– How do you get into events where it’s not a bunch of losers, for lack of better terms? If you can tap into the right networks, you can elevate yourself and get around those people that have money. Sounds superficial, but it’s so true…
Hey, what’s up? It’s Coach Carroll and today, we’re gonna be talking about how you can get around and connect with influential people.
You know who I’m talking about…the people that are above you, that’s what the game’s all about. You have to get around people that are doing better than you. It’s called the law of association. I’m gonna be talking exactly how you can get in front of these people, and it’s actually way easier than you think.
The first tip I’m gonna give you is probably like, “Oh DJ, I don’t know if I wanna do that or not.” But there’s a reason why you see me posting about politics and getting in politic-ish type events. Fundraisers are another way to put it. You can make a small contribution. and get into the event. And now you’re around these people that have “clout” for lack of better terms. Money and power floats to the top. And in the political realm, if you can start out with your local representatives, get to know them, go to those fundraising events, they’re gonna introduce you to other people. And then you can start working your way up through state, reps and state senators, and then actually get to the federal level with congressmen and senators alike. I’ve actually met several influential people. Congressman Thomas Massie’s a really good friend of mine. He’s our Congressman here in Kentucky’s 4th District. But nonetheless, that has been one of my easiest hacks to get in front of influential people, meet those people. I actually went to an event a couple of years ago with Sarah Huckabee Sanders which, you know, was President Trump’s press secretary for a couple of years. And that event cost me a hundred dollars but I was able to be there to rub elbows. And the great thing about this is that the other people at those events are there for the same reasons as you. So you’re gonna meet new people. You’re gonna meet influential people that you can get around on.
Number two is get into business networking events where, trying to think of a nice way to say this to anyone… how do you get into events where it’s not a bunch of losers, for lack of better terms? You know, you can have a networking event where you go to it and it’s just, you know, company reps, nobody’s really moving or shaking, and they’re just there to have a cocktail and a snack and be a little social after work. But if you can tap into the right networks, if you can find the business networking events or the business networking groups, (maybe they’re smaller) that actually have the movers and shakers, then that’s gonna be able to put you into a place where you can elevate yourself and get around those people that have money. And I know that like sounds superficial. Like even when I’m saying it, I’m like, “Ugh, that’s gonna come across bad.” But it’s so true. People that are influential, people that have power, they’re not broke. It’s just the way of the world. Don’t be mad at me. I didn’t make the rules. We just have to play by them.
Lastly, I’m gonna give you another tip that maybe you can do, and that is start your own networking group. This could be something as simple as just going to breakfast, you know. I’ll tell you a quick story. My mentor, Mark Smith, which is actually a client of my ad tech company, Carroll Media, but long before he became a client back in 2016 back, I think, gosh, probably 2014, just when I was a young entrepreneur, trying to figure out the lay of the land, Mark came to me and he said, “Hey DJ, why don’t we go to breakfast?” And I’m like, “Okay, cool.” So we go to breakfast, and then a couple of weeks later, he’s like, “Hey, why don’t we go to breakfast again?” And lo and behold, it became like every other week thing that I would meet with Mark, we would go to breakfast, maybe spend an hour together. And the great thing about this is-Napoleon Hill talks about this in his book-it’s called the “mastermind alliance”. And so when two minds are harmoniously working together to achieve a common goal, there’s this thing called the mastermind alliance that happens, and so the universe is more amp to give you what you guys are both working collectively, or ladies, are working collectively on to achieve. And so Mark and I would go to breakfast. You know, I’d have my bacon, my eggs and we’d be sitting there, sipping coffee and we’d just catch up. But then we’d talk about business and Mark might say, “Hey man, you know, I tried this new postcard campaign. It worked out really, really well.” Or, “Hey, have you met this new client?” Mark may have met someone that just moved into town that was an influential player. And he could say, “Hey, have you met this person?” I’ll say, “No.” “Well, I’ll invite them to breakfast next time.”
So there’s this networking that goes on, and that’s where the true power comes from in that mastermind alliance. And so, Mark and I for, gosh, probably four or five years had breakfast every other Wednesday, almost. And you know, sometimes I’d be out of town or he’d be out of town, but for the most part, twice a month, we were getting together and just chopping it up. Here’s another really cool thing that came out of that is-he was able to give me an outside perspective. And so like, if I was having a problem in my business, I could talk it through with him and maybe he didn’t have the exact same problem, but maybe he had a similar problem. And he’s like, “Oh DJ, I’ve went through that before. What worked for me was X, Y, and Z.”
And so, that third part is not so much getting around influential people as it is, you know, growing your network because those people can become influential. Those people can become powerful in your own life. I think that mentors are great thing to have. They’re a great way for you to shorten your learning curve. That’s why I’m such a huge proponent of buying courses, buying books, paying to come to events. Not because I sell all that, you know, we’ve got Phenomenal Phone Calls. We’ve got my Sales Excellence University, my online training course. We throw Ignite once a year. That’s all over here. I’m talking about I, myself, spend money. I go to a bootcamp that costs me $3,000 for a day and a half. I go there every single year because, and it’s the same content, same guys, but it just helps me refocus and retrain my mind to get my head right. And that’s really the power of getting around powerful people. Getting around influential people that will make you level up and play at a game, play the game at a level that you currently aren’t playing or that maybe you’ve never even played before.
So hopefully, that helps you out a little bit, couple of tips there to get around influential and powerful people and how to kinda rub elbows and bump shoulders with some higher ups. But hey, that’s the name of the game. Your network is your net worth. People have been saying that for years. It’s so true.
Here’s to your success.
