Episode 99: How to Network Your Way to Lasting Success
Watch the episode here
The ability to network, whether it's in person or virtual has really been the single greatest driver of growth in my business. And I'm not just talking about revenue growth, I'm talking about opportunities, collaborations, friendships, the type of support system that keeps you going during seasons of winter.
I use my network to deliver results to my clients too. And a big part of what people get when they work with me is access to my network and networking at its core is not shaking hands or getting business cards or connecting with people on LinkedIn. It's about building genuine relationships.
You’re listening to Prospecting on Purpose, where we discuss all things prospecting, sales, business, and mindset.
I'm your host, Sara Murray, a sales champion who's here to show you that you can be a shark in business and still lead with intentionality and authenticity. Tune in each week as we dive into methods to connect with clients, communicate with confidence, and close the deal.
Welcome back to Prospecting on Purpose. This is episode 99 and part two of our four-part special mini-series where I'm sharing eight lessons learned in 100 episodes and two years of business. And last episode, we talked about respecting the season that you're in and embracing the unknown.
Today, we're diving into two lessons that have absolutely transformed my business. And that is the power of networking and the art of asking for help. One of the greatest joys of my professional journey has been networking and, you know, this ability to connect with other people, build relationships, and create meaningful relationships, not just superficial ones. This is really, I think, cracked the code on my current success, but also where my future success is that I'm striving for.
And the ability to network, whether it's in person or virtual, has really been the single greatest driver of growth in my business. And I'm not just talking about revenue growth. I'm talking about opportunities, collaborations, friendships, the type of support system that keeps you going during seasons of winter.
I use my network to deliver results to my clients too. And a big part of what people get when they work with me is access to my network. And networking at its core is not shaking hands or getting business cards or connecting with people on LinkedIn. It's about building genuine relationships. So you're able to ask people for help. And in return, they're able to ask you for help and the way you do this is to consistently show up in spaces where your people gather.
Quick example here, I travel a lot for my business because I truly prioritize and value face-to-face interactions. I think that that's where business works best and a main way to do this is to go to trade shows in the industries that I want to work in, and where my clients are going to be, and where the people I want to work with are going to be, and where my past and future network is built.
So for me in particular, I focus on hospitality, technology, construction, integration, home automation, and luxury sectors and to go to these types of events, it's a significant expense, but the ability to share a meal with a prospect or connect with a past mentor, that always pans out in ways that you don't always recognize when you're in it, and sometimes it won't happen for, you know, months or years later, but networking in person is really planting the seeds for future success and giving you the opportunity to deposit emotional bank accounts into your network.
So, I'm a big fan of in-person networking, and I'm going to share some podcast episodes to help you dive into this deeper, but I also want to just make sure that we acknowledge that these same principles to in-person networking apply to virtual networking as well.
Something I do consistently, and it's been very fruitful and I don't always see other people doing it. So I want to make sure I mention that there's a lot of networking happening online, too. So watching LinkedIn live events, just showing up for someone's LinkedIn live is such a big emotional bank account deposit and most of these people have some significant followings. They're putting out great content, showing up for them, and making comments on them.
You have no idea how far that will go and how you're going to start to be noticed online.
Obviously joining community groups, hopping on Zoom coaching calls, masterminds, networking events, people put on virtual conferences. I actually pay for a couple of different membership programs and I join their monthly calls.
Because I build relationships with other people in the group because most of those other people are doing things and have expertise in areas I don't have. I am in a cohort for female founders in hospitality, and that's already led me to fantastic relationships. But when you look at all of these different ways that there are to build connections with other people, I want you to really challenge yourself and think about how often are you carving out time to do this.
Because it is a time commitment for sure and sometimes it's something that's easy to get shoved to the bottom. Like, Oh, I'm too busy. I'm not going to go to that networking event. Oh, I'm so tired. I don't have the bandwidth to chit-chat with strangers today. Oh, I'm going to do this LinkedIn live over here and watch this webinar while I'm also doing these three other things.
You know, the ability to prioritize it, It's going to be, I think what helps you see the ROI from those efforts. And just a reminder, you know, the network, your network is not just about who, you know because I hear this a lot. Oh, I know. So and so. Okay. Well, what's your relationship? There's a difference between knowing and having a relationship.
So that's kind of pillar 1, but the 2nd thing you need to think about is, who knows you, who likes you, and who trusts you enough to recommend you to others. And so when you're investing in networking efforts, it's because ideally, you're going to be able to get that back in a future state and you have to do it with sincerity.
I talk about this a lot on this show. So some additional podcast episodes, if you want to dive into this more, check out
Episode 49- The Do's and Don'ts of Attending a Networking Event
Episode 75, Your Network is Your Net Worth.
Episode 56, Making Sales, Social, and LinkedIn Best Practices with Bob Woods
Episode 81, Making Introductions That Will Actually Leave a Mark.
So moving on to our next lesson, this next lesson goes hand in hand with networking, which is why they're paired together. This is really the ability to ask for and receive help. Asking for help and accepting help is not a sign of weakness. It's actually a superpower. And the reason that networking is a non-negotiable for me is that it collapses time.
If I am confronted by something that I've never done before, and when you're building a business or starting something new, it's pretty much every day, all day, you're getting hit with stuff that you've never done before. You get really good at asking for help.
And I usually have someone in my network I can call and ask, Hey, this is coming up, you were the first person I thought to call. Do you have a few minutes to talk through this? And because I invest so heavily in my network, I usually have enough emotional bank account deposits built up that I can tap into. And I obviously do it in return in every way that I can. But because I've been able to do this and pull from my network, It's made me smarter, it's made me more resourceful and it's made me more well-rounded, which is always going to continue to help us level up.
So the ability to be humble enough to ask for help or admit that you don't know something and then accept help if it's offered to you, that's really what's going to collapse time for you. And whether you're an entrepreneur, whether you're a corporate professional, we all sometimes fall into this trap of feeling like we need to figure everything out on our own.
And sometimes it's worn like a badge of honor, right? Oh, I woke up at 5 a.m. every day for this meeting. Or I worked 14 hours today, or my schedule is so full and overwhelmed, or I'm a self-made, you know, self-made entrepreneur.
But here's the truth. No one is self-made. Every successful person has had help along the way, and ideally, they feel confident in asking for it. So do not assume that other people are doing this all by themselves. They are not, they are asking for help. And so what I've really learned about asking for help is that it shows wisdom, not weakness.
It creates opportunities for collaboration. It allows others to showcase their expertise. It builds stronger relationships, it helps us practice active listening, and then it also models behavior that helps other people feel safe and asking for help too.
So it's kind of that like ripple effect, right? And people say, Oh, I got so much joy out of helping this person. Maybe I'm not going to be as intimidated asking someone for help because I know what it brought me.
There is an art to asking for and accepting help effectively. You want to be specific about what you need, respect people's time and expertise, show genuine appreciation, be willing to reciprocate, and then ideally actually implement the help you receive. If you want to get into these steps more specifically, especially if you're sourcing a mentor, go check out
Episode 79, Why Mentorship Matters, 10 Proven Tips for Finding the Right Mentor.
The other part about asking for help is that sometimes people will proactively offer to help you, and if you want their help, say yes and jump on it. Don't let too much time go by. When I hear that someone is starting a podcast, I usually will ping them and say, Hey, I've learned a lot in 99 episodes. If you're open to it, I'd be happy to hop on a call and tell you what I've learned, what websites have been helpful, best practices for onboarding guests. Happy to help. And the people who take me up on it, we usually have a really great relationship, and then I've had quite a few opportunities where it's expanded into something much larger, but I had something to offer to help. And so it helps me in the future because I'm giving that emotional bank account deposit.
So it's all this really nice, this really nice web of connection that we're building and people generally want to help. So when you are asking for help, you're not just receiving support. You're giving someone the opportunity to share their knowledge and expertise.
And as long as it's genuine and reciprocal, you're going to likely receive the help you're seeking, especially if you invest in your networking skills, which is why these 2 lessons are together because this web of connectivity is really what's going to collapse time, make you stronger, make you more of a resource for the people in your network and then it overall, just helps us grow as professionals, which is something that I think everyone's striving to do, especially people who listen to podcasts.
So that is it for part 2 of our special mini-series. Next week's episode is episode 100, those are going to be my 2 favorite lessons that I've learned and they are something that I did not know before I started. So I'm really excited to share them with you. Until then, I implore you to reach out to someone in your network.
Keep those relationships warm, maybe ask for help with something that you've been struggling with or offer to help someone else. And you might be surprised at what unfolds. Thank you so much for being part of this journey Episode 99. See you next week for episode 100.
Thank you so much for listening to the Prospecting on Purpose podcast.
If you loved what you heard today, subscribe to the podcast and please rate and leave a review. For more info on me, or if you'd like to work together, feel free to go to my website, Saramurray.com. On social media, I'm usually hanging out at Saramurraysales. Thanks again for joining me and I'll see you next time.
Connect with Sara
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@saramurraysales
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/saramurraysales/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/saramurraysales/
