Powerful Networking with Alonzo Adams

This episode is a clip from an Expert Call I facilitated in the Smart Cleaning Tribe last December with my friend Alonzo Adams of Busy Bee Cleaning Company in West Chester, PA. Alonzo is a serial entrepreneur with one of the best business & financial mindsets I've ever had the opportunity to learn from. His cleaning company is top rated in Southeastern PA. Alonzo has also grown multiple revenue streams outside of his cleaning company, which is creating generational wealth for his family. He also just completed his term as the chairman for the Association of Residential Cleaning Services (ARCSI). I invited Alonzo onto a Tribe call to share about ARCSI and it's many benefits. But my true intention was to give Tribe members a dose of millionaire mindset around business, finance, and networking. Alonzo is a master networker. In this clip, I extract the networking portion so you can get a flavor of how the rich become rich.

Here are my notes from the call with Alonzo.

• "Your Network is your Net Worth”
• “It’s not about the How. It’s about the Who”- Dan Sullivan. The Who changed my whole life. I had to change my entire WHO in my life to take me the places that I needed to go. How do I get around the A players in my industry? Alonzo had to invest in his future by buying plane tickets, conference tickets, and connect with people in person. This builds trust.
• In Vegas, Alonzo has connected with a guy in 5 minutes in the hallway that created a 6-figure cleaning contract with Will Smith’s people.
• In Vegas, he asked Derrick Christian, “Who is this room that I don’t know that I should know?” Alonzo met the two people and they are doing financial business together now. Networking is purposeful.
• People miss on networking - It’s not about you. Look to be a resource to others. Show the value of others knowing YOU. Ask this. "Why is it important to know me?" What is you sales pitch that makes you valuable to others. Networking has become more selfish in this decade. Networking takes time and you need to practice. Don’t go to people with agendas. Be interested and be interesting.
• It takes time to craft your elevator pitch. What do you have that’s unique that can help others that makes you stand out. Are you referable?
• You can’t touch and go in networking.  You have to water the relationship to grow it.  Alonzo told the story of the $100k per 1-hour keynote. Always plant seeds.
• At conferences, the power is in the hallways and dinners verses the chairs. Masterminds and businesses have been created from the hallways.
• We need to look at opportunities for networking events when things open up.
• Two groups in 2020. One tried to maintain and others did more than they ever did. Alonzo got around the ones that were doubling and got around them. Put together a plan and don’t deviate! If you’re not planning to succeed in 2021, you’re planning to stay the same. Control your own narrative and your own destiny! The Wannapreneurs were the ones speaking loudly and didn’t make it. They were shallow.
• “Tough times make tough people!” - Alonzo Adams
• Find 3 people that you want to meet that you’ve never met before. Make a commitment to link up with these people. Connect with these people. Who are they and make a commitment to do it. Alonzo does this every year! Look for people who are Approachable, are Purpose Driven, and have a good Mindset. Habits exposes people. Someone who is financially savvy.

Read the rest of this article at the Smart Cleaning School website