If you’ve ever felt too shy to ask for help or felt like networking was just an extrovert’s game, this episode is for you. • Networking is just “in-person” visibility. A year and a half ago, I wouldn’t even get out of the car. I was too afraid to get in front of people because I had this idea that networking was a “client hunt”… where you were either the predator or the prey (Jurrasic Park is popping in to my head). It felt heavy, salesy, and frankly, gross.
In this episode, I’m sharing my experience of showing up over the last 18 months and how I’ve changed my mind about what networking actually is to me.
I’m diving into:
- The “Business Card Shove”: The moment I realized why some networking feels so icky (and how I checked out immediately).
- The Client Hunt Myth: Why shifting from “finding clients” to “expanding business contacts” changed my energy.
- The “Ask” Gap: My fascination with why we ask for help in a group, get a literal solution, and then… never follow up.
- The Visibility Connection: How meeting people in person actually feeds your website visibility and long-term SEO.
Enjoy the episode!
🧰 I love me a good digital marketing tool. This week’s recommended tool is Glimpse.
A trends analyzer in the form of a Chrome extension. I use it for specific keywords to see the trend YOY. There is a paid version that gives you more data early on as it claims to see trends before they hit. It’s designed to watch rising search volume specifically.
Peek inside my toolbox.
🎧 This week’s recommended podcast episode is Is Any Brand Really Authentic in Marketing? by Marketing Millenials.
This reminds me of a time I went to a conference, I forget what year it was, and I was in awe at a speaker. He seemed so genuine and real and he was truly different than the other speakers. And then he said, this is me, what you see is what you get or something like that, I can’t recall the exact words, but he lost me at that moment. But now looking back, I wonder if he said it out of nervousness. Anyway, the point being, saying your authentic or saying it a way to justify doesn’t actually make you authentic. I don’t know how that word go so overused but now it feels gross to me.
🗞️ Like newsletters? Digital Marketing Takeaway
💡 Related Episodes
- 4 Networking Techniques for Solopreneurs Who Want Quality, Not Quantity
- How To Escape The Networking Friend Zone Immediately
- 4 Creative Ways to Partner for Growth and Opportunity
Listen on Spotify
Listen on Apple
Today, we’re talking about networking. Don’t you roll your eyes at me!
I have a very good reason for sharing. I wasn’t doing it at all before about a year and half ago I was too afraid to get in front of people. I didn’t understand it, and frankly, it was just too scary to even try.
And now I want to try all of them. They are fascinating. All the different kinds. And things I learn.
I used to have this idea in my head, and maybe you do too, that networking events were strictly meant for finding clients. Like, either the person I’m talking to is going to hire me, or I’m going to hire them.
It felt very “predator vs. prey, like Jurassic Park” and it felt… well, salesy sleazy.
But a year and a half into this journey, I’ve realized that’s just not how it works.
Networking is about expanding business contacts. It’s about having a circle of people I can ask and share about business itself. It’s not always client-driven.
In fact, some of my favorite people I’ve met through these groups are now friends I talk to about things that have nothing to do with work.
And that’s what the “energy” of good marketing is supposed to feel like to me.
Let me tell you a story about how not to do it. I was at an event, trying to be outgoing. I saw someone sitting by herself and thought, “Okay, I’m going to go sit down and say hi.” I sat down, and as she was literally still saying her name, she shoved her business card at me. It was so gross. I didn’t hear a single word she said after that. I was done.
If you’re wondering why your networking isn’t working, ask yourself: Are you leading with a helpful handshake or a suffocating sales pitch? Because nobody wants a sales pitch before they even know your last name.
I’ve tried a lot of formats lately.
- The Content Group: One of my first events was actually a content-creation meetup. You were supposed to help each other film videos on your phones. But because I was still so shy back then, I just stood there and watched. I was too fearful to ask for help. And as a result my experience was sub-par. And I imagine the organizer wasn’t intending for that.
- The Educational Group: I’ve found some groups that include masterclasses. I love this because it shows an intention beyond just “getting.” It’s about helping businesses grow.
- The “Ask” Format: This is my favorite lately. The group lets you state what you’re looking for so others can offer solutions.
Here’s what I think is fascinating about the human brain. I’ve been in groups where someone asks for help, I offer a literal solution right then and there, and the majority… never follow up.
Why is that? Someone is putting their hand out to help you, and you’re still afraid to take it. I’ve had a hard time asking for things in the past, too, so I get it. And I’m working on that hurdle. But this is what networking is turning into. A helping hand.
(Oh gosh, have you seen the Labrynth with David Bowie and that part with the helping hands? Sarah starts to fall down this well type thing and these hands, human hands, stop her from falling and she’s like you’re hurting me! and they end up asking which way she wants to go, up or down? And she says Down and they yell She chose down! She chose down? And she says, was that wrong and they say too late now! any way… I digress. )
Recently, I met two people who I think could benefit from an optimized Google Business Profile given their business. When someone is searching for them, I imagine they will want to come up in the maps.
In the past, I would have said, “They have to come to me.” Now? I’m following up with them. I’m offering that guidance first because I’ve realized that most people are just waiting because they are too afraid to ask for help.
How does this connect to your website and your visibility? It’s all connected. When you meet people, they look at your site. They might invite you on a guest podcast. They might mention your business on their blog, which creates a backlink.
Networking is just “in-person” visibility.
The Takeaway
Networking is just visibility with a face. The second you stop treating people like potential paychecks and start treating them like potential bridges, the ‘gross’ factor disappears.
Don’t be the person with the business card shoved out; be the person with the hand reached out.
Because in the end, business isn’t a 1-to-1 transaction… it’s a web of people who know, like, and trust you enough to mention your name when you’re not in the room.
About This Show
Created by Compass Digital Strategies, the Small Business Marketing Sweet Spot offers an eclectic mix of episodes, all meant to help you find the sweet spot in your business. Each week, you’ll hear the what, why, and how’s of getting more visibility on your website for the goal of more traffic and leads, along with bonus episodes, some experiential from other business owners sharing their own sweet spot.
We talk about everything that influences creating an atmosphere around and inside you that you actually love because how you grow your business and how you move through your life are connected, and neither of them are linear.
