Networking Unleashed: Building Profitable Connections. An Interview with Meike Bettscheider and Michael A Forman
- mforman521
- Sep 22
- 14 min read
📍 Welcome to Networking Unleashed, building Profitable Connections, the podcast where we dive deep into the art of building lasting, impactful relationships that drive success. I'm your host, Michael Forman, and today we're joined by a remarkable guest who has turned networking into an essential tool for reinventing her business, not once, but twice on two different continents.
Our guest believes that the most powerful long-term relationships are forged, not through the typical pitch, but by paying attention to the small, often overlook clues that others miss. She's a master of transforming cold leads into life-changing partnerships. And her story proves that true networking isn't just about growing your business, it's about growing your connections no matter where in the world you are. So whether you're a seasoned entrepreneur or just starting out, get ready for an inspiring conversation on how to network in unexpected ways, build meaningful relationships, and create the partnerships that will transform your business. I. I would like to bring onto the podcast today. Micah. Mikey. Micah.
Micah. I think that's it. And I'm not going to attempt her last name. I'll let her introduce herself and I want Micah to give us a little bit about your background. Thank you very much for your kind and Michael, and having me on your great podcast with an amazing topic, which is very close to my heart.
Yeah. I'm Michael Der. A German by birth have lived, worked and studied all over the world, and I'm living now in Athens. Greece, which I very much appreciate, and like to be here. I'm an executive coach and I help people, teams, organizations, leaders to face crisis. And not to survive them, but really strive through them.
And yeah, I'm a big fan of real relationships because that's what gets us, into a sustainable and deep connected future, which we nowadays, from my perspective, need. It's so true on so many levels, and I too am very passionate about talking about networking, communication, so this ought to be a fun podcast.
Okay, so let's start, delve right into the questions. You've mentioned that powerful relationships are built by being of service, not by pitching. Can you share a specific example? Where this approach made a difference in you building a me meaningful connection? Absolutely. Michael I've always found that when you come from a place of service, a real authentic service, people feel it and they.
Remember it as well because when I personally moved countries and had to start over and over again, I didn't lead with my pitch, my professional pitch or what I want. I asked, what do you need to my counterpart? And one specific moment stand out. When I offered help to someone who was. I had the feeling struggling to articulate their business story, that didn't talk about what I do.
I just helped that person to find her own clarity and that conversation turned into a collaboration, then into a long-term client and even referrals. So my. Takeaway is really that people trust generosity over self-promotion. Of course, it has to be authentic, absolutely. In the networking circles I'll call it circles.
That's true networking, and that's going at it with a servant's heart. And it's looking to give before you receive, because as many people know that if you give it should, what goes around comes around. And if once you go with the mindset of giving, you'll receive much more. So I truly believe what you said.
Networking often involves paying attention to small cues that others miss. What are some subtle cues that helped you identify potential long-term partnerships? That's a great question, and that also brings it back to authenticity and long-term relationship to really. Yeah, get into a conversation with someone to form a relationship and network.
And this is where my face reading of psycho physionomy is the scientific term method I use in coaching plays a big role in how I personally connect. 'Cause most people focus on. What's being said, or they have their own pitch in their mind, but our faces hold years of information. And I don't mean mimics or gestures.
Really the qualities in our faces we were born with. And I often notice signs of natural creativity or emotional resilience, or even expressing one's voice. And these. Specific state of time. They're deeply rooted in personality structures or traits. And when I see, for example, someone with a strong analytical zones, which I can see in the forehead, and then underdeveloped jawline.
I personally know immediately I need to invite them gently into an ownership and action. And those subtle physical cues have helped me tremendously connect with people in a way that builds real resonance from the start, and something different. Yeah. It's different, but it, listen, this works for you because you've trained either yourself or by, by going to courses or whatever have you.
This going into it, so reading the faces of the people. 'cause people can't hide. The face, unless they're, trained in that. But they can't hide it. So they can say what they wanna say, but you'll see exactly what they wanna do. So yes that's very good.
And not many people have that talent. So you know, that's probably very good for you. You. You have successfully restarted your business twice in on two different continents. What are some key networking strategies that help you turn cold leads into valuable relationships over such a challenging context?
Yeah. Rebuilding networks from scratch scratch twice or even more was definitely humbling. And it is humbling, which is always good I believe for all of us. But it also taught me personally and presence speak definitely louder than. At least my experience. I always focused on listening first, and active listening contributing to conversations and being reliable.
Also, big one. I. And one of the things that helped me personally most recently was designing something for the community instead of to the community. What I mean is that I. It's how my immersive retreats, which I'm offering to startups and organizations was born. And I offer that to us Canadian and UK startup teams or organizations.
Were craving realignment and fresh thinking and very inspiring and off grid setting in Greece, in beautiful islands. And that became a powerful entry point for new relationship because it's all about an invitation and not a sales tactic, abso. Absolutely. And you hit on so many points that I would talk about an hour with you about but let me just take just a few pieces.
The first one is active listening. Yeah. And that term is used, but I don't think anybody truly believes it. So if you are listening to your, to the person whom you're speaking with, and you don't wanna think about the next thing that you wanna say, you wanna think about what they are saying and you respond to what they're saying by repeating part of it and giving an answer.
So it's not, doesn't seem like it's all. Premeditated or conjured up, so you're actively listening to them. And that is a big part of networking, especially when you're looking to volunteer your services. You're looking to give everything that, that you, that they want. And it goes a long way.
So I just wanted to bring that out, that active listening was a substantial part of the networking itself. Thank you, Mike pointing that out. Totally agree. Okay, because it's so true. It's so true and such as yourself, if you are a true networker, if you are truly out there to network, you're not just out there to fill your pockets, but you're out there trying to help somebody.
And if you, that's why I always say that if you're looking to network and you're really not sure where, look to volunteer. Because when you volunteer, you're doing something for somebody. Don't go into it saying, oh, this is what I do. That will come up eventually. But if you're there just to help out and give, that's a big part of networking itself.
Yeah. Agree. Can you recall a time when a relationship you built came from an unexpected moment, and how did that connection evolve to something more significant? Yes, I do. I love the unexpected moments because this is when, it comes to being on service and being just curious about people.
So then active listening and all these things are coming just mutually to one. And there was one, one specific encounter I made when I was. Just walking on a Greek island to do some scouting for a future upcoming retreat. And it was just a small walking trail. And I met a woman, we chatted casually, then we shared a meal.
She came from the US where I also lived before, so I said. We just chatted and I didn't think much of it actually. And a year later she reached out just recently because she had remembered that were her words, how grounded she felt in that conversation. And now she ended up sending her leadership team to one of my retreats and that chance meeting.
Turned really into a real, really partnership. And it reminded me how important it is to just be open and curious because you never know what, what yes seed you are planting, right? That's true and you, authenticity is almost everybody uses it or it's you have to be your authentic self.
But if you are yourself, when you have that chance meeting with somebody, I. Just be yourself, be inquisitive, and you don't talk business. You can say what you do. 'cause they'll probably ask, but you don't push that and you're more inquisitive about the other person. And that leads into a bigger conversation.
And then you leave very nicely. You're just leaving okay, listen, I'll see you around. And you never know. And a year later when she called you, it was probably, it was probably on her mind. I. Before then, but you just, you being yourself, you just gave, just give and give and eventually it will come back.
And this is a perfect situation where it came back, and it's very good. That's all. Just have a very good feeling about that. Yeah. Having worked on two continents, how does networking differ across cultures and how do you adjust your approach in different environments? I actually love that because that comes back to being on service to, to, be curious and it's very real.
There are. Differences and one has to be aware of that. When I just recall, two differences, even it's in Europe, but totally different is in Switzerland and Germany. Structure, timing and credibility are key. For example. People want to see the plan In Greece. On the other hand relationships move more fluidly.
It's about energy and presence that builds through shared time. Actually, you have to be more. And definitely to adjust my rhythm. In some places I show the proof first. In others, I share my story and just let the relationship grow more organically that Yes and you know the difference I come from New York, okay?
I'm living in Georgia. And the differences just between New York and Georgia is a world apart. 'cause in, in New York it's business. How can I help you? Okay, great. You have 15 minutes. Go. And in Georgia, in an hour and a half, you're finally getting around to doing business, so it's very different.
Plus the speed in which you do it is very different. That's something that I had to adjust to because when I was, when I came down here and I go to do business, I turned off a lot of people. Yeah. And I just said, okay, so let me readjust, let me do what I have to do. You do it.
But I was very interested to hear the difference within Europe, just within Europe itself, that you would have the, those differences. Yeah, absolutely. In your experience, what are essential elements that make a business relationship not only thrive, but last for years? I think that's very important to to think about and be aware of.
From my perspective, from my experience, it's clearly consistency, integrity. And also shared growth. What I mean with that is the most relation, most sustainable long-term relationships I've had in business are with people who evolve and who allow me to evolve too, because we don't hold each other to past roles.
But we furthermore stay in sing through open and honest communication. And it also helps to celebrate the wins together and hold space when one of us is navigating something tough. And I'm still evolving together with great relationships from my time at Chicago Booth or in Seattle in France as well, with clients all over the continent.
So that's. That's, yeah, my experience. I would love to hear yours. So yeah it's. It's really the same way it's those relationships that you're building now. I don't just build relationships I the, ever since the pandemic, okay? The days of building your customer base really is gone. It's building the relationships now.
I used to be in a mortgage industry. I used to go to those networking events and come home with a shoebox filled with business cards to say, look how good I did when, and honestly I didn't do well at all, now, what I teach the people that I coach, I say, look, if you go to a three or four hour event, come back with about 15 or 20.
Business cards because I know that you've had the talk, the relationship building to everything else, and then the follow up, right? Yeah. So that follow up will say how long you're gonna keep that relationship and how well you do it. That's, and that's the whole different conversation. But, the relationships that you nurture.
And you keep, whether it's through LinkedIn or some somewhere else, that's a soft touch. But when you keep those relationships, you never know where they're gonna wind up. So that's also very good. Okay, so what have, what. What have you been what, sorry? What has been the biggest challenges you faced while building relationships, especially in unfamiliar markets or industries, and how did you overcome them?
Yeah, being you in a culture or even industry, can definitely feel like a wall or felt very often for me, like a wall running with full motivation right into a wall. The biggest challenge was that people didn't quite know what to make of my combination of business and intuitive methods inter intercontinental background.
So instead of explaining, I offered. Small, impactful experiences free sessions, informal chats, shared insights, a little bit of storytelling, real stories and letting people experience yourself came much more powerful along for me than trying to convince them, that made it. You're being yourself.
Yeah. You're being yourself and giving your part of yourself in your stories. Yeah. So that in itself is building your authenticity. And I want to get into one other factor, but that's part of the next question. So I'll wait before I bring that into it. Trust is essential with any relationship.
How do you establish and nurture trust when building connections, especially in the early stages of a partnership? Yes. I think trust is essential and build in small, consistent moments. There we have the consistency again, which is very important for sustainable long-term relationships. For me personally, that means showing up when I say I will, being real about what I can do, and sometimes being willing this isn't the right fit.
It definitely deepens when there's space for both people to show up fully and not just the polished version. Back to authenticity. Back to authenticity. Be real. And it's really, it sounds easy showing up when you say you're going to show up, doing what you say you're going to do.
That's really, it should be relatively easy, but the trust factor is the crucial factor. Know you, like you, trust you, then they'll do business with you. I. And I say this to everybody, everybody knows you. Oh yeah. Oh, that's Micah. Oh yeah, that's sure. Trust you know you like you. Now, that may limit the amount of people, right?
Because not everybody's gonna like you no matter who you are, right? Yeah. So know you and like you, but trust is a crucial factor. If they don't trust you, they'll never do business with you. And, all of your giving, having your servant's heart, giving before receiving, that all builds your trust factor or their trust factor.
And the more they trust you, the easier it is for them to talk with you. To speak with you. I totally agree 100%. Yeah. Okay. So what do you think is the key factor in turning a cold lead into a life-changing long-term relationship? It's more about timing, sharing values or something else. I. It's a great question, Michael.
For me, it, it starts with alignment alignment of values, vision and rhythm. But the turning point is when someone feels seen and safe with you. So trust comes back in seeing active listening, looking that's when conversations shift from. Transactional, if you wanna call it too transformational.
And for example, I've had startup founders attend my retreats with one goal in mind and leave with clarity on something entirely different. And because, the setting, there's no noise there's a disconnection from what they all every day have in their mind. And that's. The real power, shared experience, because that, from my perspective, deepens trust faster than any pitch ever could.
Yeah, no, it's true. It's true. You get rid of all the noise, get rid of everything else, and let their initial thoughts come out because they may be different than what they went to you to talk about and say, oh, I never thought about that. Think about that, because there are so many different ways that somebody can take a business, but to get them, they have to grow personally before they can grow their business or anything else.
So I, I'm listening to you. I'm listening to everything you're telling me. I'm listening to you move from continent to continent and different countries. What is your, was your biggest mistake and how did you overcome it? My biggest mistake was a learn through to try to pitch my ideas, try to prove myself in advance instead of what I've learned.
It's okay to just. And feel it and listen first, all the things I've told you before, these were, it was a learning process, so I didn't do that from the gecko, and so I think to really step quicker forward was definitely a mistake. So leaning back, observing, listening first. That's what I definitely learned out of it.
It sounds like you went to the school of hard knocks. You learned what not to do. You had to change it, and you now do what you're supposed to do. And that's true. 'cause I went to, I'm a graduate of the very same school. I learned what not to do. So I don't do that, and I learned what to do.
So that's I'm saying hello to human, to a, I'm saying hello to a fellow graduate. Okay. So let's bring this podcast for us, full circle. For someone starting their business and looking to leveraging to leverage networking for growth, what would you say was the most important thing that they should keep in mind when forming a new connection?
Clearly, especially after our your last question clearly be a human first. That's it. Forget the pitch deck at the beginning. Lead with your curiosity. I think that's very important. Like children, they're curious. Listen, like it matters because it really does matter. And as you earlier said, follow up with warmth.
That's all I can say. That's very good. And I could talk to you for another two hours because we're talking on the same level. We talk about the same things in the same way, and it's very refreshing to hear somebody else talk about all this. In the way that you are talking about it. But if somebody wanted to get hold of you either to be coached to be anything, or just to say hi, how would they get hold of you?
They can reach me via my website, www.compass-setting.com, via email, via Instagram, also about compass setting or LinkedIn. My name. Very good. Very good. I gotta tell you, this was a lovely podcast. I'm so glad that you made it on, and I hope to talk to you in the near future. Thank you so much for having me.
It was such a pleasure. Pleasure. Thank you, Michael.
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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 and 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/podcasts.
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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