How to Stop Waiting for the Phone to Ring and Get Off Your Ass

Speaker: 00:00:05

In 2023, I thought I was

going to just ride the wave.

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You see the fall of 20, 22

was the absolute busiest.

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My business has ever been for

my keynote speaking standpoint.

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I was crisscrossing the

country every few days.

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I was inspiring huge audiences

connecting with the audiences and

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feeling like for lack of a better term.

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I had finally made it as a speaker.

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That wasn't till January, 2023, when

the phones literally didn't ring.

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The entire month.

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And they didn't ring in February, Either.

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Welcome to episode 180 of the shit

works, a podcast dedicated to all

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things, networking, relationship

building and business development.

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I'm your host, Julie Brown.

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Speaker author and networking coach.

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And today I am discussing how sometimes.

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We need to take our own damn advice.

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Get off her asses And make shit.

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Happen.

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2023 was my wake-up call.

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I mean, in the beginning of the year,

I was emotionally exhausted from the

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loss of five family members, one of my

best friends to cancer and my sweet dog,

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Royce, whom I had rescued 12 years before.

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And the entire time

had never left my side.

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I was physically exhausted

from months of travel.

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And to say that my coping mechanisms to

deal with everything that was going on.

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We're less than healthy

would be an understatement.

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In January.

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I sat on my couch in my office

with my other dog, Maddie curled

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beside me and stared at my

computer for what felt like weeks.

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Actually, it probably was weeks.

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I kept waiting for the phone during,

for their speaker requests to pile

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up in my inbox, but the phone stayed

silent and their requests didn't come.

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I actually had no idea

how this was happening.

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I just come off my busiest year.

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I'd spoken to thousands

and thousands of people.

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Where were the people lining up to hire

me to bring my energy and my spunk to

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their companies and their conferences.

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I stayed in this passive

steep until March.

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Waiting.

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Hoping.

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And then getting pissed at

myself when I remembered.

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That the key to building

a thriving business.

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Isn't passive waiting.

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Is proactive engagement.

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It's about crafting a strategy,

getting out there and meeting more

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people and making the shit happen.

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It's the shit I encourage people to do for

their own businesses in careers every day.

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And here I was sitting back expecting

things to be different for me.

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Expecting to not have to work for it.

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So.

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What did I do?

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Well, I got off my ass and developed a

robust strategy that included outreach.

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New marketing, additional networking

and active engagement with

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potential clients and past clients.

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I thought about who I

really wanted to serve.

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And I did the research on

all of those companies.

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I researched the best contacts within

those companies and asked my network to

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make strategic introductions for me.

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I reconnected with network partners

that I hadn't talked to in awhile.

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I connected with and

guested on Newport podcasts.

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I reached and asked high profile

people to be on my podcast.

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I wrote two new keynotes, one on

internal employee networking and

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engagement that debuted at the

CFMA conference in September.

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And one on networking for the college

and university students, which I will

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debut in February at Endicott college.

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Up the fun factor in my marketing,

creating new reels, including the

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networking nine 11 series, which has

exploded on Instagram and driven new

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followers to my website and newsletter.

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All of this.

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All of this has set me up for a 20, 24.

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That will be my best year yet.

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By December 31st of last year, I

had already secured more speaking

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gigs for 20, 24 than I had for all.

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Of 2023.

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And, you know, what.

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I'm having so much fun.

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I'm loving my strategy.

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I'm loving the clients I'm

working with, and I'm having fun.

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With my business again.

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I know I have a fantastic product.

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I know that when I step on a stage,

everyone in that room will not only

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learn new things, but have a fantastic

fucking time learning then as well.

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There's a misconception that a fantastic

product or service alone will draw

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customers in while quality is crucial.

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It's equally essential

to create visibility.

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You've got to showcase what

you offer, tell your story and

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connect with potential clients.

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Waiting for the phone to ring is like

hiding your light under a bushel.

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You can't do that.

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You've got to get out

there and let it shine.

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And as much as I love in-person

networking, getting out there, isn't

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just about physical presence at events.

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It's about your digital footprint.

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In today's world, a significant

chunk of business happens online.

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Utilize social media, especially

LinkedIn build a compelling

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website, create engaging content.

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These are tools to amplify your

presence and your reach, and

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they help you network better.

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Don't wait for clients to miraculously

stumble upon you, go where they are

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and show them why they need you.

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This was a big part of my strategy and

why that strategy was so successful.

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Take it from me.

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Waiting for the phone to ring can

lead to frustration de-motivation and

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more than the occasional swear word.

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And I need a damn drink comment.

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When days go by without inquiries or

sales, it's easy to feel disheartened and

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disenchanted, but when you take the reins.

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When you actively pursue your

goals every step forward, no

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matter how small becomes a victory.

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And those steps add up.

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You're in control and that's empowering.

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Okay.

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Uh, onto the drink of the week,

which here's how we got to this one.

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I first thought there must be a

cocktail called bull by the horns

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because isn't that what I just did.

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I took 20, 24 by the horns.

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And then there is this whole

bull market sort of take that

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could be associated with it.

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And yes, there was a cocktail that

was called bull by the horns and it

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was disgusting and it called for red

bull, which you know, is huge no-no

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for me, obviously, caffeine is huge.

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No-no for me.

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So then I scrolled through a bunch

of other cocktails and found a

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cocktail called the brave bull

cocktail, which I'm like, Hmm.

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Maybe that works even better.

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So.

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Without further ado here

is the brave bull cocktail.

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Very, very, very simple.

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Here's what you're going to need.

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One part Kalua and two

parts, Blanco, tequila.

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Um, you're going to fill a rocks,

rocks, glass with ice, add the clue,

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and then the tequila mix and enjoy.

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And that is it.

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All right.

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Friends.

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Do you know, actually, before

you get on, they actually make

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like a coffee flavored tequila.

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Patroned Meek's one.

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I have a little nip of it, but

I've never tried it anyways.

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I don't even know if I can, because I

don't know if there's caffeine in it, but

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I don't think there's caffeine in clue.

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Okay.

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Tangent.

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All right, friends.

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That's all for this week.

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If you like what you heard

today, please leave a review

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and subscribe to the podcast.

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Also, please remember to share the podcast

to help it reach a larger audience.

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If you want more, Julie Brown.

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You can find my book.

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This shit works on Amazon

or Barnes and noble.

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And you can find me on

LinkedIn at Julie Brown BD.

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Just let me know where you found

me on when you reached out.

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I am Julie Brown, underscore BD on

the Instagram, which is where you

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can find those hilarious networking.

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Nine 11.

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Reels actually, I put

them on LinkedIn as well.

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Anyways.

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Um, where you can just pop

on over to my website, Julie

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Brown, bd.com until next week's.

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Cheers guys.