They ultimately became partners and ultimately became billionaires. Totally true story. Now, that's one in a zillion, but it happened. He put himself in a situation to meet somebody, network, then worked himself up through talent, skill, and everything else. So, it happened. The most important deals that have come to me or that I've been involved with are with people that I met in my 20s, 30s, and 40s. They're not people that were from my hometown or that I grew up with. The more people that know you, the better the chances that you're going to meet that one person, have that one meeting that can change the entire trajectory of your