Mastering Exposure and Visibility: Building Connections from Scratch | Ep 180

“Deep connections comes from face to face interactions.” - Laurie-Ann Murabito

Tired of waiting for success to come knocking on your door? Let's get you known and In Demand.

Are you starting from scratch or making a pivot in your business? There are challenges to being seen and getting known in any crowded marketplace. This week we'll focus on the importance of networking and building connections to help you reach your goals. Without a strong network, no one can refer or vouch for your expertise. By actively engaging in networking events, you can meet more people and drive opportunities your way.

Laurie-Ann will share her personal experiences of volunteering at events and conferences, where she met influential speakers and decision-makers. She highlights the value of getting off the stage and connecting with others one-on-one. By approaching speakers and offering genuine praise, you can start meaningful conversations and forge valuable connections. These practical tips, such as leaving your phone aside and being respectful to everyone you encounter, will inspire you to step outside your comfort zone and unlock hidden opportunities.

Here's what you'll learn:

• The power of networking and how it can boost your visibility and personal brand

• Strategies for making connections at networking events and conferences

• Tips for approaching speakers and building rapport with influential people

• The importance of being prepared with different elevator pitches for various situations

• How to navigate in-person events and make the most of every opportunity

Get out there, build your network, and watch success come knocking on your door!

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• Learn more about IN Demand Signature Speech TODAY!

• Grab the FREE resource Go from Unknown to Visible.

• Grab the FREE resource Take the Stage

• Follow me on Instagram: @laurieann.murabito

• For more about me and what I do, check out my website.

• If you’re looking for support to grow your business faster, be positioned as an authority in your industry, and impact the masses, schedule a call to explore if you’d be a good fit for one of my coaching programs.

Transcript:

Welcome. Welcome back to another episode of be in demand. And today we're gonna be talking a little bit more about exposure and visibility. And especially if you're just getting started, whether you're taking a pivot in your business, technology has forced you to change, life circumstances made you, like, change, like, change directions, you know, and you feel like you're starting from scratch with a new audience. That's what this episode is gonna be all about, so let's get on to the show. You're listening to be in demand, the podcast for honest advice, inspiring stories, and ideas for growing your business by leveraging the that you are. I'm your host, Lauria Mirabito, business mentor, and I'm also a reformed painfully shy girl, red wine lover, and exercise enthusiast. Join me as I share how being positioned as the expert in your industry, even if it's a busy one, will help you stand out and be the 1 in demand to hire and work with.

Laurie-Ann Murabito [00:01:03]:

Okay. When I talk about exposure and visibility, they kind of mean the same thing, you know, because it's about being seen and it's about getting known. So I'm not necessarily talking about you being on a stage, but it's all of that networking, you know, building up who you need to know, building up the people that the connections that are going to help you get from point a to point b, but also who can you help along the way? Because if nobody knows who you are, nobody can refer you. If nobody has met you or had a conversation with you, you know, they're not gonna know anything about you even like the depth or what you are all about. What do you stand for? So that's what I really wanna dive into today is about this kind of visibility. A lot of this networking, this is that unglamorous stuff that we all do. As coaches, consultants, speakers, if you are working in corporate, if you're what I call a careerist, you know, you still need to get known because you're the only one who's gonna be responsible for your personal brand. And in order to get promoted, in order to move up in the corporate, arena, you know, whether that's in the company that you're working for or if you wanna get recruited to a higher level, more responsibility position in another company, you still gotta get known.

Laurie-Ann Murabito [00:02:40]:

So that's mostly what I want to talk about today because it would be like trying to find the person of your dreams, that man or a woman that you wanna spend the rest of your life with. And you're sitting on the couch expecting them to knock on your door. Just not gonna happen. You have to get out there. You have to let people know that you are available to date. You have to get seen in other environments where you would have the potential to meet that ideal person. So then you can get to know that person and then start dating, and then hopefully then maybe walk down the aisle. So if you're sitting on the couch, I mean, I know that sounds a little ridiculous, but this is what a lot of people do when they start their own this.

Laurie-Ann Murabito [00:03:30]:

They expect it to come to them. Now when I was in health care, and I was just having this conversation with one of my clients who's a physician, and I was sharing with her, you know, that I am teaching her how to become go from being a doctor. You know, she's very good at being a doctor, but I'm teaching her how to think as a marketer. And because I I can relate to, I walked into the hospital when I worked in a hospital, and somebody handed me, here's your patient list. Here's your schedule today. I, you know, so I would have like 8 patients that I was doing exams on. I didn't have to go and look for these clients, these customers, these patients. They came to me, somebody did all the bookings for me, you know, and all of a sudden then I found myself in the entrepreneurial world.

Laurie-Ann Murabito [00:04:22]:

And that whole phrase of, if you build it, they will come. Yeah. That doesn't really work. And I know that and I'm sort of poking fun of of it, but when you're in the midst of it, like, I don't know how to do something, well, guess what? You have to go figure out how to do it. You know, I think back to how I got into my major at college, how I got the job, my very first hospital job. I mean, I was quite the little go getter. So when naturally, when I came out of corporate and found myself as an entrepreneur, I knew that I had to do things differently. I had to be okay with being uncomfortable.

Laurie-Ann Murabito [00:05:04]:

I had to get known. So I did sort of fall into some of my strengths, some of the areas that I was comfortable with. So one of the things was, you know, I started going to networking events, and I would meet some of the same people at these networking events. And one of the things about one of these networking events, which was it was a great it always had a great showing. Lots of people from lots of different industries. And we sort of approached me and one of the couple of the other women approached the person who was running these and just said, you almost need some ambassadors. Somebody who, when somebody walks in the door, it's like, here's what I do. Here's who I want to meet.

Laurie-Ann Murabito [00:05:47]:

Like, we'll be your ambassadors to help those people, like, connect them together. So we would walk them to somebody and just introduce, hey. The 2 of you need to meet. Why would I do something like this? One, it got me in a place where I was uncomfortable. I'm doing something different. I'm doing something new. And that was putting me in an environment where, like, I had to constantly introduce myself and then be, you know, like the hostess, you know, hey, you 2 need to meet, and who else do you need to meet? So I was responsible for having these conversations with people, but also it put me in a position to meet everybody who was attending this event. So we volunteered to help this gentleman make his networking events even better.

Laurie-Ann Murabito [00:06:38]:

And at the same time, it put me in a position where I was able to meet a whole lot of other people. This is something that I also did when I started getting into the speaking world. When I started to attend National Speakers Association meetings, what I did was I showed up early. And I would ask the woman, and she was actually part of the association, she was actually paid staff, and she would be checking people in. And I got there early and was just like, Hey, how can I help you? Can I help check people in? Is there anything that I can do for you? Because knowing that if I was checking people in, then I'm meeting all the other attendees, all the other members of National Speakers Association, the speakers, you know, that are the people who were speaking at that meeting, you know, it just got me the opportunity to meet more people. And just start having that conversation about, what do you do? How did you get into this? Then people started asking me what I did, and it got me to actually really refine how I was introducing myself. So my elevator pitch got better and better every single time that I used it. And a lot of times what I hear a lot of people doing is I want to get this perfect first.

Laurie-Ann Murabito [00:07:58]:

Well, let me tell you something. There is no such thing as perfect. And whatever your perfect elevator pitch is, it's not the right elevator pitch for everybody. One of the things that I've always said to my clients is you always wanna have like 2 or 3 elevator pitches in your back pocket. Because depending on if somebody is somebody who could refer you, or somebody who could hire you. You know, you wanna have those different elevator pitches so that it suits that person. So what does that require? That does require that you need to ask them. So what do you do? You kinda need to ask that first.

Laurie-Ann Murabito [00:08:38]:

But I'm sort of that person that I want to be giving more than receiving. So I want to find out more about that person first, then I do want to start, you know, like, sharing about like, here's what I do and here's how I got here. I'm always so interested in other people's paths and how they got to where they are. So a lot of times I would ask speakers, like, what did you do before this that prepared you for this particular phase of your life? So that was one thing. I also, you know, going back to the networking, I also disliked going to networking events. If I'm totally honest, you know, I felt a little awkward even though I was putting myself in these position so that I would get over this awkwardness. But at first, I was very awkward having these 1 on 1 conversations, and how do you start a conversation, and how like, if you're just kinda finished a conversation, how do you break into another, like, group of people who are having a conversation, you know, and make it seem, oh, so natural. So I really did dislike doing that.

Laurie-Ann Murabito [00:09:46]:

I disliked that one on 1. And what if I ended up talking to somebody else who was also awkward? So one of the things that I share with my clients, and this was something that I came up with years ago, was if you take on the role again, you know, sort of putting yourself in that position, if you can't volunteer, but what if you could takes on the persona of the host or the hostess. You know, so if you are the host or the hostess, and that means your job is to go around and make sure that everybody's having a good time. And at a networking event, like, I would do that and make sure that other people met, other people. Because, you know, I knew how I felt, especially if I was new, you know, hoping that like, God, could somebody just introduce me? So I became that person who would, Hey, have you met such and such? And I would just naturally just connect other people. So the other way that I got to meet more people was by being the speaker in the front of the room. By being the speaker in the front of the room, I would then at the end of my presentation offer to people that if you have a question or you wanna discussed something, you know, please see me in the back of the room. So what would happen is that the right people would come and see me.

Laurie-Ann Murabito [00:11:08]:

Now I'm telling you the story for a couple of reasons. 1, it as the speaker, it got me off the stage, off the spotlight, and the right people would come to me instead of me having to, like, break into conversations. Again, remember I was that awkward, shy girl trying to overcome all of these, habits that I had teaching my nervous system new tricks. So that was one thing. And the 2nd reason I wanna share that with you is that if you're an attendee and you want to get more, again, I'm talking about exposure and visibility and just getting known, building your network, is to approach the speaker. Let them know how much you enjoyed their presentation. Again, just being, you know, super real and super authentic. What did you specifically like about the presentation? Maybe you have a question for them.

Laurie-Ann Murabito [00:12:01]:

But if you stand up there afterwards because there's usually a crowd around the speaker. I know this, you know, as an attendee and also as being in the speaker, and it's a great place to meet other people. This was something that I kind of stumbled upon years ago, and I just realized, like, as a shy girl, I was just like, this is the place to be after a presentation. It's just to kinda come up, talk to the speaker, and then more people would just kinda come up. And then, like, there are some great conversations that are happening in that front of the room or in the back of the room, wherever the speaker happens to be. So, again, we're just talking about like building your network. Another interesting volunteer story. This happened years ago.

Laurie-Ann Murabito [00:12:47]:

I happen to be down in Florida, and I knew I was gonna be down there for an extended period of time. And Tony Robbins was doing one of his his UPW, unleashed the power from within, programs that was near me. And I thought, well, let me see if they need any more spheres. Because once you go through the program, you can then assist or volunteer at a future program. And a lot of people do this. So I volunteered, got there early, did all the training that they have to do. I mean, there was a lot that goes into his events. So be nice to those volunteers.

Laurie-Ann Murabito [00:13:26]:

And so now that we're trying to divide up all this this room, this crowd of volunteers, because there's all these different spots that they need help with. And they literally, like, broke everybody up. And I can't remember why, but I somehow walked into the room a little bit late. Me and a couple of other people. So now we weren't assigned to any particular section. So they we were just like, so what what do you want us to do? And they said, oh, well, okay. You guys go downstairs to the platinum room. So the platinum room was actually the room where all the VIPs would come in, so that they actually had access to just, like, walk out a door, and they would be close to the front of the stage.

Laurie-Ann Murabito [00:14:14]:

These are these are the VIPs. You know, so these are and the platinum people were actually people that were paying about $75,000 to be a part of this particular, group of people that would have access to Tony Robbins, and so I got access to these people. I got to introduce myself to them, I had to make sure that I was like that, that face, that smile that, you know, greeted them, talk about hospitality, you know, that to me, that's what my job was. But I was volunteering and I accidentally got to go and be with the Platinum people. So that was a lot of fun. Again, just volunteering, doing a really good job at volunteering, going above and beyond, and it was just it's a great way to network and meet other people. And then I also got to, while I was at this event, you know, help people like with bathroom breaks. Like, let me cover your table.

Laurie-Ann Murabito [00:15:13]:

Let me help you out. You know, again, these are just great ways to get visible and build your network. And again, just like I said in the beginning, this is some of that unsexy stuff that people don't want to do, but it really does build a foundation to your business and to your personal brand. So more about when you're at these events, and you're starting to meet people. And I'm a big endorser of don't have an agenda. It's not like I gotta make sure that I meet this the right type of people so that I can, like, pitch myself to them. No just what if you're just having great conversations, building friendships? Because that's what net networking is. It's those kind of connections.

Laurie-Ann Murabito [00:15:59]:

Yes, it it's probably gonna come up, hey. What do you do? What brought you here to this conference or this event? You know? Oh oh, I know somebody who went to that school or who lives in that area. And again, like you're just building your network. You know, make sure you go to the breakfast, the breakout sections, the breaks, you know, the cocktail hours, because this is where, like, people just kind of like, they take their hair down, they're just kinda like relaxing, and they're talking about the event, and they're just mingling. You know, if you're not the sort of person who wants to feel comfortable approaching other people, then stand by the coffee because people are gonna come and get coffee and be like, hi. How are you? And you could spark up a conversation. So if it's a cocktail hour, stand relatively close to the bar, I would also suggest, because again, that's like a common place that people are going to be coming up to, and you might spark up some more conversations. You know, in person meetings and conferences are making a huge comeback.

Laurie-Ann Murabito [00:17:06]:

And it's not just a necessity, but just getting in front of people. We're human beings. We are designed to be in front of other people. We are just designed to have those kind of connections. So make the best of attending those sort of situations. You know, maybe it's not something that you normally do. You would rather like, especially after the past few years, we've developed some new habits. Oh, I think I would rather just watch the, be in the virtual audience.

Laurie-Ann Murabito [00:17:35]:

I'll just be over here on the side, like a fly on the wall, like do something different, you know, fly across the country and go attend that conference. I have several events that are on my calendar this year already, and some of them are very high ticket. And I did that specifically for a reason because different people show up for these high ticket events. And I wanna be in the room with those people. I just recently, a couple of weeks ago, I was part of Laura Belgrade's, book launch, her new her her 1st book, and so and it's a memoir. And I went to New York City for the book launch party that I was invited to. I bought a number of copies, you know, so I got to meet a lot of these other people that were also helping with her book launch. Again, being in the room, and getting to know other people.

Laurie-Ann Murabito [00:18:33]:

You know, it's not scary. I mean, we make it out to be something scary. But again, this is building that foundation to your personal brand and just getting known, because a lot of those people could become referral agents, once you build up those relationships with them. And a lot of these people that were at this book launch were a lot of on from the online world. So these could be become potential affiliates for me and my programs as well. So just a few more things about those in person events. You know, when it is a break, you know, don't pull out your phone. I wanna suggest that you actually just turn your phone off so that you can't hear the bangs, so that you can't feel the vibrations from the text messages, so you don't feel inclined to look down at it.

Laurie-Ann Murabito [00:19:23]:

You know, if you can leave it in the car, go leave it in the car. I'm gonna leave that up to you. The reason why I'm making this suggestion is because what people have a tendency to do is like, I feel awkward. I don't know anybody here. So I'm going to look busy by picking up my phone and tending like I have got these text messages or emails that I must respond to. And all it's doing is like you're putting your head down. You're not making any eye contact with people. And so you can't approach anybody, and nobody's going to approach you.

Laurie-Ann Murabito [00:19:55]:

So that's the other reason why I'm suggesting just like, put your phone away in the hallways, you know, like, meet other people. Don't wait for them to say hi to you. Say hi first, because everybody's wondering, oh, I wonder if, like, they're approachable. You know? So have a smile on your face. The little lavaliers, you know, the little plastic casings, it's a great place to put your business cards. Yes. People still do do use business cards. It's a great place to hold the other business cards that you collect and also to have yours on hand so it's just easy to hand them out.

Laurie-Ann Murabito [00:20:33]:

What else? Oh, if you normally go to the gym, go to the gym while you're at the conference. Go work out. You'll be surprised at the other people that you will meet there. And it was a conference that I went to, and I learned this is from a woman that I met at this conference. And she had certain pairs of shoes that, like, really high stilettos that were part of her brand. And also she also had like platinum blonde short hair. So she also had a very particular style. So in the gym, when her and I were working out, like people somebody said, I saw you yesterday.

Laurie-Ann Murabito [00:21:17]:

You had the most amazing pair of shoes, and he was like, you know, it was it was a conversation starter. So it also reminded me to, like, always look your best when you go to these conferences. You just never know who you're going to meet and who you're gonna wanna end up taking a picture with. Like, you could take pictures like with the, with the speakers and give more than you receive. This kind of goes back to the don't have an agenda, but I love to connect other people. As soon as I meet 1 person, it's just like, I'm always thinking, who can I connect them with? And I'll always ask them, who do you need to meet? You know, what sort of people do you need to meet? Is there somebody in particular that you wanna meet? Because I might know them, and let me make that introduction. You know, one of the things that I have shared with you is that when you're on somebody's podcast is to also at the end, like, is to ask them, like, what kind of guests do you want on your show? Like, I know a lot of people. I've had a lot of clients who've gone through my program.

Laurie-Ann Murabito [00:22:25]:

So I know a lot of different coaches and consultants, you know, and speakers and authors, you know, that I can connect with podcast hosts. And the same thing is true for when I'm meeting somebody at a conference, it's always like, how can I help you? Who do you need to meet? I want to give more than I'm taking. And the other thing is, is also just to respect everyone. And I know that this is probably something that you do, but it's that shy person that's in the back of the room that probably is like, this is their 1st meeting. I remember my 1st National Speakers Association meeting. And I remember the very first conference that I went to here in Boston for the local chapter. Like, there's a conversation that I had with somebody that it wasn't a pleasant conversation. She made a comment about my story.

Laurie-Ann Murabito [00:23:21]:

And not that I wanted to speak about my story, but she made a comment, and I've I've always remembered that. And it it's really made me really think about, like, respect everyone. You don't know people's stories. It could be their very first time at this meeting, at this conference, at this event, at your association, you know, be kind to everybody because somebody raised their hand and just said, you know what, I'm going to take a chance. I'm gonna go to this meeting even though I'm shy and I don't know anybody. I'm still gonna go, and I'm gonna like, just because they had some sort of internal intuitive nudge that they need to go there. And those hotel people, the hotel employees, you know, that are making sure that your that your room is just so, that your conference room is just so that there's water, you know, the media people, the AV people. I mean, like, just be nice to all of them because their jobs are hard.

Laurie-Ann Murabito [00:24:29]:

Everybody's job is hard, and I come from the point of view of I just want to believe that everybody is doing their best. And one of the things from when I worked in a hospital, I mean, I have some great stories from working in a hospital. But because I would typically like be on call, I would run into the cleaning staff and to be nice to them. I just loved fooling around with them and having a good time and joking around with them. And it just it warmed my heart when I would walk in and they would say hi first. You know, and I I'm like, I don't know their story, and I don't know if a lot of people are, you know, respectful of the cleaning people, but guess what? They make that place shine, so that the next day when we all come to work, those patients, you know, they are coming into a beautifully clean environment. So this is all just part of getting visible and getting exposure. This is the building your network.

Laurie-Ann Murabito [00:25:29]:

You know, I have talked on other episodes about, you know, visibility needs to be a part of your marketing plan. If people don't know that you exist, they can't hire you. If people don't know what you do, they can't for you. But building these other relationships because you just never know who you're gonna meet and who they know. We've all got got great stories about, yeah, I met this random person. And this was exactly how I got into leadership development at Johnson and Johnson. It was at a conference, a random meeting in an elevator, and we it just sparked a great funny conversation, and we exchanged business cards, and then I ended up working with him doing some leadership development at Johnson and Johnson. So you just never know who you're going to meet.

Laurie-Ann Murabito [00:26:23]:

So get out there and build your network. You know? If you don't have any meetings that are on your calendar right now, well, head on over to LinkedIn and reach out to some people that you've been connected with, but you haven't talked to them in a long time. A simple message to them that I can't believe it's been, you know, 2, 3, 5 years since we spoke or we met at or we worked together at, love to jump on a call and hear what's going on in your world. To start the conversation. I think you'll be surprised that how many people also want to have those conversations with you. So until next time, I hope that you are having a great week and get out there and just build your network. I'll talk to you soon.