Highly Effective Networking: Paige Arnof-Fenn Of Mavens & Moguls On 5 Strategies for Successful Networking, Both Online and Offline
An Interview With Athalia Monae
We are social in nature so have pivoted to a hybrid model of mostly online events for networking to meet prospective clients/customers, employers, employees, thought leaders, etc. Become a brand they can count on by having consistent communications, being transparent and delivering on the promises you make. You do not need to blog or be on all social media platforms but make sure you are active on the ones where you are. If your customers do not use Facebook, Twitter/X or Instagram to find you then you do not need to make them a priority. For professional service businesses like mine, LinkedIn matters the most.
The art of networking is pivotal in today’s interconnected world. Establishing meaningful connections can accelerate career growth, foster collaborations, and create opportunities that might otherwise remain hidden. Yet, the dynamics of networking are intricate, often requiring a nuanced blend of authenticity, strategy, and adaptability. And with the digital revolution, networking has transcended beyond face-to-face interactions to virtual platforms, expanding its scope and complexity. In this series, we would like to discuss the art and science behind effective networking. We are talking to seasoned professionals, career coaches, networking experts, and thought leaders who’ve mastered both traditional and online networking techniques. As part of this series, we had the pleasure of interviewing Paige Arnof-Fenn..
Paige is the founder & CEO of global branding and digital marketing firm Mavens & Moguls based in Cambridge, MA. Previously she was Asst. CMO at Coke and CMO at 3 successful startups that all had positive exits. As a consultant now her clients include Microsoft, Virgin, venture-backed startups as well as nonprofit organizations. She graduated from Stanford University and Harvard Business School. She serves on several Boards, is a popular speaker and columnist who has written for Entrepreneur and Forbes.
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series. Before we dive into our discussion about networking, our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you share with us the backstory about what brought you to your specific career path?
I did not plan on starting a company. I always wanted to go work for a global business and be a Fortune 500 CEO. When I was a student I looked at leaders like Meg Whitman & Ursula Burns as my role models. I started Mavens & Moguls after beginning my career on Wall Street in the 80s and having a successful career in Corporate America at companies like Procter & Gamble and Coca-Cola and then working at 3 different startups as the head of marketing, all had positive exits. I took the leap right after 9/11 when the company I worked for cut their marketing. I had nothing to lose. Running a global marketing business provides me a platform to do work I truly enjoy with and for people I respect. I get to set my priorities, I have time to travel and hang out with my inner circle, and work out every day. It has been a journey to get here but I am lucky to have found it. I love the autonomy, flexibility and the fact that I know every day the impact that I have on my business. When I worked at big companies I always felt the ball would roll with or without me, that if I got hit by a bus someone new would be in my office right away. Now my DNA is in everything we do and I can trace every decision and sale to something I did or a decision I made and that is incredibly gratifying and fulfilling. Like most entrepreneurs, I am working harder and longer than ever and I have never been happier. Working for yourself and building a business you started in incredibly rewarding and gratifying. It has been a lot of fun, I joke that I am the accidental entrepreneur. I knew I had made it as an entrepreneur when Harvard wrote 2 case studies on my business a few years after I started it, we were very early to pioneer sharing resources on the marketing front (before my company it was really only done with HR, legal and accounting/finance).
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you started your career?
In the first few years of my business I had pitched a CEO about a month before I ran into her at a networking event where she was the keynote speaker and her topic was about being a woman leader in a traditionally male-dominated business. I had followed up after sending my proposal several times via e-mail and voice mail but the CEO never returned any of my messages or even acknowledged receipt of the proposal requested. You can imagine my shock when she announced at this event as part of her speech that she believes it is important to put your money where your mouth is and for women CEOs to support other respected & well-run women’s businesses and that is why she has hired my firm to handle all her company’s marketing & PR! Everyone congratulated me after, it was a better endorsement than the New York Times because she was very well known and had the reputation of being very tough with high standards so I got a LOT of business from people in the room that night because they thought if I was able to impress her I must be very good 😉 To think I almost did not even show up maybe seeing me there is what prompted her to pull the trigger and hire us? I sold more business in the month that followed than l ever had since starting my company so we really began to scale quickly at that point and got a lot of referrals as a result! It was a big day in our history for sure. Wasn’t it Woody Allen who said 80% of success is just showing up. It is a strategy that has worked for me and has been fun way to build my marketing business.
You are a successful business leader. Which three character traits do you think were most instrumental to your success? Can you please share a story or example for each?
Resilience is so important, having the mental toughness and the ability to bounce back from adversity or the inevitable setbacks. Covid has definitely made me/my business more resilient. There have been so many times in my career where things did not go as I had hoped/planned but with each setback, I learned important lessons which made me more resilient and able to bounce back stronger/mentally tougher/try again. Getting a bad grade on a quiz as a student made me work harder for the midterm and final so I could end the term strong, not getting into the Ivy League college in the early round lead me to a place that was a perfect fit for me academically where I met lifelong friends including my husband. When doors shut find the open ones to see where they lead.
Other traits I rely on are persistence, determination, and the ability to focus, which are all really important for an entrepreneur to succeed. I also recommend having a strong moral compass — you cannot compromise on ethics and values, being smart/technically competent and working hard to earn the respect of the team. It’s a bonus to have a great sense humor and be fun to work with!
Ok, thank you for that. Let’s now jump to the primary focus of our interview. Let’s begin with a basic definition so that we are all on the same page. How exactly do you define “Networking?” Is it just about meeting new people?
Networking is the process of making mutually beneficial connections and building relationships. These connections can provide you with advice and contacts, which can help you grow your business, make informed career decisions and find unadvertised opportunities. Networking can take place in a group or one-on-one setting. In short it is about connection and growth.
In today’s digital age, how important is face-to-face networking, and how do you balance it with online networking?
It’s so important to disconnect from technology periodically and focus on cultivating human, face-to-face relationships. Even meeting for virtual coffee or drinks can accomplish so much more than e-mail exchanges, social media posts, etc. I have found that building relationships is what drives my business and technology supports them once they are solidified. Technology helps advance the conversation but it will never replace the human interaction that builds trust over time.
How do you maintain and nurture professional relationships over time, both in person and online, to ensure they remain fruitful and mutually beneficial?
It takes time to build relationships so making it a priority by setting aside regular blocks on your schedule to connect is a good start. Spending time together over meals or coffee, offering tickets to exclusive events where clients and prospects get to meet each other, playing golf or attending a sporting event, even picking up the phone to just check in periodically all offer opportunities to deepen the relationship over time.
How important is personal branding when it comes to successful networking, and how can individuals develop and maintain a strong personal brand both online and in person?
Very, you do not exist today if you cannot be found online. You must have a digital presence to be taken seriously and respected. Being invisible online is a terrible strategy. I believe personal branding is very important because if you do not brand yourself then others will brand you instead. Having a brand is what helps you stand out from all the noise and competition. It has to be authentic and feel real for it to work I think. Whether your brand is polished or more informal, chatty or academic, humorous or snarky, it is a way for your personality to come through. Everyone is not going to like/hire/promote you but for the ones who would be a great fit for you make sure they feel and keep a connection and give them a reason to remember you so that they think of you first. If your brand is not memorable you will be overlooked. I do a lot of work on personal branding and social media is only a part of it, really everything communicates — what you wear/drive/consume/listen to, your hobbies, interests, everything. The single most important ingredient to creating a great personal brand is authenticity. In a world where anyone can start a blog or create a social media profile, it has become more important than ever to have a personal brand. A personal brand allows you to control your own narrative and can help you stand out from the competition by creating your own brand that is authentic and unique.
What is your advice for young professionals who are just starting to build their network? How can they effectively reach out to and connect with experienced leaders in their field?
Start with LinkedIn, you don’t have to wait for a physical networking event to make meaningful business connections. You get one chance to make a great first impression so make sure every section of your LinkedIn profile is complete, with no blank spaces or gaps. Include a professional head shot and powerful headline followed by a summary with highlights of your personal brand, what you do well and how you can benefit potential clients or employers. Keep this section brief and easy to skim for best results. Keywords are a great way to help professionals and recruiters in your industry find your profile and strategic keywords in your profile give you an advantage in networking too. These ideas do not require big budgets but they are productive ways to stay connected during these uncertain times and beyond.
Do you prioritize quality or quantity of connections? How do you determine when to invest more time in a particular relationship?
Focus on the quality rather than quantity of connections, forget the idea that you need to meet as many people as possible as quickly as possible. Your network will expand naturally over time if you focus on building deeper connections with a few select individuals. Don’t get hung up on how a person can help you when you meet them; you should be networking because you’re interested in genuinely connecting, not because you need something from that person. The relationships that sustain, no matter what category they’re in, are the ones that are truly built on something authentic.
What are your “5 Strategies for Successful Networking, Both Online and Offline”?
1 . For the foreseeable future we will continue to build our networks starting with LinkedIn to add credibility and transparency when you know the people you are meeting or working with know people in common. LinkedIn has become more than an online resume or rolodex, it is the foundation for building trusted relationships in the digital economy. Now it is about quality more than quantity though. We’re attending fewer in person events but getting much more bang from them today. Less is more now. The bar to attend in person events is higher now post pandemic so we have to be more prepared to get as much value as possible by being together. To present yourself as an expert in your industry post interesting and educational content by sharing a great article you’ve read recently or if you truly want to make valuable connections and represent yourself as a talented thought leader in your industry, you should be crafting your own articles on LinkedIn.
2 . E-mail is also a big part of my outreach strategy. Here are a few tips that have worked successfully for me:
* If you have a contact in common who mentioned the person to you I start the e-mail with a subject line of “XYZ suggested we connect” so that even if they do not recognize my name in their inbox XYZ should ring a bell. If you saw them speak at a conference or read an article they wrote you can tailor the subject line to that such as “Loved your piece on ____ in HuffPo!” or “Great talk at the conference this week!”
* Then I check them out on LinkedIn and let them know in the e-mail that “I see we also have # connections in common” to make me seem more familiar to them.
* Then I explain why I would like to connect to bridge the intro and suggest we set up a call at their convenience.
It usually works and it shows I have done my homework and am respectful of their time. Another tip is that the worst time to make a cold call to prospects in any region is 8–10am when everyone is rushing to work and preparing for the day but the worst time to call is the best time to e-mail. Once employees are at work, the first hour is generally spent checking e-mails and organizing the day. During this hour, your e-mail has a higher chance of visibility. Sending an e-mail during their transit period places your e-mail on top, and would be among the first they see as they open their inbox. E-mails that are sent late in the evening or early morning have a chance of being buried/missed.
3 . Prospective customers and jobs can come from anyone anywhere anytime so you should always be nice to everyone and make friends before you need them, you never know who is in or will be in a position to help! Give before you get, give them something of value before you ask for anything. It can be an article, invitation for white paper, webinar, podcast, etc., just show that you value them and want to build a relationship beyond the transaction. It goes a long way when you take the time to educate, entertain and inform people, respect their time and show you are in it for more than a paycheck. People like to do business online and offline with people they trust. Stop selling and start active listening for ways you can help.
4 . We are social in nature so have pivoted to a hybrid model of mostly online events for networking to meet prospective clients/customers, employers, employees, thought leaders, etc. Become a brand they can count on by having consistent communications, being transparent and delivering on the promises you make. You do not need to blog or be on all social media platforms but make sure you are active on the ones where you are. If your customers do not use Facebook, Twitter/X or Instagram to find you then you do not need to make them a priority. For professional service businesses like mine, LinkedIn matters the most.
5 . I have been so fortunate to have great professional and alumni networks throughout my career which gives you support and a thinking partner/tribe/ecosystem to help navigate challenges along the way especially when you are first staring out. As an entrepreneur these people and networks can also be invaluable sources of inspiration, advice, encouragement and can help you avoid rookie mistakes (with hiring, fundraising, etc.) in particular at the beginning They can also make key introductions so that you avoid getting burned by service providers or potential investors who have mixed reputations. I have seen several situations where a lot of time and money could have been wasted but was not.
What role does diversity and inclusion play in your networking approach? How do you ensure that your network is inclusive and represents a broad range of perspectives and backgrounds?
Research shows that communicating inclusively promotes engagement and sparks creativity. As a business leader, communicating sincerely and authentically will build your audience’s trust. Cultivate an attitude of respect for differences of all kinds, and you will find that inclusive language attracts the best employees, partners, customers and flows more naturally too. Communication is the process of conveying our thoughts and ideas into the minds and hearts of others. When we respect our audience, consider their sensitivities, and use words they feel comfortable with, we can build a company culture in which everyone feels included and business will thrive.
You are a person of great influence. If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what you idea can trigger. :-)
I would love to inspire a movement of kindness/generosity and find ways to incorporate the lessons of gratitude, simplicity, friendship and love into the new normal so we do not forget what we learned in the pandemic over past few years.
How can our readers further follow you online?
www.MavensAndMoguls.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/paigearnoffenn
Thank you for the time you spent sharing these fantastic insights. We wish you only continued success in your great work!
Thanks so much it’s been my pleasure! Stay well.
About the Interviewer: Athalia Monae is a product creator, published author, entrepreneur, advocate for Feed Our Starving Children, contributing writer for Entrepreneur Media, and founder of Pouches By Alahta.
