Networking Isn't Gross (Unless You Make It That Way) (EP98)

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! 👉 For all the links and resources mentioned in this episode, check out the supporting blog post here.🧰 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 EpisodesHow To Escape The Networking Friend Zone Immediately4 Creative Ways to Partner for Growth and Opportunity4 Networking Techniques for Solopreneurs Who Want Quality, Not QuantityAbout This ShowCreated 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.