Networking Unleashed: Building Profitable Connections. An Interview with Malcolm Reid, Sr. and Michael A Forman

📍   Welcome to Networking Unleashed, building Profitable Connections, the show where relationships, not noise, create real business growth. I'm your host, Michael Foreman, and today we're going to shake up a few assumptions. Small business owners are overwhelmed with advice. Post more, brand harder, be everywhere. Build an audience first and hope business follows. Yet many people doing all of that still aren't getting the opportunities they expected by guest today has taken a very different path. He's built a seven figure business without depending on constant social media posting. He believes much of what entrepreneurs taught. About branding misses the mark and he is speaking directly to why so many business owners are frustrated with the gurus. Today we're talking about trust, real relationships, and why networking done correctly can outperform attention seeking marketing. If you're, if you want clients instead of just clicks and conversations that actually lead somewhere, you're in the right place. So let's get into it.

I'd like to welcome to the podcast today, Malcolm Reed Malcolm Reed Senior. And I would just like for you to give us a little taste of how you got where you are today. First of all, Michael, thank you so much for having me. I'm really looking forward to our conversation today. And that's a great question. If I could sum it up. Lots and lots of failure. And when I say that failure doesn't mean that you actually failed. It means you, you took some actions. The things you didn't necessarily work out, and there were lessons that were learned from that. And just by constantly getting up, trying the next thing, until we figured out exactly what worked. A Absolutely. I professed that I went to the school of hard knocks. I learned how to do everything wrong before I got it correct, and I got all those bumps and bruises, by falling down. But I got up one more time than when I fell down. Yeah. So that told me everything. Same here. And the thing is, with my background growing up in the slums and streets of Baltimore, being a successful business owner wasn't one of the things on my radar, I was just, to make it to 16 years old, that was a feat in and of itself. And unfortunately, Michael, when you, I do believe people are products of their environ. You can't control where you're born. You can't control though what you do once you get to an age of understanding. And so I was just like all the people around me, I sold drugs, I went to prison, I dropped outta high school. And then I realized afterward that you know what? I'm not a victim. I still have choices to make. And so when I decided to do something different, only then could I realize that, you know what? You can make a big impact in this world. You can share the challenges from your story with people. Although it's my story, it's right, it's about me, but it's not for me. There's other people who don't believe that they're valuable or they're good enough, and I'm here to prove that. Again, where you came from doesn't matter. It's what you choose to do when you finally understand right from wrong and what you make of it. And so really that was a big part of my story 'cause I'm pretty relentless. Absolutely. And that's great. It sounds like it was a great story and I'm sure if we had the time, I want to hear all about it. Okay. 'cause listen, that's very interesting. I too came from a very poor environment in Rockland County. In New York. And, I could say I didn't go to prison and I didn't sell drugs, but just about everything else was me. Yeah. And and I made the different decision, so I decided to go into the military and when I came out I was a changed person. That's great.

But anyway. Okay. So you talk about business owners being exhausted by fake gurus. From a networking perspective, how can professionals quickly tell who's credible and who's just performing? One thing we all have is a sixth sense. Michael, how you get around somebody and after a few seconds, something just feels off. Yeah. Listen to yourself. We have that for a reason a lot of times, because we may want something or we have a certain ideology, we lead with that versus what our good common sense tells us. If your common sense says run. Run, right? And it's typically just because something looks good, it looks shiny and it sounds good, doesn't mean it always is good. And so the best advice I would give is trust yourself. Trust your gut and your instinct. It's there for a reason. I I have learned to trust myself. Yeah. And I gave myself what's called a 24 hour rule. I don't make any decisions right then and there. Yeah. I wait 24 hours. I think about it. I look at it from all points of view, and I make the decision. Yep. That's where I've grown to, and that's not where I started. Because I started with Oh, that's great. Okay. I'll do it. Yep. And that was it.

What behaviors in networking conversations quietly signal expertise versus self-promotion? People who are experts, number one, they don't do a lot of talking. They do a lot of listening. And the other thing I noticed as well too, Michael, is people that are experts, they give. They're not there to take, you meet those people, then they have these slick little lines that talk about who they are, but then they're asking for something. I found that people are successful. It, it allows you to be more of who you already are and most successful peoples are givers. Listen, what you just said speaks volumes. It really does. Yeah. 'cause from a networking point of view, and listen, I'm a networking strategist. I always do everything by networking. And if you go to a networking event, you always look to give and not receive. Yes. It's called having a servant's heart. Absolutely. It takes all the pressure off your shoulders. Alright, I don't have to sell. All I have to do is, oh, I wanna connect two people together. Oh, that's great. And it, it's such a difference. And it makes you the expert instead of a follower. Exactly. I agree with that wholeheartedly. And again, you can tell immediately, when, again, when people talk too much, first of all, we tune out. But. A giver has a listening ear and you're looking for an opportunity to support that person. And I'm the same way, Michael, like when you have people that have morals, values, they're ethical, they're authentic you just can't teach that, but you can feel it when you're around it. And so that, that's what stands out in networking situations for me. It does. And what you also said was right on point. It's the listening. You have to be a good listener. You don't talk. And that's one of the mistakes I made and years ago, and one thing I teach now or what I coach people for is when you walk up to a table or a situation, you don't say a word, you listen. You listen, you pause after you listen. There's a whole thing to it, but that's what you have to do. So again, you hit the nail, running the head.

You've grown a seven figure business without relying on social media posting what replaced it. And how did relationships play a role? I believe everything starts with relationships. You cannot be successful by yourself. You need to have other people around you that, 'cause, we are not all experts at everything and I just believe networking, building true, meaningful relationships, that's the first thing. How we did it is. And of course we made lots of mistakes, Michael. What we see around us is we hear branding, you gotta get the right logo, the right colors, and all these things, and then you have to be everywhere. See. That's applicable for the large businesses. People, companies like Geico and some of these other large companies, they. Billion dollar marketing budgets. And so what the small business owner is doing, they're making the mistake of emulating the tactics that the big boys are doing, and they don't have the budgets to compete. So when it comes to a small business owner, listen you, we can't force our solution down the throat of the marketplace. All we can do is harness what the marketplace already wants. And so there's a formula. That I use, it's called the conversion formula, and it's simple. It's four steps and it works like this. See, a person already has a problem and they don't want the problem. So that's the first step is I must be able to identify their problem and speak it in a way that they emotionally attach to it. Step two, there's a solution, Michael, that they're looking for and they can't find it. And so I have to be able to articulate that solution again in a way that's meaningful for them. Then I have to educate them that our service is far superior to the competition in every way, and then make 'em an offer that's so irresistible. They can't say no because it solves their problem. The offer though doesn't have to be monetary. It could be something that they can do right now to get a victory. And so I truly believe, Michael, that if you cannot identify your target market and identify a clear solution to their challenge, there's no way you should be online. There's more noise, there's more people. So you have to do that offline first and once you are very good at not only identifying it, but fulfilling on what you promise. When you do that, people can't be quiet about what you do. They tell everyone about how well you solve their problem, and then that cycle builds momentum that you just can't stop. And that's how we did it. Absolutely. And that, that, that sounds great. It sounds great and it's a good thing that this is a recording. Otherwise I'd be writing down everything by notes. Okay. Okay.

Why do many entrepreneurs confuse visibility with trust and how does that affect the way that they network? I believe that's intentionally done by the large social media networks. They, the art of connecting with human beings, like really, like I know growing up in our time we went outside, we had real meaningful connections with other people. And so now what the, what they've done is they've made people have this false sense of belief that the more likes, the more followers, the more relevant I am. And. The herd mentality that we are, we follow and we believe that our relevance comes from that. And it doesn't. It's artificial, and so that has now people's focus has shifted to, lemme take 67 selfies. Un until I get the perfect angle and then let me clean it up with a filter so I look perfect and let me craft the perfect life for people. It's a facade and so to me that blocks authentic connection. It blocks people being vulnerable and showing up for who they really are. So I believe the power of networking is like we're doing now to human beings that are flawed. Yet having an open, vulnerable conversation that others can benefit from, that's irreplaceable. Absolutely. And the one-to-one, the person to person, AI is the term is being thrown around and Yeah, that's a tool. Listen, it's a good tool. Yes. But it's a tool. It can't replace you. And even though we're doing this through Zoom. There's a person behind the camera. Yes. And you have to remember, you have to make a connection with that person. And listen, unless you're in, if you're in person, then you can pick up the vibe of the person, the vibe of the room. You know what I'm talking about? Yes. You can't necessarily do that through Zoom, but look. We're talking right now, and I know immediately, Malcolm, you're my type of person, right? I can hang with you anytime, feel the same way, and I could just do that.

Okay. There are some people that like, remember the Justin, she had a little thing in front of her face. Oh, yes. And that's what they do. Yes. That's what they do. And there's really, there's no place where we're coming back to a time when we have to go face to face with people. Yes. And it feels very important. And honestly that's why I'm in business, right? Yes. I go across the country talking about this and teaching people how to properly network. Yes. And that means face-to-face. I love it. Okay? If branding isn't what people think it is what actually makes someone memorable when they meet you in person. I truly believe how you make a person feel. They're not gonna remember the conversation, but there's certain, like I said, when you, they, you are gonna either look, I, there was a thing that someone told me, they said everyone brings sunshine when they enter a room. Some because they left and others because they showed up. And Michael. When you, again, when you meet a person, it only takes a few seconds before something feels off or you're pulled in. It's you know what? I would love to get to know that person. And it comes just down to being authentically you. However quirky I am, and my little things that I have about me makes me authentically Malcolm. And the same with you. And I believe that's the part that so many people are trying to be someone they're not. And then there's something that's.

Off and you're, and it's not congruent with who you are. So that's what I believe when you just show up here I am, flawed in all people can relate to that because they're, we're all flawed, right? And so ab Absolutely. Absolutely. I think that's the key. I always tell everybody when they walk into a networking event or they're meeting somebody one-on-one, what's the last thing that you want to talk about? Business. No. You wanna talk about business? Take business, throw it right out the window. Yeah. Talk about anything else? I use a formula that I came up with form. FORM. Family, occupation, re recreation. And a certain message, right? Yes. Talk to 'em about their husband, wife, sister, brother, son, daughter, whatever. Talk about youth sports. Talk about something, anything. And that will get them. Remember there's a old saying, no, you like, you trust you. Yes. This is with you. You're getting to that trust factor and that trust factor is going up, and that wall between the two of you is coming down and people become more free and more authentic, and you'll get to really see what they're about. So true and no, and I have a actual formula that I use. It's interesting. It's called love. I love to love on people, and L is listen. So a step is when I listen, then I can go to O, which is open dialogue. How do I open dialogue is by asking questions. But the questions I'm asking Michael are to v verify that what they said, I understood it, not what went through my filter and changed before IE engage with them. And so that allows us to not have. Anything that's misinterpreted because you could say something and I heard it completely different, but I wanna make sure that what you said, I understood it the way you meant it before. I can then engage in a deeper, meaningful conversation.

So I love to just show love and love on people and it accomplishes something very similar to form. I love form. Very similar. Very similar. But what's the key thing you just said? That you have to listen. You listen to them, and here's the important part. After you finish listening, you pause. Just for that half a second, because that tells the other person that you're, that you've listened to 'em and you repeat back some of what they said and you say, all right, if I get this right, if I understand this correctly. X, Y, Z, yes. And it's oh yeah sure. And also make sure that they are the only person in the room. There can be 50 people standing behind them. Don't have your eyes wander. Don't look at them in the eye square. Talk to them even though, even if the person is walking behind them that you really want to talk to and you've been trying a corner for years. You better not peak, right? Better not. Better not. Okay. What mistakes do professionals make when they treat networking like an audience instead of a relationship? The biggest mistake is they're trying to take they go in with a motive. They, here's their plan before they left home. I wanna see how many people I can sell to. Or how many people are my customer? So they load up with these business cards and they say, yeah, call me. Let's look, get together. And they're taking, that's a big mistake. Or they believe that taking the time to go meet people in person is a waste of time. And so they either won't do it or they're not doing it properly, and it's a huge mistake. I believe your value is in your network. And a lot of times it's not that connection you made. It's who they know and who they know. And nothing beats a personal favorable introduction. Hey, you know what? I know network. Oh, I know Michael Foreman. Let me introduce you to him. Nothing beats that. But if you are all about yourself, as we talked about before, and you're just trying to figure out what you can take from the room or take from that person. You don't have a network you have nothing. You remember when I said that I went to the school of hard knocks, right? I was in the mortgage industry. Ah, okay. And I walked into a room networking event, and I came home with 200 business cards and I said, look how good I did. I did Horrible. Yeah. Yeah, I did. Now the fact of the matter is if I go to a networking event, I come back with maybe 15 business cards. Because I know that I spoke with that person. I had some sort of relationship with that person. I'm gonna follow up with what we were talking about, the way that I hear, the way that I can remember that I take their business card. I turn it over, I write down the date, the name of the function, and something we spoke about. So when I follow up, it's a whole secret sauce for following up Of course. But when I follow up, I turn that over and say, oh, that's right. That's what we talked about. I put that in the correspondence. Little tricks of the trade, but it gets you where you want to go. Yeah. I have a little process that I use and it's called the Three Hs. I start off with a handshake. Now that we've touched, we've established a physical connection, that's a handshake. We introduce and I do a high five really quick. Now, no one Michael can resist a high five. It's positive. And so the next thing you know, they high five, and as soon as the high five is done, the third h, I give them a hug. And now that we've embraced beyond just the distant, how are you? What do you do? I only connect with people I plan to talk to. So I tell them smile. I take their photo. I put their information in my phone and to your point, instead of on the back of the business card, I write a couple of notes in my phone that reminds me of key information about them, and I book an appointment on the spot, Michael, for 15 minutes. I want to talk to them to find out what I can do to provide value. For them. And so that way I'm not chasing people. Like I said, we just shook, we embraced. I have their number, we book a call on the spot, and I've found that when I do that, and again, my motive when I get on that call is to see what can I do to help support this person and further what they're doing and help 'em out. It's helped me meet so many wonderful people. Hopefully that's helpful for someone out in the audience today. Absolutely. Because I, I do it. Similar in a similar way, except what I say to them is, how can I make you more successful? How can I be a good referral source for you? And if I did my job correctly, Mike, I don't know how you do yet, and you're already trying to make me more successful. Yes. And yeah that's it. That's the art of giving. We, I'm telling you, two of us, we should go together and write a book. Yeah. I'm gonna tell you, my brother from another mother. 'cause this is two too istic. You gotta be you've gotta be, you've gotta be. I'm telling you. This is great. This is great. How can small business owners build a strong referral network without constantly creating online content? Yeah. The thing is. If you ever eaten at a really good restaurant once or twice. Yeah, once or twice you'll tell everybody, you'll tell your friends, Hey, you need to go check out a, b, c restaurant. It's amazing. I believe that if you aren't excellent at delivering what you say that you should, that you're gonna do, you shouldn't do it. But when you know for certain that a person's gonna be better off than they met you, when they get your product to service at that point of sale. Find out from them who do you know that can benefit just as much as you have from us? Being connected? And I always promise there's no hard sale. I hate the salesy, sleazy type of thing. It's like we're gonna treat them just like they're a part of the family because it's all about how can we help support them. So having a built in referral process. Allows you to be able to expand your network just from pleasing the people that are already doing business with you. I don't believe that referrals is something haphazard. I believe that it's a systemized way that you track and measure because when you do well and you do good by others, they'll gladly let people that they care about know about you. It's the reluctance to tell others when your product or service is mediocre. So again. When you know what you're doing is gonna benefit that person in a better way than before they met you. I believe it becomes your obligation to help as many people as you possibly can, and nothing better than a great word of mouth. Absolutely my mentor. Was also doubles of my business coach. He's, the one thing that I was lacking when I first started was the process. I didn't have the process. I was trying to get referrals and all different, there was no set process. And he said, look, you'll never know unless you ask. All they could do is say I'll find out, or I don't know, or something like that. Or, oh, I do have somebody. But if you don't ask, then you'll never find out. Exactly right. What does authentic authority look like in real world? In a real world conversation, not curated online. It's happening literally right in front of our eyes between you and I. Yeah. We're having a conversation. There are no scripts. It's open and vulnerable. That's what it looks like. It looks like whoever you are, be somebody important. Be yourself. It's okay. And again, Michael, you can't teach it, right? You don't have to be what social media or society says you should be. And you can feel it. You just can feel it. It oozes from a person when you talk to them and they're just being authentically themselves. You also can tell when someone's trying too hard too, can't you? Oh yeah. Oh yeah. Just, it doesn't take, it takes no work to be you and the world truly values when someone is just who they are. Yeah. I, like I said, I go all over and I speak about networking and how to do it and everything. I always try to put humor into what I'm talking about because they will remember the humorous parts. Yeah. And they'll forget everything else that I'm teaching them. But my humor is. Generally self-deprecating, so Got you. So I'm not gonna upset anybody else but me. And everybody has a good laugh and I, it's all right. It's all on me. I make several faces and it's all, but they tend to remember that because there's a different part of their brain. Yes. And if I'm doing a workshop, then I throw it in there three or four times, so it helps them. Understand and they can be more themselves. And that's the key to everything. I love that. Okay. For someone overwhelmed by marketing advice, what simple networking habit. Consistently produces real business opportunities. I believe that, first of all, because there's so much noise, people don't know where to start, what's gonna be effective, none of that. But remember earlier we were talking about understanding. Who your client is and the number one problem that you solve for them. Part of that becomes the psychographics of understanding. Where do they go for advice? What are the books that they're reading? Who do they look up to as influencers? And so when you start finding out all these things about the person, not just the demographic, but the psychographics what's keeping them up at night, what do they fear most? Then you show up where they are. If you are going to where they're looking for support and you can articulate in a authentic way how you can be of success. You only need that one channel. You don't have to be everywhere. You just have to be in the right place where people are already seeking. Remember, they're looking for a solution. They can't find it. Show up as the solution. Give. Remember an offer so compelling. They can't say no. Give to them, give them things that they can do that's practical, that gets them closer to solving that challenge. You'll have more clients than what you could ever imagine if you just take the time and do that type of research. I just want to add just one little bit to what you said, because what you said is perfect. It's exactly what should be done. You are a problem solver. They have a problem. You want to solve that problem, but it doesn't end there. What I try to teach is that there's a problem and you solve it, but you don't wanna meet 'em here. You wanna meet them here. Somewhere else. You wanna meet where they're going. Yes. And not just solve their problem, but, 'cause if you meet where they're going, then you're the solution and you're the help along the way. Yes. Great point. And the other thing to that, Michael, is what I've found is that only one to 3% of the marketplace at any given time is ready to buy the other 97 to 99%. They're on the bias journey. They're gathering research, they're looking for information. If you can enter the conversation while they're on the bias journey. When they get to the point of choosing who they're gonna do business with, if you are the person feeding them all the information along the way, more than likely it's always gonna be you. Most small business owners treat a hundred percent of the market like they're ready to buy today, and that creates friction. It's why people hate talking to salespeople because they treat 'em all like they're ready right now, and most people aren't. I have, there's a saying that I do in all my presentations and I usually wind up with this saying people love to buy, but they hate to be sold to. They hate it. And, I bring up the A car dealership. And, do you want to be that, have that salesperson, Hey, this is a Mustang, this is a 2026 Mustang. It has this comes in various colors. You could see it even does your lunch. It's incredible. Or do you want the guy to walk up to you and say, Hey, my name is Michael. If you have any questions, I'm right over there. Yep. It's a different mindset. Yes. But that one line I have it in every one of my presentations. People love to B love to buy. Yes. They need to be sold to. So true. Okay, so let's bring this podcast full circle. If you could give one networking rule that outperforms branding tactics, posting schedules and growth hacks, what would it be? I would say, first of all, show up. Show up as, and then when you get there, show up as the authentic version of you. That's the second thing. The third thing, be prepared to give. And the fourth thing, follow up. People are busy, all of us have things happen in our lives. Sh follow up with that person and let them see that you truly are authentic about helping them. And by being persistent like that, and again, 'cause you're not taking, you can build more meaningful relationships. Absolutely. I couldn't have said it better. My what you just said is in my presentation, right? It everything you've said is in my presentation. It's great. I, I love to hear all of this. Malcolm, this was absolutely great. If somebody wanted to get a hold of you, if somebody wants you to coach them, teach them, or tell 'em what to do, how, what's the best way to get hold of you? Yeah the thing is, Michael, you know how we're talking about how we show up authentic. We are very particular about who we engage with. They have to be people who have morals, values, ethics. They're authentic. Those are the people that I want to connect with. And what I wanna do is, in my book it's called Massive Action. It talks about how a small business owner can find six figures of hidden revenue in their business without marketing or ads. And so because of the your podcast and you having me as a guest. For any of your guests that wanna get a copy of it, just go to 100 K. So 1 0 0 k leak, LEA k.com and that, and you'll get a copy of my book and it'll show you that extra a hundred grand that's hiding in your business that doesn't require increase in marketing spend. Great. Malcolm, this was just great. This episode is a great reminder that business still runs on trust. Yes, clarity and real relationships. Attention fades quickly, but meaningful conversations and strong connections keep working long after the meeting ends. If today's conversation made you rethink how you show up, who you listen to, or who you build credibility with, take one action this week. Reach out to somebody. Start a real conversation and focus on the relationship instead of the impression. And if you got value from this episode, make sure you follow and subscribe to Networking Unleashed, building Profitable Connections, so you can keep getting practical insights on networking and communication. Also, share with a business owner who's tired of chasing trends and ready to build something real if you want help strengthening your communication, your relationships, or the way you position yourself in conversations. Visit michaelaforman.com to learn how I work with professionals, teams, and organizations. Until next time, be genuine, be clear and build connections that actually turn into opportunity. Malcolm, thank you again for coming on the podcast. You were sensational. Thanks for having me, my friend. This was a lot of fun. Absolutely.  Well, hold on folks. Don't go anywhere. Let's hear from our sponsors. David Neal, co-founder Revved Up Kids. Revved Up Kids is on a mission to protect children and teens from sexual abuse, exploitation, and trafficking. They provide prevention, training programs for children, teens, and adults. To learn more, go to RevD up kids.org. Henry Kaplan Century 21. When it comes to making the biggest financial decision of your life, leave it in the hands of a proven professional. Henry Kaplan Henry is a global real estate agent with Century 21, celebrating his 41st year in business. No matter where you're moving, Henry has the right connections for you. You can contact Henry at 5 6 1 -4 2 7 -4 8 8 8.   a huge thank you to our guests for sharing such incredible insights today, and of course, a big shout out to you, our amazing listeners, for tuning in and spending your time with us. If you're interested in my digital courses being coached or having me come and talk to your company, just go to MichaelAForman.com and fill out the request form. Remember, networking isn't about being perfect. It's about being present. So take what you've learned today, get out there and make some meaningful connections. If you've enjoyed this episode, please don't forget to subscribe. Leave us a review. Share it with someone who could use a little networking inspiration. Let's keep the conversation going. You can find me on Apple, Spotify, Pandora, YouTube, or my website michaelaforman.com/podcast.

Michael is a business networking expert specializing in enhancing professionals' networking and communication skills to drive profitability. As a leading authority in this field, he is highly sought after for his dynamic presentations and workshops. His extensive experience has consistently led to significant improvements in corporate profitability by empowering individuals and organizations to connect more effectively and efficiently.

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