Passion to Legacy
Building connections and fostering a community is crucial for having a successful business. In this episode, I discuss tips and techniques to cultivate a community through the power of networking. I also give some insight into what it’s like to work with me as I help others develop their network.
Work in Sports
Tips to growing a network that helps you advance your sports career and give you job security
Networking is one of the most effective ways to find a new job.
Seventy percent of all jobs are not advertised on job sites, and referrals make up 40% of new hires.
A recent article conducted a survey for recruitment trends for 2021 and 2022 that showed 73% of people reported they had been hired in the past as a result of someone that they knew making an introduction or connection.
The survey also found that only 25% of professionals actually network, and 41% would like to network more, but they don't think they have enough time.
If you fall into that category, check out my blog post about how you can effectively grow your network with just one hour a week. I also have a couple of options for someone looking for more of a Done-For-You networking plan.
Networking Tips
Find out more from the people that are in those roles
While I was growing my career, my objective was to discover more about my ideal roles from those who already held them. I wanted to create conversations about what that role was actually like, and what different challenges and opportunities were within that particular job role before I took my next steps.
I am a networking and marketing specialist, and the majority of my career centers around growing, cultivating, and nurturing other people’s communities. In sports, building a network helps you break into and advance within the industry, but developing a network and a community is necessary regardless of what field you are in. When building that network, though, it’s essential that you come from a place of service—looking not only for ways to grow yourself but also how you can support others.
Emmanuel Acho
As an example of the power of community, we can look at Emmanuel Acho, creator of Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man, which are short video segments that were turned into a book and then a child’s book. I’ve unpacked and learned a lot from the book and videos, and it’s helped to start a lot of great conversations. Both the videos and text are thought-provoking, and you come away from them with a different lens.
If you haven’t watched the segments or read the book, I highly recommend it.
He recorded one video shortly after George Floyd’s death that within 48 hours had close to a million views. It led to big names like Oprah and Matthew McConaughey calling to get involved. It’s a great example of the power of community, of what I call raving fans. So many people were sharing it and talking about it because it kept growing, creating a ripple effect. Each one of those shares was an opportunity to open up conversations.
The more you can use your platform to bring awareness to the subject matter that is important to you, the better. When you emotionally invest in something, if something moves you, you will be more willing to converse about it and discuss it with the people freely. And this is the power of building a network. Making those connections and fostering community is crucial for you to be successful in business.
Gain clarity
When building a community, the first thing you need is to gain clarity around your people and your purpose. It helps to be rooted in an overall vision of what you are trying to accomplish to figure out who you should be reaching out to and how to approach the conversations. From there, you can build the connection to engage the community.
You want to be clear on your success criteria and ask yourself questions to gain clarity:
What are you hoping to get out of building these connections in your career--To collaborate, to gain visibility, to increase sales, to gain mentors?
How would this ultimately benefit you to get your message out there to more people and create a more significant impact?
How would it benefit other people to hear about your message, and how would it impact their life?
Networking tips
Research - determine your medium
After you have an idea of your purpose, research to compile a list of people you can reach out to and the places you could find them, like Facebook groups, Clubhouse rooms, Linkedin, etc.
It can often feel more comfortable to start with something like LinkedIn at first because you can find people you have connections with, like attending the same university.
If you're using LinkedIn to network, though, one thing to consider is to have a filled-out profile. When somebody gets somewhat of a cold pitch, they're going to go back and look to see who you are, what it is that you do, and your history.
Connections that you already have
Next, look for people you already have a connection with that can reach out to their networks and facilitate introductions. These connections can be super powerful because then it's not a cold pitch. They already know the other person, so they feel more connected to you through a mutual acquaintance, and they're more invested in the conversation.
After building those initial closer connections, add other people you're following, even if some of the links can be a stretch. Don’t be afraid to reach out to different clubhouse rooms and people you can connect with outside of your circle.
The Outreach
When you reach out to people, you’ll want to have a bit of a mix between a general and a specific ask. For the general ask, you would have information about who you are, what it is that you're looking for, and hoping to get out of the conversation. You’ll also want to include some specific asks and information in this initial outreach to them.
Do some research on the person so you can discuss why they inspire you and why you are looking to connect. Keep the initial message as short and sweet as possible to set up your coffee connect call, staying clear on your purpose:
“Hey Susan, I stumbled upon your podcast, and I loved episode 50 where you sat down, and you interviewed _____ from ______ agency. It blew my mind. I loved the question that you asked about __________. I'm looking to build some connections in this space, and I'd love to find out more about your background working in the agency setting. I'm sure you're very busy, but I wondered if you might be able to spare 15 to 20 minutes to hop on a call with me. I’m looking forward to getting to know you better.”
The Ask
That’s a short and sweet first connection. I like to always use a coffee connect as my initial ask. I keep it roughly at fifteen to twenty minutes because it’s a sweet spot where most people will be able to find that in their day. It eases them into that relationship in a way where it's low stakes and worst-case scenario, somebody spends fifteen minutes with you, as opposed to hours.
The Coffee Connect
After somebody has agreed to hop on a call with you, you're going to want to do some pre-call research to find out more about this person so you can make the most of the time together. Dig deeper to find out more relevant information about them that could lead to more of a conversation. Things you have in common are great conversation starters to create a connection right away and eliminate any nervousness. After that, it’s easy for you to free flow into your questions.
Try to stick with only five to eight different questions, which gives you an outline to fill in the conversation if you need to and allows the conversation to flow naturally. Always try to stay rooted in your purpose for the discussion. So if you're potentially looking to get a job with their company down the road, or you're looking for them to keep you in mind, ask questions about the company culture, the growth opportunity, or challenges within the company.
During the conversation, keep track of anything interesting that comes up, including mutual connections, their family, or things that interest them. If they bring up an interest in learning about sabermetrics and you see an article that's related to it down the road, feel free to send it to them with a quick message:
“Hey, Ann! I hope you're doing well. I know in our last conversation you had mentioned an interest in sabermetrics. I was recently reading this article, and I gained a lot of good insights from it. Not sure if it's something that you've read or not, but I wanted to send it your way.”
The Small Things Matter
People remember the small things like that, so anytime you can do that, it's going to help you maintain contact with them. And it's going to help you be front of mind for them in a positive way where your name now might come up in other conversations organically.
Additional Tips
Some additional tips: reach out to somebody when it's not in the middle of their busy season. So that way, they're able to hop on a call with you and connect. It also shows that you’re mindful of their time during a call. If you ask for fifteen to twenty minutes, track that time, be aware of it, and check in with them if it’s getting close to time. Following the call, send a follow-up message. For a more personalized touch, you could also write out a thank you card.
Don’t be nervous about mistakes. There are going to be times when you stumble across your words, when you wish that you had said something that you didn't say, when messages have been missed, and that's okay. Life happens. My advice is to just push through it and own up to whatever it is that's going on. Have that open dialogue and push through it.
Asking for Support
Networking and building a community is totally doable for anyone, but if you are feeling overwhelmed or overbooked and are looking for more of a Done-For-You option, I have put together a program using my background and expertise to support you in creating a network.
DFY Customized Networking Plan- a fully customized plan that includes:
The most appropriate platforms for you
Different tips on how to optimize platforms for your needs
List of people that you should reach out to
Best ways to network with potential connections
Templates for coffee connect and follow-up conversations
Documents and spreadsheets for tracking your networking efforts
Tips on how to build, grow and maintain those relationships
Looking for More Support?
Check out my Sports Business Chronicles 1x1 Offer.
You get the above, plus:
Development of your personal brand to help you be more marketable
Tips on ways to present yourself to different companies to help you get your foot up the ladder
Ideas on how to pitch yourself to gain more speaking opportunities
Trainings and education on how to build your brand, land speaking engagements, network like a superconnect, and more
If you’re a sports business professional or you’re looking to break into the sports industry but unsure where to start, I invite you to send me a message. Let’s jump on a call and see if we would be a good fit for working together.
In this episode, we cover:
The importance of growing your network
Gaining clarity
Putting a networking strategy into place
Recruitment trends for 2022
Passion to Legacy, a Sports Business & Charity Podcast
CONNECT WITH ME ON:
LinkedIn - Emma Vertolli
Twitter - emm_vert
Instagram - @itsemmavert
MORE ABOUT THE PASSION TO LEGACY PODCAST:
Passion To Legacy allows listeners to get a true behind-the-scenes look at the various careers inside the sports industry; even as detailed as the day-to-day duties and operations. Learn what it takes to land your dream role. Gain clarity on what your future career could be. Take action and kick start your humanitarian spirit.
Emma Vertolli is a marketing strategist whose career has centered around growing and nurturing communities. Early on in her professional career she felt stagnant, unfulfilled, and in search for more. She dove into sports business courses, books, & networking. To her surprise, she learned that if you want to break into the sports industry AND accelerate your career, it all comes down to who you know. There was a trend that kept coming up: people need to learn how to network & people need a space to be able to do so.
In Passion To Legacy, Emma shares impactful conversations with professionals working behind the scenes in the sports industry. The bases are loaded in this podcast, we’re chatting all about career goals, hurdles & charity. So grab a pen and pull up a seat - you’re going to want to take notes!
As a listener, you can expect to:
- Gain motivation and inspiration for pursuing your dreams
- Get an insider's perspective into what it’s like working in the sports industry
- Gain insight for getting involved in charitable work
- Learn networking tips for landing a role in the sports industry
- Plus much more!
Pro tip: new episodes drop every Tuesday & Thursday. Be sure to subscribe so you don't miss a session!