Access to Anyone

Even in the age of social media, attending in-person events are one of the best ways to make important connections, build mutually rewarding relationships, and create new opportunities. That being said, we’ve all had our share of bad experiences and awkward mixers. What’s worse, we often blame ourselves when things don’t go as planned.

In today’s episode, we explore networking events from every angle. We ask ourselves, what separates a good event from a bad one? How can I find one that works for me, and how can I become a more active and confident participant? And for those who feel more comfortable playing host, we also reveal how anyone can throw a killer event within their resources.

Topics include:

How to take the “networking” out of networking events

Understanding your comfort level before moving forward

The Club Model (and why it works)

Creating a dynamic where relationships can form naturally

The importance of having an event focus

Learn more about Michael Schein:

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Learn more about Michael Roderick:

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Amidst all the buzz that surrounds each new method of digital communication, email has never really gone away. In this episode, we explore the fluctuating popularity of email marketing, along with how to navigate the fads, trends, and rumors to fit this still powerful tool into your promotional arsenal. We also examine the latest industry tech, uncover ways to establish credibility before you enter the email game, and talk about harnessing old clichés to create new opportunities.

Topics include:

Getting rid of email formulas

Figuring out new ways to deliver email content

Real ways to add value

How to create imaginative and anticipated content

Why people will outgrow your content (and why that’s okay)

Learn more about Michael Schein:

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In today's episode, we're once again reaching into the archives to showcase one of our most powerful conversations.

Everybody wants to meet the wizard— the recognized influencer in your industry. But the person who is out front is not always the one who can help you the most. Instead, it often makes sense to focus on meeting the man (or woman) behind the curtain—the expert who has cautiously decided to avoid the spotlight. Sometimes it is these behind-the-scenes individuals who pull the strings that make things truly happen.

Topics include:

The benefit of concentrating on “Invisibles”

How to spot the man behind the curtain if you’re new to an industry

Why you should never try to exploit a gatekeeper

Learn more about Michael Schein:

microfamemedia.com

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Learn more about Michael Roderick:

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In today's episode, we're taking a look back at one of our favorite interviews - public relations and blogging pioneer Richard Laermer.

Richard Laermer published listicles before they were cool.

Not only was his Bad Pitch Blog was among the first PR focused blogs in existence, it has pulled off the feat of actually staying relevant in our latest digital era of podcasts and virtual reality.

As far a Richard is concerned, getting your story noticed is all about connecting with other humans without the filters.

Topics include:

New trends in the PR world (and why they don’t work)

How to making meaningful (and mutually beneficial) connections without the BS

How to go to the emotional core of a subject

Richard Laermer is the Founder & CEO of RLM Public Relations, a former journalist, and the author of five bestselling books including Full Frontal PR, 2011: Trendspotting, Punk Marketing. He does his best to combat insanity on Huffington Post. Richard is also a frequent guest on CNN, FOX News, CNBC, National Public Radio’s Marketplace, Hints with Heloise, FOX’s Good Day New York and CNNMoney.com. His “Unspun” media commentary regularly runs on radio and his columns on the PR business appear in Advertising Age, Ad Week, Meetings magazine, and PR News.

Learn more about Richard Laermer:

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Learn more about Michael Schein:

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Learn more about Michael Roderick:

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In today's special episode of Access To Anyone, we're reaching into the archives to replay one of our most popular episodes! Listen up and take notes, this episode is brimming with valuable advice.

If there’s one thing all massively successful people have in common, it is that they figure out how to get influential and powerful people to make things happen for them. By combining the unprecedented visibility afforded by digital technology with timeless (and underused) principles of group psychology, you can crack this code for yourself.

Topics include:

Life changing lessons from the man who convinced America to eat bacon for breakfast

How email marketing became the world’s wimpiest tactic

Why you should be ruthless about which opportunities you take on

Learn more about Michael Schein:

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Michael MacCombie went from special needs teacher to top startup advisor and pitch extraordinaire by harnessing his passion for building supportive and powerful communities. In today’s episode, Michael shows us how to add genuine value to any relationship. He also talks about having a friends first, business later mentality, reveals why he hates the word “networking,” and shows us how to reclaim our professional and personal purpose.

Topics include:

Stability mindset vs. advancement mindset

Turning any ask into an opportunity

How to spot givers and takers

The relationship between empathy and storytelling

Putting time into relationships instead of personal achievements

Michael MacCombie dedicates his life to building communities that are so deep, wide, and strongly knit, that the world could solve social issues or provide opportunities 10 times as fast with 1/10th of the work. He is a Managing Partner at Evertrue Ventures, a Brown University alumni investment group that supports companies that build or augment the power of community in their mission, with a focus on network effects. Prior to Evertrue Ventures, Michael was Head of Special Projects at The Influencers, and was a Corps Member of Teach For America.

Learn more about Michael MacCombie:

evertrueventures.com

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Learn more about Michael Schein:

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Learn more about Michael Roderick:

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Chris Schembra is changing the world one dinner at a time. As the Founder and Chief Question Asker of the 747 Club, Chris dedicates his life to community building by bringing strangers together at his killer dinner parties. Today he shares why becoming a power connector helped him abandon his insecurities and find inner fulfillment. He also reveals how he turned his dinners into a thriving business model, talks about leading with the heart, and uncovers the greatest thing you can do to invest in your network.

Topics include:

Why you can only grow by doing and failing

Making yourself someone worth knowing

Giving a voice to something you’ve never given a voice to

His bCONc business model (and why it’s the next big thing)

How to manage your growing network

Chris Schembra is a leading expert on empathy and the art of human connection. He is the Founder + Chief Question Asker of the 747 Club, an organization which awakens empathy within people and corporations. Since it’s inception, the 747 Club has served over 1,900 attendees, sparking over 50,000 relationships.

Aside from the 747 Club, Chris is a partner at OHenry Productions, which invests in and produces commercial theater, whose projects have been awarded 10 Tony Awards, 7 Emmys and a Grammy. As a marketer, he’s led campaigns with over 900,000 participants; and the programs through his family’s Hilton Head Island Performance Group have trained and empowered close to 1,000,000 (million) executives, salespeople, athletes, and students how to achieve excellence and gain the competitive edge.

Learn more about Chris Schembra:

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Learn more about Michael Roderick:

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We spend a lot of time on this podcast talking about how to use technology to meet people we might not otherwise have access to. What often gets missed in these discussions is the question of how much access is too much.   Alexander Weinstein is the author of the critically acclaimed Children of the New World – a collection of short stories about a dystopian future where digital technology has taken over. In today’s episode, we discuss how to make sure our online tools don’t become a substitute for reality itself.

Topics include:

How online connectivity can negatively affect interpersonal relationships

Turning people into commodities

The cult of the digital guru

Alexander Weinstein is the Director of The Martha’s Vineyard Institute of Creative Writing and the author of the short story collection Children of the New World (Picador 2016). His fiction and translations have appeared in Cream City Review, Hayden's Ferry Review, Notre-Dame Review, Pleiades, PRISM International, World Literature Today, and other journals. He is the recipient of a Sustainable Arts Foundation Award, and his fiction has been awarded the Lamar York, Gail Crump, Hamlin Garland, and New Millennium Prize. His stories have been nominated for Pushcart Prizes, and appear in the anthologies 2013 New Stories from the Midwest, and the 2014 & 2015 Lascaux Prize Stories. He is an Associate Professor of Creative Writing and a freelance editor, and leads fiction workshops in the United States and Europe.

Learn more about Alexander Weinstein:

alexanderweinsteinfiction.com

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We’re doing something we’ve never done before: we’re going to replay one of our old episodes! This interview between Michael Schein and Michael Roderick is a little over a year old, but the content is as relevant and helpful as ever. Enjoy!

You’ve succeeded in building relationships and broadening your network. Now the time has come to stop courting your connections and get down to the nitty-gritty.

It’s time to ask for what you want.

Truth is, most of us lack the proper framework to ask for what we need in a way that will get us game-changing resources without alienating valuable connections in the process.

In this episode, Michael Schein interviews co-host Michael Roderick (the mastermind behind the art of the ask) on how to lay the groundwork for a successful ask, the science behind the art, and how we can use our inherent love of problem solving to get us what we want.

Topics include:

The surprising psychological and biological principles behind asking.

How to indirectly ask your connections for what you want.

The DIME concept.

How to tailor and refine your language for every kind of ask.

Frameworks versus formulas.

Learn more about Michael Schein:

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Learn more about Michael Roderick:

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Kyle Wong is a Stanford engineer, contributing writer for Forbes, and serial entrepreneur. His latest venture Pixlee allows brands to use real customer stories to create more authentic brand experiences. According to Kyle, the secret to building meaningful relationships (and a booming business) comes down to two things – authenticity and preparation. Today he shows us how to master both. We also talk about unlocking our own unique insights, and why it plays a critical role in making connections.

Topics include:

Seeking relationships built on merit

How to master the follow up

Why it’s important to give back (and how to do it)

What it really means to take initiative

Breaking out of the Silicon Valley mindset

As the founder & CEO of Pixlee, Kyle Wong spends his days working with marketers from top brands to rethink how they use authentic user-generated content to engage the next generation of customers and drive higher conversion. In addition to his role at Pixlee, Kyle is an active contributor for Forbes and Fortune Magazine where he writes on digital marketing, entrepreneurship, and various leadership and career topics.

Kyle is an alumnus of the Stanford School of Engineering, where he published award-winning academic research on several topics. Prior to Stanford, Kyle built a few startups in high school that were directly related to his work at Pixlee. They were featured on prominent news organizations such as The Today Show, Fox News, Bloomberg, and others. In his spare time, Kyle is a mentor for the Stanford Accelerator (StartX) where he’s advised several early-stage VC backed tech startups. Kyle is also a mediocre triathlete and fantasy football player.

Learn more about Kyle Wong:

about.me/kylewong

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Learn more about Michael Schein:

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Learn more about Michael Roderick:

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