Building Stronger Relationships to Improve Your Performance

Alanna Jackson:
Welcome to the B2B Mix Show with Alanna and Stacy. Each week we'll bring you ideas that you can implement in your own marketing strategy. We'll share what we know and advice from industry experts who will join us from time to time here on the show. Are you ready to mix it up? Let's get started. Hi, and welcome back to another episode of the B2B Mix Show. Today we're talking groups, we're talking online groups, we're talking professional networking groups, which I'm going to guess you're at least a part of one, two, maybe 20 LinkedIn groups, Facebook groups, all different kinds of groups online. And you're probably not developing those meaningful relationships in those groups though, right? Because a lot of them are just saturated. They've got so many people in them, Everybody's just wanting to talk about themselves, and it's not a way for you to really develop those professional relationships where you're getting advice, you're getting leadership, you're getting all different kinds of things that help you grow professionally as well.
So today we're talking to Meagan DeMenna from Core Connect, and she is the partner and chief growth officer there. And Core Connect is a private network for executives to forge meaningful relationships with fellow leaders who want to maximize their quality of life while keeping their careers interesting. She lives in Phoenix, Arizona with her husband and two sons. Welcome to the B2B Mix show, Megan.

Alanna Jackson:
All right. Well, Megan, thank you so much for joining us on the B2B Mix Show. We're excited to have you on. And before we get digging into the topic at hand, maybe you can tell us a little bit about, a little background about Core Connect and what it is.

Meagan DeMenna:
Absolutely. Yeah, I'm excited to be here, so thank you for having me. And so, yeah, what is Core Connect? It is an invite only network for executives looking to maximize the quality of their life while keeping their career interesting and staying relevant in their field. That's the boiler plate.

Alanna Jackson:
Well, who doesn't want to make the best of their life?

Stacy Jackson:
That's true.

Alanna Jackson:
Maximize the quality of their life.

Meagan DeMenna:
Right, I mean, we're not over promising at all, so.

Stacy Jackson:
That kind of leads into what I was going to ask you about. What are the issues or gaps you saw that led you to start Core, that obviously quality of life issues, work life balance, what specifically led to the creation of this concept?

Meagan DeMenna:
Yes. So to dive into deeper about what really Core Connect is. Well, Jacob Warwick, my business partner and I, we've known each other for well over a decade, and he has been a career coach, executive coach for a really long time. And Stacy, he and I have worked together for just about as long and I've been building networks and communities and leading marketing teams. And he and I always had talked about building something like this. And really we were sitting down one day and we realized that there's only a handful of people who stick out in our minds in a positive way as having an it factor. And we wanted to really hone in on what that it factor is. And so we developed a framework called the core framework. And what that is is there's clarity, opportunity, realization, and empowerment. And so we have these ideas and these topics and these homework assignments that we've built around a network.
And why we thought that it was important in a community setting is because LinkedIn exists. And there's so many communities out there now, and they're all niche and they all offer something specific, but ours is built around your near and long term goals. And it's not exclusive to just marketers, it's not exclusive to just operations. We try to include anybody and everyone, and we match you specifically based on your challenges. So if you need help with pricing or with hiring a CMO or being on a board, we can find those people in the network and match you with them. And it's not just about what you're getting out of the community. It's what you can bring to the community as well. So instead of throwing you into just a Slack group or an online social component of some sort, and just saying, "Good luck, find your people," we're asking you, "Who do you think your people are and how can we help you facilitate those connections?"

Stacy Jackson:
I like that idea that it's kind of curating the audience that you need to be connected with is kind of how I see what you described. And that is so hard, like you said, with LinkedIn and just getting bombarded with connection requests. I really like that idea because it's kind of hard to make those authentic connections and I don't have to do the work, you're doing it for me. That makes it good. But now you did mention one thing that made me think work, homework. What did that mean?

Meagan DeMenna:
So I mean, it's light homework and truly it's the kind of homework where if you don't do it, it's fine. It's more so to benefit you and to get the most out of the experience. So again, it's just with anything in any community or network, you're really going to get out of it what you bring in and what you're willing to do. So as an example of homework, it's meditation for 10 minutes a day for 30 days straight. That's one thing. And so yeah, if you don't do it, okay, sure. But if you do it, I promise you, you're going to realize something along the way, so.

Alanna Jackson:
Right now, one of the things that we were talking, some of these are for sales and marketing, right, executive level people. So in those industries, it's very competitive. So they might be less likely in different networking events or different when they're building relationships on some platforms where they're a little hesitant to engage in being vulnerable. Do you see that as something, as an issue that things like this may reveal those vulnerabilities a little bit easier?

Meagan DeMenna:
Yeah, it is extremely challenging to get executives. I mean anyone really to be vulnerable, but particularly executives in the corporate world. It's seen as a weakness. And that's just so backwards because-

Alanna Jackson:
It's sad.

Meagan DeMenna:
Yeah. No one person knows everything. And to put that much pressure on yourself is, I mean, we should love ourselves more than that. And to the point of connecting authentically, really what Jacob and I have built intentionally is to break down those walls and to get people to be vulnerable with one another because that's where the magic happens. And that's where you do create those authentic connections. If you have a wall up and you're guarded and you're always holding something back, you're not just holding, honestly, the rest of the network back. You're holding yourself back because you're not being honest with what you need and what your challenges are. And if we don't know that, we can't help you. And then you're also not going to make those authentic connections, and that's just going to hold the rest of the community back as well.
So yeah, I mean, this is for revenue leaders, sales, marketing, where traditionally it's notorious for not being vulnerable at the top, and it's also for operations and product. So it really is for a smattering of the entire organization. And you hit that certain level, whatever your role is, and you can no longer ask your boss if you're on the right track or if you have the right strategy. And that is a really lonely place to be. And we are trying to facilitate those conversations so that people are comfortable saying, "You know what? I don't know how to restructure pricing. Who here does?" And that's what we hope to get.

Stacy Jackson:
It seems backwards that you can't even talk to your boss or even maybe your colleagues that are other executives because of the, I don't want to say backlash, but the perception that they're going to see of you then, or that maybe that you just think they're going to see of you. And it's unfortunate because then you're not growing as a leader because you're not allowing yourself to be vulnerable and get the help that you need, or maybe just some ideas or suggestions that you need because you're too much in your own head. Probably a lot of the times it is just in our own head.

Meagan DeMenna:
Well, and even the organization, it's stifling your career and the organization. And so nobody's achieving the goals that they need. And again, no one has the answer to everything and it's okay not to know. And as leaders, we need to understand where our faults are and where we can hire and fill those gaps. But there're some things like revenue projections and marketing specifically. If you're at a certain level and you don't know how to project out revenue targets and things like that, you need to learn and you can't ask your CMO or board to do that for you. So-

Alanna Jackson:
You should probably know that if you're in that.

Meagan DeMenna:
Exactly. But unfortunately too, at least what I've experienced is a lot of people hold that really close to the vest because they don't want to lose their job or they don't want someone else to come. And so it's just the old saying of, what is it, "The rising tide lifts all boats." We really should help each other because it's just going to make... I sound like such a hippie, but it's going to make everybody's lives easier.

Alanna Jackson:
Do you think this is a uniquely American problem? I mean, working with some people from Europe or Canada even, they seem a little more laid back and helpful to one another. It might just be the people I know from those companies, but what do you think, Megan?

Meagan DeMenna:
Well, I mean, I think it's more prevalent in America for sure, because I think we put so much value in our careers and we identify with our career over our lives more, which is another problem that we try to tackle in Core. But I've seen it, and granted, I've worked at organizations based in Hong Kong, which I think China also has a very similar work ethic.

Stacy Jackson:
True.

Meagan DeMenna:
And you're right, there's definitely, Canadians are a good example where I don't think that they're as hard on themselves or holding things too close, but I'm not going to throw anybody in, but there's a couple of Canadians that I've spoken to about this topic, and they are all on board because it is. It's a lonely and isolating place to be at the top regardless of who you are, so.

Stacy Jackson:
True.
So we talked a little bit about LinkedIn and all these groups out there, and like you mentioned, LinkedIn's a good place to network, but it has its limitations when you're trying to get to this level of work on yourself and not just your professional side, but even your personal life. So when do you know what would be a good sign to yourself that, "Hey, I need a group like Core Connect or I need to build some kind of group of confidence in my real life offline?"

Meagan DeMenna:
I would say, if LinkedIn is working for you, great, then you don't need a group. But if it's not, and I would wager that it's not working for most people, then it doesn't have to be Core, it doesn't have to be a specific one thing is your answer. And actually a lot of people in our network are part of other networks as well. But you're the only person who can help yourself. And if you are flooded on LinkedIn with spam and or inauthentic requests that go nowhere and truly lots of-

Stacy Jackson:
That's all happen.

Meagan DeMenna:
Yeah, and it's more of a hassle to check than anything else. Then yeah, I mean, I think that's a pretty big sign right there. You're not getting... But then you should also ask what you're giving on LinkedIn if you're not getting on LinkedIn, because that's really what it is on, again, any network, any community. I think you are likely to find your people if you allow yourself to be vulnerable, which is why I believe something like Core where it does ask those hard questions and make you look and reevaluate certain things that's going to help you along a little bit faster. And we believe gets you to the finish line a little bit quicker, but if LinkedIn's working for you, then it's working for you and that's great.

Alanna Jackson:
You mentioned finding your place and being able to be vulnerable. And one of the things that I've heard a lot of people say about using LinkedIn for their networking, things like that, they're afraid to post things because of all the people that will just want to be combative or argumentative and just, they may agree completely with what you say, but they just want to start something. And so people are afraid to be vulnerable and open up on things like LinkedIn, whereas a more private group where it's vetted would make more sense especially for those people that feel hesitant to do that.

Meagan DeMenna:
LinkedIn has a reputation, I can't stand it half the time now.

Alanna Jackson:
Stacy, where you going to say something?

Stacy Jackson:
Just those and the level of people that would be in Core Connect, I have a reputation at stake too. They can't risk having trolls come and make them look stupid.

Meagan DeMenna:
No, that's a great point. And actually something we have heard from these executives. And to that point, if you're afraid to be authentic and truthfully, rightfully so, because of the anonymity that LinkedIn does give, you know you've got a face, but is that face real? Is that a real person? Is it a troll even? Who knows, right? But yeah, if you look at Jacob, Jacob releases a blog post once a week, I think every Thursday. And you'll see that there's a lot of unpopular things that he says and he gets blasted. And I also get blasted for it. But we're also weeding people out. Some say, "If this isn't for you then it's not for you and that's fine. And if you want to be an A-hole, then that's your prerogative and that's your life that you've chosen. And I feel sorry for you and that's fine." But-

Stacy Jackson:
Lots of people choose that these days.

Meagan DeMenna:
Yeah, misery loves company. But yeah, with Core we do. If you're not being authentic, I mean it's pretty easy to figure out pretty quick. And we do have guidelines in place, not to say that you have to tell us about childhood trauma, right? But yeah, just being open and accepting and you might not agree, but coming at it in a loving place. And is it necessary to say, great. If it's not necessary and you're just being combative to be combative, then it just feels like a struggle for relevance at that point. And that just is so unnecessary.

Stacy Jackson:
There was something that Alanna brought to my attention today, and I won't name the guy, I can't even remember his name anyway, but apparently there were layoffs at his company and he posted a picture of himself crying on LinkedIn and a lot of people dragged him really hard. I feel like he probably did feel bad about what happened, but it almost felt like a little bit of clout chasing. So it may have been something totally relevant and authentic he was trying to say, but it went, [inaudible 00:16:53] which, so if he had just posted it without the picture of him crying, I think it would've been fine. But the fact that he did that, he could probably benefit from this group to learn how to make announcements when you make layoffs and stuff like that. Some things that people said was he was just trying to make people feel sorry for him instead of his employees. So I bring that up, I guess it's a little off topic, but I could see where maybe he just felt like he didn't have an outlet for-

Meagan DeMenna:
Yeah.

Stacy Jackson:
Could be a sounding board. So I could see where LinkedIn is kind of... Either he is cloud chasing or he didn't have people to try and really bounce-

Meagan DeMenna:
And help, yeah.

Stacy Jackson:
... and uses the sounding board. So I could see why something like this could be beneficial to people in those really hard circumstances. Because I can imagine I would cry if I had to lay off people. And I mean it's honesty that you're even putting it out there that you're crying, but like you said, is it cloud chasing and was it the best way to talk about it online? I don't know. And like I said, it's lonely at the top. If it was a startup, it might have been a startup company that's been around for a couple years and he may not have any other executives at his company. It could just be him and then leading his people. So there's a lot of different things at play that we don't know. But still he was getting creamed on social. So I could see why if you have something really serious to talk about and you need a sounding board-

Meagan DeMenna:
The group would be a good place.

Stacy Jackson:
A group would be much better.

Meagan DeMenna:
Yeah, I mean, I don't know the situation, I don't know the guy. And I can say from my experience that again, we're saying it's lonely at the top. And for a lot of CMOs, founders, this is their baby and they get villainized a lot because, "Oh, they're doing this wrong and no, they're doing that wrong. And oh, they're just laying people off so they can keep their salary," or whatever. But so much goes into those decisions that I'm sure it was his way of saying, "No, I do care about these people," and I'd like to think that, right. But truly to your point, if you do care about those people, well here's a list of the people I just let go, here's their titles, here's references, and here-

Alanna Jackson:
Give them a boost.

Meagan DeMenna:
Yes, it's not about you, but when this is your baby and they're so close to it and you don't have a network or a sounding board, then it's easy to slip into. I mean it's easy to slip into it regardless, but yeah.

Stacy Jackson:
Right. Yeah, your idea was much better. Maybe I'll put that out on social forum, maybe [inaudible 00:20:01] so it doesn't look like you're dragging him to.

Alanna Jackson:
I wouldn't really do that out in front of everybody because then everybody would go crazy on it. Poor guy.

Stacy Jackson:
I really did feel bad.

Meagan DeMenna:
Socially, it's ruthless, it's scary.

Alanna Jackson:
It is and it's not nice. So what are some of the other benefits? I know we've talked about a lot of benefits. Are there any other benefits that you can expand? Talk about when you're expanding your network and building those relationships when it comes to joining a group.

Meagan DeMenna:
Yeah, so I think that again, you can try a lot of different groups and not find just the right people. And I'd say that even with Core in mind. If you join something, don't just stick with it for the times suck. Like, "Oh, I've invested so much time in this," or "money in this." It's kind of choosing, this is ridiculous, but a doctor or something. It's going to take a little bit. And it's also, you're joining the group ultimately for you to help you in some way, shape or form, whether it's your career or something else. But you're always going to get what you put into it. And so if you join and you think, "Oh, even with Core, if I join and I say, 'Oh, I'm going to have people personally matched to me and everything's going to be just tailored to my needs and I'm going to have to put very little effort into it," I mean if you're on paper, yeah that's true.
But you're going to have to do a lot of questions or digging and asking yourself questions because what we've found, and a lot of the product research that we've done is that people think they want X and they have no idea what they really want. And so the answer to, in addition to what are the things you're going to get out of the community is, you get out what you put in, regardless of where you are. And then you'll have transactional things in every community. Every community will probably offer you some sort of resume updating or just more transactional things. But it's really in the transformational bits that you're going to find your people and you're going to find the value. And once you find that, there really isn't... I mean the value, it's more than any amount of money that they're asking for. I guarantee it.

Stacy Jackson:
I like that. Transformational versus just transactional. I think you said that or I imagined [inaudible 00:22:40].
Okay. So I just had a glitchy moment there. Sorry. The matrix interrupted. As far as the group goes, or any group, if you look way back before social media and the internet, it seems like, and maybe we just didn't hear about it because we didn't have social media to hear about people having these kind of issues with building their community and their confidants. But it seemed like business executives would have more of a like, "Okay, here's this industry group of executive CEOs I can go meet with and do things with in person every year at the conference." Or, "There's a local business owners group I can go join and talk to other people in my position." Do you think that the whole internet era has cut people off from building those real relationships? And I know maybe your Core Connect group would still be online, but it's really more about building those real life relationships that used to happen. At least this old lady thinks, right? It used to be like that in the old days.

Meagan DeMenna:
No, it's true.

Stacy Jackson:
[inaudible 00:24:01] day.

Meagan DeMenna:
I think yes, it's really hard to develop authentic relationships because there's a lot of fear online. You are vulnerable online because it's so visible. And things you said five years ago can pop right back up and you'll get blasted for it. So in that regard, it creates this fear and where there's fear, you can't be authentic and you can't make real connections. II shouldn't say "can't." It's a lot harder to make those authentic connections because Stacy, we've known each other for a long time, we've never met in person. But I really feel connected with you and I think I know things about you that are deeper than the podcast and things that you're doing professionally, but it's because we've taken the time to get to know each other and developed that relationship.
So it's not impossible online to develop. It's just a lot harder. And I do think with groups like Core Connect, it is a safer space and it's easier to find the people who aren't going to judge you or blast you or they're not there to troll you. They're not there to be better than you. I mean it's a lot of type A personalities. So there is that, but it's not a you're wrong because I'm right kind of mentality.
And I do think that another thing we've lost with the internet is serendipity. So if you're at a conference, you can just run into someone by accident and then magic happens. So we're trying to recreate that as much as possible through Core and I know other networks are trying to do the same thing. It's a lot harder to recreate online for obvious reasons. And I do think that there is just another level of connection when it does have an in person element to it, which Core is working towards. But we just launched, so.

Stacy Jackson:
Which leads me into my next Oh, so go ahead. I was just going to say, circling back to that idea of you're curating the people, I think that makes it a lot... Even though it's still online, it's a lot safer and you know it's going to be, probably at least, most likely people that will be there to make you better and not just say, "I'm better than you."

Meagan DeMenna:
This is not the term I want to use, but I'm going to use it and Jacob can yell at me for later. But it's support group, it really is. And the hope is that Jake and I will start asking questions and start to foster those connections and then it will just become natural for the network members to go out on their own and ask those questions of other people. And so we're not giving you everything. We're trying to teach you ways to be more authentic and vulnerable to create more meaningful business relationships.

Alanna Jackson:
So what I was going to launch into when you said Core had just launched, leads me into my question about what do you get with the membership and how can someone join or get on a waiting list or if you can share some of those things for anyone that's listening?

Meagan DeMenna:
Yeah, absolutely. So it is invite only, but Jacob and I love the two of you. So if you do hit the landing page for Core Connect in the application, there's a bit that says, "Who referred you." If someone wants to put Stacy and Alanna in that bar, then we will look at their application and review the application and I can give you guys the link to the page if that makes the process easier.
So to get invited just by listening to this lucky people, you can just jump on and submit an application. But the parameters are executives, director and above at a billion dollar company in revenue or VP and above at 10 million and above in revenue. And that just is any role, really, operations, product, revenue. So that's how you join. Also DME, because I love chatting with people, so that's a good way too. Get to know me or Jacob [inaudible 00:28:44]. And then what you get out of it is, I mean I've said it a couple times, it's really what you put into it, but the structure of the group to be more clear about it, there's three meetings a month and one is a network meeting, like a networking meeting with the entire network, not just your cohort. And so there Jacob and I will put you into breakout groups and you have a chance to connect with anyone and everyone in the network.
Then there's a meeting with your cohort and that's about 12 people in each cohort. And we match you based on your near term and your long term goals and a few other questions that we ask like, "What value do you want to bring to the group?" And the cohort meeting is around the Core framework. So Jake and I will lead something around Core, clarity, opportunity, realization and empowerment. And then once we really start getting established for the members who want to, they can start presenting on those topics and we'll be bringing in guest speakers for that Core framework.
And then the third meeting, which I personally love, we ask you your near term and long term goals monthly. And we go through those surveys and we pull out themes and challenges that are similar across the cohort. And we bring those challenges anonymously to the group and work through them in a mastermind. And so we try to solve those real world challenges. Yeah, so there's a lot of other things involved like access to content and quarterly reviews of your resume if your goal is to change jobs or whatever that looks like. So more transactional stuff. And then the transformational stuff is really the magic of networking and getting to know your group, your cohort.

Stacy Jackson:
But do you also help these individuals? I know you're helping them find other people to speak with, but do you do anything as far as helping them recruit for their own companies or is that part of this?

Meagan DeMenna:
Yeah, so that is in the power of the network. I'm looking for a CMO who really knows the financial space, FinTech. I actually know of one right now who's looking, you know what I mean? So just by osmosis, I feel like Jacob and I have a really good read on those people who could be a good fit. But even in your cohort, I'm looking for a social community manager. I'm sure one of eight people will have some sort of connection or lead into finding the right people. So yes, a little bit, but that's not the focus.

Alanna Jackson:
So before I ask you our just for fun question, is there anything you want to leave listeners with?

Meagan DeMenna:
I think that it's important for everyone to find their community. And I've always called myself a community first marketer because a lot of times in marketing people say, "You got to find your audience," and I disagree. You need to find your community because those people will go to the mat for you and you'll find so much information from those people. And so not even in the marketing world, just removing the marketing hat, if you have a group of people who you can rely on, especially right now when just in general the internet is really isolating and kind of cruel sometimes it's just good to find people that you can rely on. And it doesn't have to be Core, it doesn't have to be LinkedIn, it doesn't have... I mean it could be a ballet class, it really could be whatever that is but just to find-

Stacy Jackson:
With those people.

Meagan DeMenna:
Yeah, exactly. It's going to provide more clarity for you and just organically get you in a happier place.

Alanna Jackson:
Yeah, definitely. And with this economy the way it is, it's always good to have people that will go to the map for you, if anything, God forbid, should happen.

Meagan DeMenna:
Yeah. And actually something that Jake and I like to say is, even if you feel very secure in your job and you don't think there's a chance that you're going to get laid off, options are always amazing. It doesn't matter who you are, even if you own your own company, options are always amazing. And the more people you know and can rely on and lean on, the more options you're going to have, so.

Stacy Jackson:
Definitely. If you weren't the co-founder and chief growth officer right now with what you're doing, then what would your dream job be?

Meagan DeMenna:
So my dream job would be, it's kind of unfair because I do love what I'm doing, but I would be a yoga instructor and a potter. So there you go. Very off the wall.

Stacy Jackson:
Interesting. Very different.

Meagan DeMenna:
I am a certified yoga instructor and on the weekends I throw pottery and that would be my happy place.

Stacy Jackson:
Very cool.

Alanna Jackson:
And we'll expect a piece of pottery to come to this, right?

Meagan DeMenna:
Okay, yeah, no, I'll send it over.

Stacy Jackson:
And Megan, if people would like to get in touch with you, what's the best way for them to do that?

Meagan DeMenna:
Yeah, find me on LinkedIn. My handle's kind of silly. I think it's socialMegan and it's spelled M-E-A-G-A-N. But yeah, Megan DeMenna, that's how you can find me. LinkedIn is good and if you reach out, I think Warwick, it's just Megan. Think warwick.com as my email as well.

Alanna Jackson:
And we will include all of that in the show notes so that people can connect with you. So make sure that you go and connect with Megan because she's awesome and you will learn a lot from her and Jacob. So connect with them.
If you want to get in touch with me or Stacy, you can hit us up on social. On Twitter you can find Stacy at Stacy_Jax, that's S-T-A-C-Y_J-A-X. And you can find me at Alanna_Jax. That's A-L-A-N-N-A_J-A-X. If you're not a fan of Twitter, you can also look us up on LinkedIn and don't forget to hit that like button and subscribe.