Man of the People

Once in a while, and quite rarely, you attend a presentation and you really GET what the speaker is conveying. He/she speaks to you on a higher level, creating that “Vulcan mind meld” that only Mr. Spock could manage, it was so true and strong.

I felt that message from David Volkman, (whose last name appropriately translates to “man of the people”). I heard him speak this past winter and I imagine I appeared to him to be a bobble-headed doll in the rear window of a car--my head kept nodding up and down in agreement with what he was saying. I am pleased to say he is now a good friend, colleague and trusted referral source.

David is an articulate, humble, honest individual; his primary business role is a financial advisor, but his self-appointed duty is show others how to engage in smarter, more effective networking, what he calls ROIT, as any financial maven would look at it as: return on invested time spent networking.

I recently interviewed him for 40 minutes, which you can listen to by clicking here and you’ll hear him speak glowingly of his simple, yet unique thoughts on creating an effective network, one in which your helping someone, who needs your assistance, becomes so strong a feeling that they voluntarily offer to help you back as a way of saying thank you.

The gist of his message: Imagine if an incremental sliver of the business world operated this way….then some would get on board to help others, the infection would spread. It’s a 180 degree reversal of what chambers of commerce, leads groups and speed networking meetups are teaching.

Start a relationship, ask in person to get involved in what that person’s business needs really are, then offer to satisfy their need by voluntarily introducing a person that you already know well to help them. They can do the same for you or someone else.

Brilliant, right? Networking to David is a cerebral activity, one in which we have to consciously remember to thank and return the favor. That takes extra brain cells.

Life Lessons
Self-made business entrepreneur in high school, the funds from the sale of the business he started in high school were used to put himself through college. David learned from his mother and grandmother some of the life lessons that became his philosophy: help others when you have the opportunity while you take care of your own family.

Fast forward…he was stopped by a rabbi after giving a presentation this spring for Harvard Business School to a combined overflow audience of 9300 people (as he says: “suddenly I became a rock star”) and reminded that his message at its most boiled-down essence is Talmudic: help out someone else without any expectation of receiving anything in return.
David’s message contains 3 core elements:
1. Do something nice for someone else. Add a nice smile (he has that!), charisma, engage someone in a way they were not expecting. This gets a memorable response.
2. Do something that makes you feel good in the process. That leads to a more honest and open conversation about who you know that can help them. They feel your sincerity and you come across that way as a volunteer of your trusted resources
3. Ultimately something that will be good for your business will result. They will remember you for your help and either offer to help you sometime or you can ask them.
Now do it again.

Working the room
David’s tactic of entering a room full of people he doesn’t know is to stand back a while and watch the body language: arms crossed in front, hand gestures, eyes trolling the room for the next prey. Identify only a few people whose stance, eyes and conversational abilities point to their being interesting and engaging. If he is asked for his card, he gives it; if not, he moves on. He’ll only spend time with the ones who appear experienced in powerful networking, likes attract. A good night is one in which he hands out 3 cards. Smart operating on his part: the rest of the people will never commit to more cerebral networking anyway so it ruins the ROIT.

Strategic Friends vs True Friends
Quoting him from the interview: “It’s the relationships that you have with your friends that add richness to your life. If you have the opportunity to help them-to truly help them-that’s where you’ll find your relationship catapults to a whole other level.” These true friends will always rally to your side vs. strategic friends who may not be reliable.

“If you can systematically do something where you put yourself in a position, or at least have a chance to do something like that {truly helping someone}, then the most amazing referrals will happen…What if you systematically did this? Suddenly you are not networking where it’s work…it’s now fun. You don’t want to stop doing that-it’s a way of life.” Pay it forward.

Elevator pitch: a wrap
Elevator speeches are just boring and too long. David’s wraps up who he is:
“I am an independent financial advisor. I help people organize their finances to help them get to a better place.”

I know David has helped me reevaluate my brand equity and connection assets to get to a better place. His sincerity and humility are admirable. His passion is infectious.

My suggestion for some time well-spent: listen, really listen, to the interview. Read more about him.