Overview

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Networking can feel awkward, transactional, or like a chore you keep meaning to get to. It doesn't have to. In this course, marketing strategist Joe Apfelbaum and community-builder Tami Schlichter, who together have trained over 10,000 business owners and sales professionals, teach you how to network the way the pros do — strategically, generously, and consistently. You'll learn how to separate networking from prospecting and adopt the giver's mindset that produces the biggest long-term opportunities. You'll prepare an elevator pitch that makes people curious, find networking opportunities in unconventional places (airports, coffee shops, religious gatherings, online communities), and master the three-step approach for trade shows. You'll build a CRM and follow-up system that fits your existing workflow, design a focused social media strategy, and develop the daily habits that compound over months and years. By the end of the course, you'll have a complete networking system — from the first hello to the long-term reconnection. Whether you're new to networking or want to take your existing relationships to the next level, this course gives you what you need to build a network that genuinely creates value, both for the people in it and for you.

Syllabus

Introduction to Networking

Networking done wrong costs you relationships, time, and credibility. You’ll separate networking from prospecting, apply three core strategies that move your goals forward, and sidestep the most common mistakes that derail new networkers.

Preparation for Networking

When you show up without a plan, a pitch, or a giving mindset, even the best networking event becomes a missed opportunity. You’ll get clear on your goals and your offer, build a giver’s mindset, and craft an elevator pitch that makes people lean in instead of tune out.

Places for Networking

Networking opportunities don’t only live at after-hours mixers and industry events. You’ll find your best networking venues, choose the right groups, and build a playbook for connecting in person and online.

Managing Your Networking

Without a system to manage your contacts, your best networking conversations fade into a list of forgotten names. You’ll set up a CRM that fits your workflow, build a follow-up rhythm by contact tier, and dramatically improve your response rates.

Putting Networking To Work

Everything you know about networking is only as valuable as your ability to put it into practice every day. You’ll run productive networking calls, host your own events, reconnect with dormant contacts, and build the daily habits that make networking automatic.