Networking For People Who Hate People

By Gretchen Jackson

Are you an introvert who dreads walking into a room of people?

Do you know the power of networking, but can't bring yourself to go to an event?

In this book, you will learn how networking not only changed the trajectory of Gretchen's businesses, but how it also taught her the skills she needed to bust through her introversion walls to become a professional speaker. She will give you the tools you need to maximize the benefits of networking for your career, even if you need a sedative after.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Gretchen Jackson
• Release date: Apr 15, 2021
• ISBN: 9781393830917

Book preview

Networking For People Who Hate PeopleFull Page Image

Contents

Introduction

1. Get Your Mind Right

2. Networking Personalities

3. The Benefits of Networking

4. Your Elevator Pitch

5. The Pie is Big Enough

6. Referrals vs. Leads

7. Networking Groups and How to Find Them

8. The Follow Up

9. Branding

10. Implementation

Recommended reading and resources:

Afterword

About Gretchen

Notes

This book is an original work and publication of Gretchen Jackson.

The publisher and author will not and does not take any responsibility of content for any third-party website.

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Copyright © 2021 Gretchen Jackson

All Rights Reserved

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Editing by: Whitney Alexander

Photograph by: Julie Bird

Cover Design by: Morgan Jackson

Interior Book Formatting: authorTree

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This book may not be reproduced, scanned, copied, or distributed in part or in its entirety in any type of format such as print or electronic format without the sole and written permission of the author and publisher.

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This book was created and printed in the United States of America.

For Daniel and my boys,

who shake their heads with love at my

wild and crazy thoughts and dreams.

Introduction

I am an ambivert. The dictionary describes ambivert as a person with a balance of extrovert and introvert features in their personality. I would define it as someone who can be on for a specific amount of time before needing to be put to bed.

After years of networking myself out of being a complete introvert, I have become a self-proclaimed Networking Ninja. I am now what people in my circles call their personal rolodex, and who people call to ask, Do you have a guy for…? You won’t believe this, but I have even won networking AWARDS! Like, who even knew that was a thing?! Turns out I love being a connector. It’s been a long, winding road, but here I am to tell you how it all started and how you, too, can reap the rewards of networking and bust through your introversion.

Even though I wanted to go to college after graduating high school, I completed only one (crappy) semester. That fall, I had a baby and had to work full time to pay for daycare. . I was single and landed a job in a doctor’s office. I would work all day and babysit for doctors and pharmaceutical representatives at night, chasing as much cash as I could.

In 2002, when I met my husband, Daniel, he worked for a local ADT security systems provider. In 2007, his employer changed his status from employee to subcontractor. This opened his market for work entirely. As a subcontractor, he was able to work for any company and schedule on his terms. After doing that for a year, he had an epiphany… If he was working for these other companies and making them money, why didn’t we just open our own company?

I would be lying in your face if I told you my response was, Yes! That is a great idea! Nope. It scared the shit out of me. Who were WE to open a business? Neither of us had college degrees, much less any business experience other than being told where to be and when, for however much money they offered to pay us.

To top it off, we are an interracial married couple in the Deep South. We were terrified people would not want to do business with us if they knew, so we weren’t open about our relationship to our customers or in professional settings. We started slowly and had some immediate loyal customers, but then we couldn’t figure out what to do next. What were we supposed to do to let people know about our business without also shoving our relationship into their faces?

A customer-turned-friend of mine invited me to start a BNI group with her. BNI stands for Business Networking International, and it was founded in