How to Efficiently Network at Conferences, Even If You’re An Introvert
This week Victoria Jenn kick off July 4th week sharing how she was able to lock in a speaker spot at a huge conference in Atlanta, and her top tips for networking at conferences and events.
She also gets into the details of how she launched this podcast, her budget for the project, and the magic that happens when you invest in yourself.
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Full Transcript:
What's up everybody? Welcome back to another episode on Banking on Cultura. I am your host Victoria Jenn Rodriguez and what do you think about the studio setup? For those who are tuning in on the YouTube streets, I'm in a new studio and I'm excited about this. This is my first time filming in this studio. And it is a vibe. And I actually got into this studio because the one that I normally book um I got kind of kicked out of cuz there was someone who was a big deal. And I can't say who it is because I was informed that everybody needed to sign an NDA, but I did see who it was. So now I know kind of my uh where I'm at on the totem pole. However, you know, God works in mysterious ways because today I get to come to you live from this cute studio that I'm in to bring you another solo episode. And I've been thinking about this, guys. And as your host, you know, Victoria Jen Rodriguez in her Victoria Jen way, I felt like I need to do some more solo episodes because although my guests are amazing and they are incredible to have on the show, I really want to make sure that I'm building community with my audience and that you're hearing more from me and that you're able to learn more about me. So, I'm going to commit to do tons more solo episodes and let me know if you guys are vibing with that. I would definitely love your feedback if that is the case. So, it is July 4th week and this year July 4th like starts and ends on a crazy day of the week like a Thursday. Like I mean I guess it's cool to have a Thursday off but to take off like a Thursday and then to have to go back to work on Friday is kind of like but anywh who I will be spending July 4th is actually in hot Atlanta. I'm going to Atlanta for a conference that actually came about pretty serendipitously. You like that SAT word I use? Sometimes I'mma throw those out at you guys. So just just follow along. Okay. Sometimes I use words with like multiple syllables and I'm very proud of myself. Anywh who, so I'm going to Atlanta and I want to share the story of how this all happened because I think it would be a really great way for you guys to start thinking about your relationships a little bit differently. So let's get into some because you know here on the show we like to kick things off with some boniche. So my one is I actually invested in a coach to teach me how to pitch brands to sponsor Banking on Cultura because what I learned is although I have tons of experience going after corporate contracts for coaching for speaking engagements for sponsoring my events I don't understand the lingo and the vernacular when it comes to speaking to marketers. right? And speaking to executives who primarily invest in media, I didn't understand that world. And when I don't understand something and I want to get to where I'm going fast, aka I wanted to bring in sponsors into this podcast as soon as possible because your girl has been bootstrapping this project for a year and a half already. I spent almost $17,000 so far on this podcast, y'all. That's from booking the studios. Like, this costs money, okay? Editing, the trademark that I got for the show, any marketing that I do for the show. So, it's cost me about 17 grand so far. And I knew going in that I was going to bootstrap this project. But what I also knew going in was that I was going to nip that in the butt as soon as possible. And so when I launched and I really started getting my my feel for things and started getting real comfortable behind the mic, I was like, "Okay, now it's time to go and hire someone to teach me how to talk to these brands." And I hired this amazing coach named Mario Armstrong who is amazing and just incredible and has been so helpful on my journey with securing sponsors. He had like an 8week program. I think that's how long it was. Four to eight weeks or something like that. learned so much from him and I decided that I wanted to go and pitch these brands, but I wanted to pitch them in a way where I knew what the hell I was talking about and I was presenting myself in the best light. So, he helped me put together my pitch deck. He helped me put together my my reel of what I'm sending out to people about the podcast and also he really challenged me to think about my vision for the podcast and where I wanted to take this bad boy. So, as a result of us working together, I learned that he was going to speak at this conference in Atlanta called Podcast, the podcast summit, and David Shans, who is the host of Social Proof, which is a podcast that I listen to, uh, who is based in Atlanta, is hosting this podcast summit. So, as he was promoting it, I was like, "Oh, I think, you know, might be cool to go to this podcast summit, but you know what? If I go, I want to be on stage." And lately y'all, I've been very bougie about attending conferences and I've had to have like an internal conversation with myself because I'm kind of feeling like if I'm not on stage, I don't want to go. Like that's the vibe that I'm on right now. That is what I'm manifesting. That is what I'm putting out into the world. And interestingly enough, God has just been like lighting it out. That's why we have to make sure that we speak things these things into existence, y'all. So, I said I wanted to go to this podcast summit, but I wanted to be a speaker. So, I was DMing David and he was not responding to my DMs. I'm pretty sure his DMs are flooded. I've also never met him before. We've exchanged some DMs in the past, but really didn't have like a rapport or relationship. Then I hit up my boy Runway Billionaire, who's also been a guest here on Banging Cultura, and I was like, "Hey," he was speaking. I was like, "Hey, can you put me in contact with David Shans?" So, he tagged me on like one of his posts. I followed up with a DM. Didn't work. I'm like, "Okay, I guess I'm not going to the podcast summit because if I go, I want to be on stage." And so, I was kind of like going back and forth debating whether or not I wanted to go if I wasn't on stage. Then another investment that I've made in myself recently is I've hired someone to kind of put me on a podcast tour where I am a guest on a whole bunch of podcast. They do research on the podcast. They pitch me to the podcast. They get me on the podcast because I want to use those opportunities to further market the magic and the content that happens here on Cultura. my expertise, the coaching that I do, building up Victoria Jen as the brand and also just connecting with other people's community. And so he is going to be speaking at the podcast summit. And he also recommended that I go to the podcast summit. So I'm here contemplating this thing like, okay, am I going to go? Am I going to go? Then I had an exit interview with Mario about his program because he wanted to kind of see how I felt about it, wanted to collect key feedback, which is really a great way for you to get better at what you're offering folks is you ask them for exit interviews. So whenever they complete a coaching program with you, whenever they complete a consulting engagement with you, whenever you sell something to a consumer, like if there's opportunity for you to get feedback from your client, your consumer base, like take advantage of that. So I knew that Mario was going to be speaking at the podcast summit. So we're doing the exit interview. I'm talking to him. I'm telling him kind of like what my thoughts are. also letting him know about some brand deals that are coming down the pipeline. I can't wait to announce that to all of you. I forget how it came up, but the podcast summit came up and he was like, "Yo, V, you need to be on stage." And I was like, "Talk about it." Like, ain't that the truth. I know I need to be on stage. He was like, "Well, you know, maybe there's a way for me to get you on stage um and talk about our experience working together." And I was like, "Hell yeah." Like, let's go. I'm totally down. Like, first of all, I believe in Mario. He hooked me up. I learned so much in his program. Like, I'm more than happy to get on that stage and talk about my experience, right? Because my goal was to get on stage. That was my goal. And he was like, "Yeah, let me let me see if I can make that happen. Like, I'm still thinking about, you know, what's the format going to be, but yeah, let's see if I can get you on stage." And y'all, investing in someone's program or investing in someone to teach you something goes far beyond just the actual deliverable, right? So, I hired Mario to teach me how to pitch brands and to teach me how to reposition my brand, right? And really showcase my expertise. But I also hired Mario because I knew his network and I wanted to be a part of his world. Right? So it was very strategic in that investment. It wasn't just for the coaching program. It was also because I wanted to build a relationship with Mario and he was going to be able to see me in action front and center as a result of being in his program. And it just so happened that because of all of this, he now trusts me where he's like, "Yo, you should be on stage with me." And I'm like, "Hell yeah." So, whenever you are contemplating investing in someone or you want to be in someone's world, yo, write the check. Invest in yourself. Like, this is how relationships are built and this is how opportunities happen. When I first invested in his program, did I know that he was going to invite me to be on this stage with him? No, I didn't know that. But did I know that as a result of being in his program that now I was going to be in his world and we had a relationship now that I could build off of? Absolutely. So, yeah, guys. So now I'm on stage at this podcast summit in ATL and I'm really really excited because it's going to be I think July 4th through the 5th and I am looking forward to learning right because the podcast industry is new for me like the only thing I knew about the podcast industry was I like listening to podcasts that's the only thing that I knew but now that I'm in it and I'm ingrained and I'm like in the fabric of this multi-billion million dollar industry. It's in my best interest to connect with people who are making waves in this space and also creating opportunities for them to get to know me, which is why I wanted to go to this summit, but I wanted to be on stage if I was there because I knew that it would just add an additional level of credibility, right, versus just being attende. However, I knew that if I purchased a VIP ticket, I would also be giving myself an additional level of credibility as well, but I didn't want to spend the money. So, now I'm a VIP because I'm on stage, right? And I'm speaking on stage. So, I'm really looking forward uh to that opportunity, not only to be on stage, but also to engulf myself in this network of people who are either interested in launching a podcast, have a podcast that they want to take to the next level, are incredible entrepreneurs in this space that are leveraging, you know, podcasts to take their business to the next level. So, I'm excited and I'm looking forward to spending my holiday in Hotlanta. I actually will also be filming podcast episodes while I'm there. I will be a guest on other people's podcast. So, everything just kind of aligned itself and the universe said, "You know what, V? I got you. We're going to put you in the room. We're going to put you on the stage and we're going to align this out so you can build out your network in Atlanta. There's an incredible entrepreneurship network in Atlanta. Everyone that I know in Atlanta is doing amazing things. My first coach that I hired from Atlanta, shout out to Marcus, is going to be there. So, it's just a great place that I love to go back and visit all the time. And so, I'm looking forward to being at the summit. On the topic of summits and conferences, I thought it would be really helpful to share with you guys how I handle myself at conferences so that you can get an idea of what is the best way for you to network at these type of events because I know for a lot of people attending events especially with when it's large is is kind of intimidating if you're like an introvert and and you're not really vibing out with connecting with other people. like that's not your jam. You rather like be home in front of a computer and that's your vibe. So, the idea of going to an event is like, eh, I'd rather not. I get it. But I can guarantee that if you had kind of like tools in your toolbox of how to show up at these events, they'll be less intimidating and more fun. Okay? And you're like, "B, what fun?" Yes, fun. And I know I'm a little biased because I actually love meeting people and I love getting to know them and I love just learning about people. I'm very inquisitive by nature. Hello. Hence why I love interviewing people here on the podcast. I also just truly believe that relationships make the world go round. But most importantly, one of the things that I really learned during the pandemic was how much we need people and how much we need community. And that only happens when you go outside. So even though you're an introvert or even though you get uncomfortable at these type of events, I want to just encourage you to go outside because there that's where community is. That's like where the love is at. So, I want you to go. So, let's get into some tips in how you should handle yourself at these events. Okay. Okay. Tips for how to handle yourself at conferences. So, the first tip is, and this is literally exactly what I'm doing as I prep to go to this summit is you check who is speaking. Really, really important for you to know like who's going to be on stage, right? which should be one of the major attractions of why you're going to the event, right? And learning something about these people before you get there because that will indicate to you, okay, who on stage do I absolutely need to meet? Do I absolutely need to introduce myself to? They need to know who I am. And you can identify who those people are in advance. So, it's less you have less anxiety when you're actually at the event because you've already prepped in advance. You're like, "Okay, this is who I want to speak to. This is who I really don't care for. This is when their session is." So that you can actually plan out your entire itinerary before you get to the event because you want to be strategic, right? And you want to be also intentional about how you're spending your time at these events. Especially if it's a super large event, honey, 2,000 plus people, you ain't got the time. You ain't got the energy to meet all those damn people, right? You want to be intentional and strategic. So, look up who's going to be there and who you need to meet in advance. The second tip that I have for you guys is when you are meeting folks, it's really important that it's easy to exchange information. And I'm not talking about, oh, what's your Instagram or what's your LinkedIn? Like beyond that, I'm very much a person like I want your contact information. I don't want to DM you. I don't want to go to LinkedIn. I want your email. I want your phone number. So do whatever you can to get that type of contact information. You can still follow each other on the gram. You can still connect on LinkedIn if that's what you want to do. But the goal is to get contact information because listen, some people might be telling you that just to throw you off. I remember I met a celebrity. I'm not going to say who it was. You You know what? I am going to say who it was. You know why? Because we going to have him on this show and I am manifesting that. I am working behind the scenes to make this happen and I'mma bring this up to him. So, I met Fat Joe and the rapper and Fat Joe is somebody that I want to have on the show. So, I originally ran into him at my boy's uh Dren's uh Dren Star's birthday party. Shout out to Dren and the Duceay family. I was like, "Oh [ __ ] it's it's Fat Joe. Like, let me tell him about banging Uncle Tura." So, he's like walking in. I have an opportunity to snag it. I'm like, "Hey, I would really love to have you on this show. this is what it's about. D and he's like, "Oh, DM me." And I'm like, "Hi." So, I let him walk on. Then the evening goes on and I walk to the restroom and who's sitting by the restroom? None other than Fat Joe. So, I go to the restroom and I'm thinking in my head like, "Okay, how are we going to reapproach Fat Joe because we know he ain't gonna open his DMs." Okay. So, I go to the bathroom. I come out and I'm like, "Hey." I was like, "Look, I'm a realist. I'm pretty sure you get tons of DMs. Mine is going to get lost in the sauce. Is there another way for me to get in contact with your people to coordinate a way for you to get on the show?" And it just so happened that his manager was sitting next to him and his manager was uh like, "Yeah, let me give you our publicist information." So, I'm like, "Perfect. that's exactly who I want to talk to. Let me get your public information. Gave me their cell phone number, not their email. Gave me their cell phone number and I immediately text them right there. And actually, the publicist DDR, shout out to DDier, is going to be on Banging Uncle Corta. He was dropping crazy gems. That episode is coming. But I had to do that because I knew that Joe wasn't going to check his DMs, y'all. He was not going to check his DMs. So that's how I finagled my way around that. So long story short and why I'm sharing this story with you is you want to get beyond the DMs. You want contact information, y'all. Okay? And I have an app called I think it's called IH Hello. Uh but there's tons of apps out there where you can literally like just scan a QR code and you'll get the contact information for everybody and they'll also get your contact information. So, it's an easy way. Be on the go instead of exchanging a business card. I no longer have business cards. I don't carry business cards. Like, my business card is on that app. Like, I'm going to give you my direct information if I want you to have it. Like, I'm not wasting paper. I'm not spending money on business cards. Like, here you go. And look, for some people, depending on the room that you're in, they're used to it. Like, if you go to a financial services networking event, guarantee they're going to have a whole bunch of business cards there. But you know what? you're going to be the one that sticks out and it's like, you know what? Um, I'm with the times and just you can scan it right here. Just like you scan a menu at the restaurant, you can scan it. Here's my information. Boom. Now, when you meet someone and you're exchanging information and you say, "Hey, I'm going to follow up." What I want you to do before you go and run to the next person, I want you to open your notes app in your phone and I want you to write down what you spoke about with that person. Major things you learned about them. Did you learn that their daughter is about to go to college? Did you learn that they just closed a successful deal? Did you learn that their favorite color is orange? like everything that you learned about this person, I want you to put in your notes app. And if you actually got the contact information like I recommended, it should already be in your save contact list. So, in the notes section of your contacts, you can put the notes right in there of what you discussed with this person and key things that you want to mention when you follow up with them. Because listen, at these events, they're meeting tons of people. They might not remember you, but if there was something memorable about the conversation, the exchange that you had, it's going to spark a memory. And I always advise when you're meeting someone, don't try to come off too salesy. Definitely want to humanize the conversation because you want to get personal with people. You want to get personal with them because they're going to remember that more likely than not versus you just talking about business unless you're somebody that they've been wanting to meet and so they're paying extra attention, right? So, the goal is to humanize the interaction. Get as much personal information as you can. put it in the notes section either in your contacts because they're in your address book or your notes app so that when you follow up with them, you can mention what you guys spoke about so that they remember you. Or you can actually separate yourself from everyone else because you remember something significant about them because you put in your notes and you didn't forget. Okay. Okay. Let's go to the next tip. So, the next tip is, and you guys got to kind of like feel the room on this. I know when I go to events, like I'm kind of off the grid. I'm not checking email all the time. And so, it's very possible that someone's email is going to get lost in the shuffle. So, knowing that, that's how I operate and a lot of busy folks operate in the same fashion. If you go to an event and you meet tons of people and you're super excited and anxious and you're just like, I want to follow up with this person, I invite you to pause and maybe wait 24 to 48 hours before you send the communication, especially if the event is still happening because you don't want to get lost in the sauce and their inbox is probably going to be flooded, especially if they were a speaker. When you're a speaker, people just want to know who you are and so they're going to reach out. They're going to reach out and you don't want to get lost in the sauce. I actually was having um a conversation on threads about this and a woman was asking for adv. She had written that she's excited to meet people and that um she can't wait to follow up. And so I suggested like, "Hey, wait for 24 to 48 hours because people are busy." and she was like, "Oh my god, that's such a great deal, but you know what I'm going to do is I'm going to draft up the email because I don't want to forget any key points and then schedule them out." I was like, "That right there, that is a golden takeaway." Like, draft the email. If you have downtime, draft the email and then schedule it so you don't even have to worry about it anymore, right? And you can schedule it out for 24 to 48 hours, even 72 hours. If it's like a Friday that you meet someone, do not email them on that Friday, okay? Email them on that Wednesday, I mean on that Monday, midday or Tuesday, okay? Cuz they're not going to look at it. And the goal is you want them to not only look at it, but also respond, right? You want there to be some engagement. Okay. Next tip here is, and this is, I hope, a given, but in some cases it might take folks a little bit more time to warm up to this. And it is I want you to have fun. I want you to have fun, y'all. That you have to figure out a way to have fun. Like, if you have to be there, have fun. And usually the best way to have fun when you're at an event is you have to engage with other people. And listen, if you're an introvert, you know where introverts go at these events. Go there. Maybe it's in the coffee shop. Maybe it's, I don't know, in the corner. I don't know. I'm not an introvert, so I don't know where you guys hang out. But go there so that you can connect with other introverts. like figure out how to have fun at these events so that they don't feel so dreadful when it's time for you to go to one of these events because you have to go outside, y'all. There's no way you're going to be able to build your business. There's no way you're going to be able to really build solid relationships if you don't go outside. Yes, you can connect with people on social media. I've met incredible people on social media. To this day, we haven't met in person, but I know that they got me. But many of the people that I've connected with on social media, I met in person. And I actually prefer to meet them in person because it there's just a different vibe. There's a different energy, a different connection that happens when you meet someone in person. So, go to events. And if you are someone who like just dreads events, prepare in advance. And hopefully these tips that I gave you is going to make you feel, you know, more comfortable to show up and show out in your element. Oh, let me not forget this tip. So, an additional tip. By the way, y'all, am I not looking like a working girly right now with my laptop and my banking uncle Tura Tumblr? Shout out to my cousin Kathy who made this handmade y'all. Handmade. Um CJZ Creations. We love this. Thank you so much. Uh aren't I looking like an official working girly? Mhm. This is why I'm obsessed today. Like I'm obsessed with this vibe that I'm on. Okay. So, the additional tip that I want to give you is um listen, don't be showing up to these events looking crazy. Okay? Do not show up to these events looking crazy. All right? If you're a entrepreneur and you're going to this event to network, to ask someone for money, to recruit clients, uh to build your brand, to get your name out there, honey, you can't look a hot mess. Okay? You can't look a hot mess. And most importantly, you can't smell a hot mess. Okay? So, if you're someone that overly sweats, make sure you got that underarm deodorant in your bag. Okay. Make sure you got the mints. Pop those in. After you eat, pop those in. If you haven't ate for a long period of time, drink your water. Like, make sure you have your hygiene on point. Because one of the major complaints that people have at these events is that people stink. Like, they stink. Their breath is hot. They got like a crazy body odor. like nobody's paying attention to you talking if you have an odor to you. It's difficult. It's hard to pay attention. Okay? So, if you know you're someone who overly sweats or if you know you're going to be talking a lot, you're going to be shaking hands, maybe your hands get sweaty, like have a napkin with you, like you're self-aware enough to know what goes on with your body. And you know what? I'm a safety girl, so just prepare in advance. Like, have the deodorant on hand, okay? Have the mints on hand, have some good smelling perfume, none of that funky, strong nonsense. You want it to be light and free, almost like linen. You know, when you go to like a bedding place and it just smells fresh, it smells like summer, it smells like like you just want to inhale as much as possible. That's what you're aiming for because you want people to lean in. Okay? You want them to lean into the conversation. You don't want them to be like that's you don't want that. That's that's not a good sign. And you don't want to be that person that is known for an order because people talk to each other and you you don't want to be that. You do not want to be that. Okay? So, make sure that you plan ahead. So, those are all my tips, y'all. I hope these were helpful. We have an email banking on culturaggmail.com. I'll also put it in the show notes. Uh so definitely let me know what your questions are, what you want me to talk about on the podcast so I can address them in future episodes. Also would really really love your feedback. So make sure to let us know in the show notes what you're thinking in the comments on YouTube, in the show notes over on the audio waves. like we want to hear from you. Let's see any other announcements that I want to make to you guys. Also, I am for this summer, I am taking on private coaching clients, only two for this summer. So, I actually sent an email out before I recorded this podcast to my email list. So, hopefully they're not taken by the time you guys listen to this podcast episode. But this is for those leaders who are feeling like they're destined for more and they're kind of stuck, right? They're stuck on what they should do next and they need help. So essentially the way that I've written it when I sent out the email was this is for leaders who find themselves questioning their purpose and are unsure of what their next chapter in life will be. They're at a crossroads and they want more out of life and they're just tired of following the rules. They want to trailblaze their own path and live life on their terms without risking their credibility in the marketplace. Does this sound like you? Well, you know, I have over two decades of experience training leaders on how to live in their purpose, define their truth, and really have influence and the freedom to live life on their terms. So, if this sounds interesting to you, I'm going to put the application link in the show notes. I definitely welcome you to apply for that, check it out, and um I'm excited to read about your goals and see if there's an opportunity to connect with us. Once you complete the application, myself or someone from my team will reach out if there is alignment. And there's tons of details once you click on the application. So, any questions you have should be answered there. But if not, you got our email banking@gmail.com, y'all. So, reach out and touch somebody. Let's go. But this was really fun. I hope you guys enjoyed today's episode, and I will see you in the next one. Ciao. Hey guys, if you enjoyed this video, I'm pretty sure you're going to love the next one. So, make sure to click right here and tap in to the next episode.