The Champion Shift with Clayton Hicks

What’s the difference between a referral partner and a champion in business networking? 

A champion is more intentional and helps a business grow in a more consistent way than a regular referral partner, who helps based on timing and opportunity. 

For someone starting out in business and new to networking, they should focus on being prepared and intentional at networking events. They should make a list of 2-3 people they really want to meet at the event, who could help with their business such as insurance agents, mortgage brokers, or business coaches.

The champion training process is a unique feature offered to members, which allows them to build champions. The process is what sets the organization apart in the market.

We highlight the importance of having champions in your network, who can help you find ideal clients. We also discuss how focusing on relationships instead of outcomes makes outcomes more predictable. Having these partnerships doesn’t have to cost a lot and can be done in a way that holds the bottom line while maximizing profit. Finding and connecting with the people who need your services is where it makes the most sense.

About my guest: Clayton Hicks is an entrepreneur with a portfolio of 5 different companies, an author, a speaker, and a trainer on professional relationships. Clay Hicks founded H7 Network in 2008 with the hopes of positively impacting the many under-served entrepreneurs and sales professionals. His vision is to globally revolutionize the way business professionals “Connect” first, “Serve” with purpose, and “Ask” of their peers. H7 Network is a national B2B networking platform, In-person and Virtual, for professionals to build their own audience and develop champions for their business.

Connect with Clay on Facebook, LinkedIn and on the web at https://www.h7network.com/

Transcript (auto-generated; may contain errors):

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Hello, and welcome to our episode of MOJO: The Meaning of Life and Business.

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A lot of people are used to going to networking events you go to a networking event.

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And you say, here’s my card. Let’s do lunch.

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How many of you have been to an event like that? I know I have drives me absolutely insane.

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When people, come up, and that’s the way that they work with you, because that’s exactly what they think.

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The whole idea is to come. Give you a card. Say, let’s do lunch.

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Figure out how to do everything else. And oh, by the way, no, I don’t really value the relationship that we’re forming here, because I gotta move on to the next person right away before I can even figure out whether or not it makes sense for us to have a conversation and that is the difference between networking

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And relationship working. If you’ve been following me long enough, you know that I always talk about the relationship side of things.

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Not the networking and the old way of doing things, and that’s why I’ve got a really great guest on the program today, because he’s gonna help us really nail down the difference of what it means.

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Even more, with networking verse relationships, and having that champion that you’re working with, instead of just any old referral partner that you might be having a relationship with.

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But before I bring him in, let me tell you a little bit more about my guest. Clay Hicks is an entrepreneur with a

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portfolio of 5 different companies.

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He’s an author, a speaker, and a trainer on professional relationships.

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Clay founded his first company, H7 Network in 2008, with the hopes of positively impacting the many underserved entrepreneurs

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and sales professionals. His vision is to globally revolutionize the way business professionals connect, first serve with purpose and ask of their peers, H7 Network is a national B2B networking platform in person and virtual for professionals to build their own audience and develop champions for their business.

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Clay, thank you so much for being my guest today.

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Thank you for having me on, Jennifer. I appreciate it

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Absolutely. Thank you. So, Clay, let me ask you. There’s referral partners and there’s something that you call champions before we kind of go into the networking side of things again.

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Tell me more. What is it mean to be a champion, and not just a regular referral partner, that we send your bio

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Yeah, so what it means is it’s more of an intentional relationship.

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There is a difference between the 2. I like to say that referral partners help you grow your business.

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Based on timing and opportunity champions. Help your grow, your business in a more consistent way, so you can fill your pipeline very intentionally, so you can proactively nurture your prospects of course, there’s a process to get there.

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But there is a process, and you can get there

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And it really is important, like you said a regular referral partner.

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When time allows it, and opportunity allows it. A champion is always there.

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That’s really focused on making it stand out. So let me ask you, Clay, when we’re talking about the idea of somebody who is starting out in business right?

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Yeah.

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And they don’t have years of experience networking let’s start with that person because the people that have been doing this for years they may have their routine set, and they may be a little harder, you know, as they say, to teaching old dog new tricks but for someone though, who’s starting out.

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What are some of the things that they really should be focused on in the networking world?

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And unfortunately, people don’t know the term relationship working yet.

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Yeah.

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It’s just networking like I’m going to a networking event.

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What are some of the things that they need to really be focused on when they first go to an event like that?

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Yeah, so exc excuse me. So 2 things they want to be prepared.

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And they want to be intentional. So you notice those are things about themselves, not how the event goes, because you can be intentional about how the event goes.

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As long as you’re prepared. And so the best way to think about it is, they need to know 3 things.

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Who is it that they want to meet? Sit down and think about it right it down? Whatever?

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Who is it that you really want to meet? Who are your prospects?

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You know? Who is it that you sell your product or service too?

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And then, lastly, who are good connections for you, or sensors of influence for you, so who you want to meet does not mean that the other 2 don’t exist, but it could end up being one of the same right, which is fine.

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But you should have a list of 2 or 3 people that you really want to meet, so that could be there could be an insurance agent like I don’t know.

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That could be a mortgage broker. It could be a business coach. Who is it?

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They really want to meet. Who’s going to be able to help you with your business?

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Whatever you’re trying to do, then you just sit down and write down who your prospects now, when you’re brand new.

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If you don’t have any clients. That’s one thing that’s a whole other topic.

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We can have a conversation about, but if you do at least have one or 2 clients or a few clients you worked with emulate that if you had a good experience with them, just write down the type of businesses that they were or the type of people that they were and then lastly, you’re center of the memphones those are people that share

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your target market don’t know, but don’t do what you do.

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You should have a couple of those. Now, if you’re not sure what a center of influence is thing.

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But like a person that shares your target market.

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So, for example, if I’m a realtor, I’m probably gonna look for mortgage broker.

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If I’m brand new, I’m just gonna simply say mortgage broke right, or insurance agent.

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But it should be very concise. This list should be in the form of companies or industries.

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Only keep it really simple. If you’re B 2 B, if you’re b to C, you’ll want to have some kind of description like they work in corporate America.

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Something vague but still specific. Keep it really simple is what I’m telling you.

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The very intentional. Keep a very simple. Then, when you arrive at the event.

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Now, what somebody asked you. What you do, you can tell them if they ask you who you’re looking for, you can answer it.

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Keep it really simple. You’d be intentional. So I was telling you about being prepared to be intentional means.

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I highly recommend the you try to pull out 3 people now you’ve scheduled a one to one with.

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So you’re not just throw business cards. You’re having authentic conversations.

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You seem to connect. Maybe that’s who you should schedule those one ones with, but 3 would be the number

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It’s a good start.

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Purposeful and intentional with what you’re doing.

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One of the things that I’ve been doing for really long time, and I’ve been telling people the same thing, and we’re so alike in that regard.

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Yeah.

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Clay. Is that you really need to have a goal? You want to come out of that.

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Whatever event is for me, 9 out of 10 times I’m going to an event, and my goal is getting more stages because I know when I get up on a stage I have a really much better chance at converting people in the room and it allows me to be a lot more freeed on my time then saying

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I’m gonna have a whole bunch of one on one conversations as a sales conversation with prospects, because if they hear me and they say Gee!

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Hmm.

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She knows what she’s talking about. Then all of a sudden things change and people start saying I got away with her.

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But you got to know going in what your intention is, for whatever the event is, and it’s not, by the way, only networking.

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Right. If you’re having a meeting, what is the intention you need to be looking at?

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So you’re going to be in a much better position.

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So, Clay, let me ask you now that we’ve covered the basis of what they should be doing a purpose, and the intent of what they need to be doing.

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Tell me how H7 Network can fit in nicely with the idea.

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The purpose and the intentional connections, and how that networking may.

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Really be different, using H7. As an example.

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Sure, so

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Using H7 as the example. There’s a couple of things.

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2 things that really make a big difference. Number one. Everybody knows why everybody else is there?

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Okay, that means that it’s okay for you to just be yourself.

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And everybody already knows that you’re you’re there to build relationships and grow your business and all that stuff.

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So everybody already knows why you’re there. 2 is our culture, our culture says.

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Oh, Jennifer, you’re here! How can it help you?

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Let’s do a one to one. They’re probably going to beat you to the punch.

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They’re gonna expect that you’re here and everybody knows why you’re there.

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So watch out. They’re gonna want to meet with you.

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They might even be a little bit more assertive than yourself.

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They’re more than likely to beat you to the punch and it has a lot to do with our culture and in the expectations.

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I mean, when you have a culture where everybody is thinking about how they’re gonna fill their pipeline and brother business on a daily basis.

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And every time they’re in a meeting that makes a significant difference in the experience that somebody would experience. Right?

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So.

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Yes, and it really is important to think, how are you going to be really again?

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Who are those champions that are going to really be there in your corner?

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There’s a lot of networking groups that are out there that they’ll pass around a binder, and in the binder there’s a whole bunch of business cards, and I can take one for the realtor and the mortgage guy and the insurance guy and the peril guy

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and the attorney, and the accountant, and the dentist, and the group, and we’re all really good friends, and you know what it may be great as a coffee club, and sometimes the group may actually have some sort of success.

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But the problem that a lot of groups tend to have, though, is, how are they really helping the people in the group? Right?

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What is the magic sauce of those kinds of groups versus the H7

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that really comes down to how you’re doing. It’s a client, let me ask you in that regard, what is the secret sauce that H7 has, that these other really well-known groups may not

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It’s our. It’s our training. It’s really our training.

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So when you have a membership with us, training is included, and training is all about the intentional being ententional about building champions for yourself, and it creates this culture, because now you’re meeting with other people have been trained.

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And you’re like, Hey, Jennifer? We should do a one-to-one, and and you through your county league already in there, because because you’re like, Hey, was me.

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So this intentionality really comes from the training aspect.

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And so it’s approximately 4 h with a Ch training.

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You don’t have to do it all once or whatever.

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But that train really helps you to get into being intentional.

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So, for example, we have an intentional one to one certification takes you 30 min of your life, but the intentional one to one training shows you how to really earn trust in your one ones, because, as you said earlier, it’s about relationships.

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I agree well, oftentimes, people, they are so busy trying to get to know you or share who they are, that trust is rarely earned, and so our certification helps you earn.

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Trust it took me 5,700 one on ones to put it together, but I’m sure there’s some new stuff in there, some things that can be taken from that.

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Then we have our activate that helps you to streamline your communication to be more intentional, to communicate with others.

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So it’s easier for them to help you. Then, lastly, is our champion training.

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It’s an actual process that you go through, or that we give you that you can follow, to build said champions.

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That’s how we do it. That’s what makes us so unique.

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This was put us made us so unique in the marketplace, and it all comes with the membership. That’s how we do it.

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So if someone were interested in signing up, is there a particular requirement that they have to fit into in order to be eligible for membership?

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Or is this something that they can have a conversation and find out if it’s some that make

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Yeah, so, so, no, we don’t want you going to the website and sign it up.

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Okay, so that’s that’s not the objective here.

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So, we ask that you request an invitation to join to visit to visit right, and so it’s all over the website.

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But based on the homepage, says, request an invitation to visit, fill that out.

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Somebody reaches out to you. There’s some automation shares with you little bit about us.

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But here’s kind of the magic, though we don’t really do marketing right?

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We don’t do paid ads things like that. It’s all invitation, only so chances are, unless you found out about our website from somebody else.

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You wouldn’t even know it existed. So, go into the join page and slow, you know, throwing out 400 bucks for the year.

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I’m gonna do any good. So yes, you request an invitation to visit us.

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Then you visit us. Then we have what’s called welcome to H7, where you come in, and you learn the benefits.

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About H7. What is it that we offer? We connect with each other?

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We serve one another. There’s actually an activity there. So you can get something out of coming to welcome H7.

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And so, as long as we don’t have any objections to you joining at that point, you fill out to qualify for you put your information in there, then you can be approved.

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So there is a process there that we do really want to use.

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It protects our culture.

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Thank you so Clay, let me ask you, as we circle back as and look at networking in general. Right?

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I mean networking has gone through so many different ways, but ultimately it’s still like we said, it’s shake the hand meet with the person.

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Now we’ve got zoom networking which allows us to really get to see people outside of our local geographic region, right?

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Yeah.

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Hmm.

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I mean before, if somebody’s in New York City they’re not going to be meeting people up in Boston or down in North Carolina as an example, being on a networking group.

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So because people one think, well, yeah, let’s connect with people all over, and possibly even overseas as well.

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So let me ask you when it comes to the difference between zoom networking and in person networking.

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Hmm.

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Is there a difference in how you operate in the zoom room instead of in the physical room? Or, you know, tell me more about that, because some of our listeners may be starting out and trying to figure out how to really navigate the process?

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Sure, so

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The the big difference between in person and zoom is zoom ends up, lacking the social environment tends to lack the social environment.

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And what I mean by lack. The social environment. You and I can’t go off to another room and just have a conversation, you know, while other people are talking right?

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And so in a typical in person, meeting especially hours, they break into groups, and so when they break into groups, now they’re with they’re friends, and there’s a little bit of socializing and things like that.

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It’s natural anywhere before meeting starts, half an hour you show up and are socializing before it gets there.

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In zoom you don’t have that now we have some level of socialization like telling dad jokes and things like that.

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We try to have fun, and we do have fun doing it.

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But the other day it’s, it is perceived.

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That’s a little bit more down to business because you lose that social atmosphere, meaning any of those small groups like you’d be talking over each other.

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You can’t hear each other. You know what I mean.

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And so you do lose that social impact impact, or whatever that we all kind of go after.

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Typically as human beings. We want the socialization or whatever.

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But on the surface, that’s what it looks like which makes it harder to build trust in some people’s perception like I can’t.

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Well, I can’t get to know you, Jennifer, because we’re not in the same room.

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Well, I’m sorry. I think we are in the same room, aren’t we? Really?

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That’s just some level of close mindedness. If you’re open to focusing more on earning trust and not so much chitty chat that goes nowhere.

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But you’re really trying to be more intentional about growing your business than Zoom actually is.

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Perfect makes sense like there’s 2 different things there so if you’re all into oh, my gosh!

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We got a hug we got to talk. We got to do all those things on a weekly basis in order for you to build your business really, you’re kind of looking at the wrong thing.

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You should be trying to earn trust with people, build like no and trust when you’re in the one-to-one over coffee, there’s a whole lot of differention, a whole lot of things going on.

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And then most people do hour long meetings. Well, conversation can escape can get away when you’re in a 30 min.

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Zoom, 1, one, your focus. You’re being intentional.

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So the reality is, is, in my opinion, you can build trust over zoom just as easy as you can in person.

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You have to be open to it, and be willing to do just to touch more.

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Well, not a touch, more word, be a little touch, more focused.

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This shouldn’t take a whole lot of work for that.

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So.

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Thank you. And so I want to talk about the one to one for a moment.

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Yeah.

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People that come to the one on one’s very often one of the things that you find is that people come to the one on one’s unprepared right out there in the world.

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They come, and they’re not really sure exactly what to expect.

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It’s, you know, very often, especially pre call it. I would meet someone at a coffee shop or a particular fast food location.

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Sit down with them I have a couple of minutes of like you said Clay.

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Hmm.

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chat, help build the raport a little bit more, and eventually see, do we have some sort of connection here?

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Yeah.

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Or if not, you know what very nice you know. Let’s move on it’s a little bit different, though, when it comes to the one on ones.

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And you mentioned before in terms like the champion and the trainings, the intentional one on ones that you’re going through. And one of those pieces really needs to be that you have to be giving value as much as you’re accepting value right?

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Yup!

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So tell me more, you know, like, how do you train people to really be in the mindset of giving value as opposed to just taking? Because the for a lot of people, human mentality as give me give me give me, and like you said, if opportunity, and time all my house, then I can give as well.

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Yeah, so are you really do have to be intentional.

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So the way I train on it is there should be time to connect.

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Okay, connect need to know each other. Hi, how you doing? Where are you from?

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Tell me a little bit about your business, but there has to be a moment where you have to shift the conversation to start, adding value.

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And why would you do that to earn a little trust right?

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Not so that you get back. You have to have an attitude of I’m delivering this.

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We call it, serve so I’m delivering this value right now, and I’m going to do it for the reasons of earning trust.

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With this person across from me. So you have to be very intentional about it.

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So what we say is, is halfway through the appointment, halfway through that one to one it really is Jennifer.

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How can I help you? What can I do for you? Who could I introduce you to?

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Who would you like to meet? How’s business going? All kinds of different ways, you can add value to other people, you mean people where they are when you have a huge network.

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Mean people where you are when you have a lower, a smaller network.

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So you have to shift that conversation in that 1 one to trying to help help the other person, and that does usually trigger where they want to help you back.

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Not that they feel obligated, but because they probably desire to.

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They just went you trying to help them. They’re probably gonna try to help you back.

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So that’s where you come in, and you ask the serve.

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And the ask is all about earning trust in the relationship.

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Most people sent spend so much time unlike a no, and they never earn the trust.

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And then they wonder why things aren’t going the way they hope.

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Trust has to play a huge role in your time. You’re spending with other people.

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Of course, you have to follow through to make sure it’s all done.

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But yes, that’s how it. That’s how I teach on it.

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And it really is key. Remember that it’s value first, right?

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Hmm.

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Hmm.

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As clay, that you say your terminology is searched, but when you come in with the perspective of how can I be the most help?

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Let’s the way that I own always have been going in.

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And this is long before you and I even met each other.

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I’ve been going into every meeting. How can I possibly help you?

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Who do you need to know? What do you need to know?

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Hmm.

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And is there something that I can help you solve without? Maybe it’s not me that’s doing it, and I’ve been doing this for years, and one of the things, by the way, to keep in mind when you’re talking with people is don’t be afraid to recommend resources that are not you or within your own personal

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Yes.

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network. What I mean by that is very often I’m speaking with somebody who is starting a business on a shoe string budget, and they’re trying to really figure out a couple of different pieces.

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And I ask them, do you know about Fiverr as an example?

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If you know about fiber, and you can go, and you can get somebody to design a logo and all those other things.

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And I’m not going to get into minim viable product.

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The Mvp. Right now, but if you can get them to do those pieces, and this person was turned on to this outlet because of you, they’re going to have that.

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Thankful aspect of what you just gave them, because you solved a major piece.

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And so you really and Clay and I, we have absolutely no connection of Fiverr.

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Right we may use them, but we’ve got no financial interest in it.

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I’m sure, Clay, you would give a person the same recommendation.

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Go on fiber, take a look and see what’s there.

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Yeah.

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There’s so much that we can be doing

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Yeah, it’s it’s is, when we’re offering value to other people.

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We really have to meet them where they are. Okay. I was explained that earlier.

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So when you have a vast network, or you, you’ve been experienced, you’re very experienced and building your business by word of mouth or being resourceful.

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You know, being in communities, things like that you should be meeting people where they are.

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So, if that’s fiverr, that’s your graphic designer down the street, whatever that is.

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That’s what it is. It happened to me today was in a while to today with a gentleman.

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And his business for the last couple of years. And he explained to me like, this is what I’m trying to do with my business, and I’m like, well, let me get you a resource.

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You can start developing that relationship with that person. For when you’re ready for that resource, that was my one of my recommendations.

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But the point is, he told me, like, don’t have a ton of money right now.

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Okay, that’s cool. This resource is gonna play a big role in that and if you want to talk about your strategy for what you’re doing I’d be happy to meet with you again.

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I mean giving of yourself and your resources is very, very important to earn trust and

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Building a reputation. It’s very important

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We’re not a question. Your reputation is extremely important, and the know, like and trust factor is really I mean, that’s the key to ultimate success.

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When you’re trying to get people to wanna work with you.

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So, Clay, how can people find out more about you

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Well, you should connect with me on Linkedin, for sure I am under Clay Hicks.

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I live in I don’t know if it has been down for Dayton or Cincinnati love to connect with you.

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Please send me a request there, you can also go to our website 8 7 network.com.

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Some people say networking, but that’s not right.

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8, 7 network.com. If you do happen to be interested in visiting us.

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Click on that invitation. Right, that button, so you can request an invitation and I’d be happy to do one to one with you, whoever it is.

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They want to meet. Maybe they’re newer. Maybe they just want to meet.

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I’m I’m open for that, and those those are the best ways to connect with me.

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You can also email, me email me at Clayton, at H, 7 network.com.

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I do check my emails. And I like to finish every day with 0 emails.

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So.

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If I can only get back to 0 emails, I think I have to declare email bankruptcy at some point I’ve got almost a 100,000 unwriting messages in my inbox, you know, it’s like you start saying all right.

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I’m gonna keep this here and I’m gonna keep this here so I can go back.

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And eventually it’s just spirals out of control. And before you know it, you end up with a 100,000 unknown messages.

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But different story. So Clay again. Thank you so much for being my guest on today’s program.

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I think that our listeners got a lot of value in really understanding what it means to have a champion, and not just any referral partner.

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How? Going into a one-on-one meeting, or any networking event, really with a sharp focus on the outcome, instead of, like most people going in can make a tremendous difference, I said, they get the value coming out that they put in going in so thank you again.

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For being my guest today

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My pleasure. I do have this one thing I want to tell you is this thing I came up with.

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If you focus on the relationships and not the outcomes, the outcomes become more predictable

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I love that. Thank you.

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Yeah, my pleasure. Thank you for having me on Jennifer.

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Absolutely thank you. And so for those of you that are thinking about venturing into the networking world, or you are thinking about what it is that you need to be doing when you’re trying to really figure out, how do I get more people to know about how do I get more opportunities how do I get in front

00:30:50.000 –> 00:30:51.000
of the right people. There’s a lot of different strategies.

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You can be using. But what Clay was saying with having the champions in your corner, whereas we call them strategic partners, your joint venture relationships.

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These people are really key and helping you find those people that are going to be your ideal clients and a lot of things that I do in my own business.

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And as well with my coaching clients. I hope them really figure out.

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How do you manage those relationships? How do you start getting people to say, yes, I want to work with you.

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It doesn’t have to cost an arm and a leg for you to be having these kinds of partnerships.

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Very often it may be a 2 way street. Sometimes it can be everybody in an event

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chain can benefit somebody. It’s a sometimes it’s a small nominal investment.

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That you’re giving to your next level for the referral.

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Anyone down from you would be getting the referral back up to you, and so things can really start figuring out, how do you make it work for you that it’s not going to cost you a lot of money, as we’re going into uncertain economic times.

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You really want to be focused on what you’re going to be doing to really hold the bottom line?

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Hold your profit set. You’re not going to be losing, but you want to be focused on the relationships you want to double down on the relationships that are really going to be there because people are going to need your service.

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Now, if you’re one of these like cultural, luxurious brands, that may be a different story.

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But if you’re doing what most of us are doing on a day-to-day basis, people need you.

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And they need what you have to offer. I was on another meeting earlier today where someone said, there are people out there waiting to love you.

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You need to find those people. And when they’re out there, really connecting with you that’s where it’s going to be making the most sense.

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My pleasure.

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So again, Clay. Thank you so much for being my guest today, and thank you.

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And until next time this has been another episode of MOJO:

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The Meaning of Life and Business. And here’s to your success