The Networking Equation

With the 2023 IPSB Close Protection Conference on the horizon, I thought I would take some time to talk about my favorite topic… NETWORKING!!! Now, I know everyone has their own way to network and I have seen networking take on many forms. My version is not ‘THE’ only way to network, it is ‘A’ way to network. And it has been pretty successful for me. I’m just a kid from Queens, NY and there is no way I would have survived 41 years in the security industry without my networking efforts. I’d still be a carpenter. Networking isn't some fancy word or concept. It's just an industry term for communication. Keeping in touch. Because that’s all networking really is. Keeping in touch with people and companies which will hopefully lead to (the magic word) WORK!!

See if you recognize this scenario…

You attend an industry related convention like IPSB. You have a handful of business cards and you walk from booth to booth handing them out or dropping them in a jar. You meet fellow practitioners. You hand them your card and shake hands. Later on that night you are at dinner or smoking a cigar with a few new friends and you smile to yourself because of your busy day of networking. Sound familiar? Of course it does. I’ve done my share of shaking hands, kissing babies and handing out business cards too. But is that really all there is to networking or is that just ‘half working’? My take is that the meet and greet is only half of the networking equation, which is:

Meet & Greet + Follow Up = Networking.

Networking is often the most under utilized tool in your tool box yet most everyone claims to have used it. So many practitioners concentrate on the internals of building their business and staying busy that they neglect the externals. Like reaching out and being proactive in their follow up efforts to network. How many of you put in the same amount of effort on follow up with new contacts as you did in traveling to an event to meet them? Who has calendared a text, email or even phone call in 4-6 months to keep that contact current? Meeting someone once a year at a convention is fine but what if you made the effort to reach out once or twice during the year to say hello? A simple text or email that reads “Hey Brian, this is Keith Ortiz, we met at the IPSB convention 3 months ago in Dallas. I’m just checking in to say hello and see how you are doing”. If I remember parts of our conversation, I may throw in a one liner to personalize it such as “Get any riding in on that Harley?” or “Hey I finally went golfing, its still high score wins, right?”? Anything at all to keep that contact engaged and remember you. And then I always close with: “Next time you are in the Los Angeles area, let me know and drinks/cigars/dinner is on me” (take your pick). It’s amazing how this simple act of following up can keep you current with vendors, fellow practitioners and potential business partners which can eventually translate into work.

I will admit, when I first started networking, I would only network with fellow EP practitioners who were doing what I was doing. I figured I would just stay in my lane and learn and exchange info with others who were doing what I do. But as my career progressed, I was getting more and more requests from Principals and EA’s asking if I knew someone who could do residential security at a new property the Principal bought in Miami or a good car service in New York for when the P lands there. So I had to expand my horizons. I started networking with ancillary companies. Car services, cell phone companies, aircraft rentals. Any business that could possibly be associated with security. Quick story; I was working for a high profile Principal as part of the EP team when the Executive Assistant came into the command post one day all flustered and asking for our help. Apparently, the Principal had decided that he wanted to go wine tasting that very afternoon and since it was three hours away by car, he wanted to rent a helicopter get there. The EA had exhausted all her contacts and nobody could accommodate her on such short notice. So I made a call to an aircraft rental company I had networked with 2 years prior at a convention and had followed up with faithfully every six months or so during that two years. He said, ‘Keith you know I’ve been after your business for years now, I got you covered’. Later that afternoon, I drove the P and team to the local FBO and away they went on the helicopter. Guess who the EA’s favorite agent was after that? Networking works!

Some of the best places to network are at conventions. But also consider networking at the training courses you take like an EP or driving course, medical classes or even at the range. Anyplace where you are surrounded by like minded people who may or may not do exactly what you do, but if what they do could fall under the security umbrella, network with them! How about if you get picked up on a temp security detail? You are surrounded by practitioners doing what you do. Network. Make the effort and get online. Comment (in a positive way) on other practitioners posts. Don’t pull that “my dojo is tougher than your dojo’ crap, but give an opinion. Consider writing an article about something you are knowledgable in. These things will get you noticed. Other practitioners will reach out to you because they will want to network with you. Let them.

A few years ago I was at the IPSB convention where Elijah Shaw was a guest speaker and had a booth. I had never met Elijah but I considered him a mentor and I really wanted to network with him.? I had read his book, he worked in a segment of the industry that interested me, (concerts and touring security), and I had even messaged him a couple times and had received a reply! But I was a little intimidated because of who he was and he was always surrounded by an entourage. But at one point during the convention I happened to see him sitting at a table eating his lunch alone and texting on his phone. I really didn’t want to disturb him and I was still a little bit intimidated but there would be no better chance. So I walked over, said “Excuse me Mr. Shaw, may I sit here and eat?”

While I sat there trying to think of a way to break the ice, Elijah finished up his text, put his phone away, stuck out his hand and said “Elijah” We proceeded to chat for about 20 mins. He was very engaging and knowledgeable, and I was completely absorbed. Fast forward a year and I had taken not one, but two of Elijah’s week long EP courses. Since then, I’ve received a few calls from him for work and just recently worked a week long detail for him. A complete networking success story! The bottom line is, don’t be afraid to just walk up to someone you want to meet or you think may be in a position to help your business and network with them. We are all in the same boat here. We all want the same things… To grow our businesses and be successful!

One of the very first things I do when I receive someones business card is transfer the information to my phone. Keep your networking contacts in an easily retrievable format on your phone by name, what they do and the city and state where they operate. So when you’re asked if you have a guy in say, Kansas City, you can pull out your phone and pull up everyone you have in Kansas City. Pro Tip: Remember that your network has a network! So if my guy in Kansas City is unavailable, he’s gonna say ‘Hey Keith I can’t do this one but I got a guy (or gal)….’

As I stated earlier in this article, I always end my follow ups with “The next time you are in Los Angeles, dinner/drinks/cigars are on me” The reason for this is two fold. If you make the effort to follow up two or three times a year with a new contact, You and your location are going to imprint in this new contacts mind. What do you think is going to happen one day when his Principal or EA comes up to him and asks ‘Do we know anyone in Los Angeles?’ Guess who has received that call? Thats right, THIS guy. Be proactive with networking. It is designed to grow your business. And lastly, regarding the dinner/drinks/cigars I offer; I can tell you that for every dollar I have spent on these things, I have gotten back 10 fold in the form of business over the years I have been doing this. I purchased $200 in cigars for this convention. I will give some away, I will smoke some with new practitioners I just met and I will smoke some with practitioners that I already have a long established relationship with. If I get three days work out of my networking efforts at IPSB, I will have realized over a 10X return on my investment. Just three days! So don’t be afraid to invest in yourself, your business and your networking efforts. It will pay huge dividends in the long run. And if you see me walking around the convention and want to practice your networking skills by taking me out to dinner... Well, I’m here to help!