Episode 67: How to Melt the Ice with Vibe Management | Story Snacks Series
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Break the ice in style.
Ever walk into a meeting with analysts who seem more like untouchable statuses than people? This episode of Story Snacks makes it easier to break the ice, ease the tension, and get even the most reserved analysts to open up.
You can be the “hype man” (or woman) of your meetings and set the tone for success. Here’s how:
Embrace your inner hype man or woman to warm up the room and set a positive tone
Minimize awkwardness by acknowledging the environment
Leverage the power of observation to show them you care and pay attention to more than just the deal
Plus, Stacy will channel her own inner hype woman to give you the confidence you need to lead great meetings.
This is Story Snacks! A bite-sized, jam-packed series for fund managers who are ready to master strategic storytelling in less than 20 minutes per week!
TRANSCRIPT
Below is an AI-generated transcript and therefore it may contain errors.
[00:00:00] Stacy Havener: Craving more knowledge, but don't always have time to sit down for a five course meal? Take a quick snack break with StorySnacks. Bite sized content to feed your funnel. Each short episode features Stacey digging into one question. This series has her talking stories, sales, and so much more. Oh yeah, it's time for story snacks.
[00:00:25] Sometimes analysts aren't the most open types. Do you have any suggestions on walking into a room with analysts that have their arms crossed and they clearly need a little coaxing to get talking? I love this question because I just love our industry. It makes me smile. So all of this is said with peace and love.
[00:00:47] So yes, are there analysts who are awkward in social settings? Heck yeah, there are. Are there fund managers who are awkward in social settings? Of course, most people in our industry are [00:01:00] not that comfortable in social settings. Let's be honest. So what do we do? Again, I think the big risk in a meeting. That you can control is the vibe.
[00:01:12] So if you walk into a room, there's always this like weirdness. So let's say if the meeting is in person, like, and it's just the analyst, there's always this really weird, like, uh, and hi, and like shaking hands, you're trying to put your bag down, maybe you got a cup of coffee, and the board table is enormous, where do you sit?
[00:01:31] There's just like all these things that no one really knows what to do with. It's fine. Okay. I want you to just take a deep breath and I want you to pretend that you are Flava Flav. Okay. I know this is not what you were expecting me to say. Maybe if I brought a rapper into the conversation, it would be Eminem, not Flava Flav.
[00:01:54] But we're going Flava Flav on this one. Why? Because Flava Flav is a [00:02:00] hype man. Now, you might think you know what a hype man is, I'm going to tell you what the job of a hype man is in a rap crew, okay? This is very important, tangent. The job of the hype man is to warm up the crowd before the rappers and the emcees take the stage.
[00:02:20] The hype man goes out and they just get the vibe right. That's what Flava Flav's job was. Okay. Well, when you walk into a meeting, you are Flava Flav. Okay. You're not Jimmy Fallon yet. First, you're Flava Flav, then you'll be Fallon. So you can rap. You don't have to, but what you do need to do is find a way to take the, level of anxiety and awkwardness from like an eight to like a five.
[00:02:49] Okay. And one of the ways you can do that, especially in a family office, this works really well, is to look around the physical [00:03:00] space. Like people hang things on their wall that are important to them. People have artwork and they display it because it means something. If there is a photo or a portrait or a painting or a piece of art or even a picture on someone's desk, it means something.
[00:03:18] It's special to that person. So acknowledge it. Acknowledge that. And just say, hey, like, oh, my gosh, what's that a picture of? Or, you know, what, oh, that looks like a family portrait. Like, what's that portrait from? If it's a family office, then that'll probably get them talking, uh, telling a story or a piece of art, and you'll realize that they're a collector of this one particular artist.
[00:03:40] Or maybe it's the view. Or just find something safe, but special, to talk about books on the shelf, anything like that, that gets people out of the mindset of we're in this awkward meeting and reminds them that we are just people. [00:04:00] So you need to channel Flava Flav. Now, hopefully, the analyst is starting to warm up, but it may take some time.
[00:04:09] I also think this is a great place to Where the meeting prep come. I mean, you're gonna be like, stop talking about the meeting prep. We get it. Like you've been preparing for months for this freaking meeting. Yes, I have. But the reason you prepare and the reason you call the analyst and the reason you do all these little things before you walk in is so that when you walk into the meeting, it's not the first time you've talked to this person.
[00:04:34] You want it to be like, Hey, Johnny. Oh my gosh. It's so great to see you. It's so great to finally meet you in person. You want to know things about them as a human because that will just, again, it's going to take that awkward meter from an eight to a five. So it's the preparation. It's the actual Flava Flav vibe management when [00:05:00] you walk in, and it's also just in how you, like, they are going to cue off of your vibe.
[00:05:08] So if you are awkward, and the person is already, you know, a little bit anxious in a social setting, they are going to go from an 8 to a 11. So you got to like, you got to get it together. You got to be your best, smart, cool, fun self. And you'll feel the temperature of the room come back to a fun level. Are you an investment boutique looking to grow your business and need a little help?
[00:05:38] If you feel like you're fighting for the spotlight and well, still stuck in the shadows of the bigs, join us in the Boutique Investment Collective, Havener's new membership community dedicated to the specialist in the investment industry. In the collective, we'll guide you through the billion dollar blueprint we've used to help boutiques add over $30 billion.
[00:05:56] In a UM, you'll refine your story, focus on your [00:06:00] ideal target market, and practice your pitch. You'll rethink your marketing materials, rewrite your emails, and refresh your differentiators. We'll even help you step up your LinkedIn game and give your profile a makeover. You want to grow your biz, we've got your back.
[00:06:14] Learn more about the collective, the curriculum, and the amazing coaches who will help you on your journey. Visit Havenercapital. com slash collective. High five. Hope to see you in a coaching session soon.
[00:06:35] This podcast is for informational purposes only, and should not be relied upon as a basis for investment decisions. The information is not an offer, solicitation, or recommendation of any of the funds, services, or products, or to adopt any investment strategy. Investment values may fluctuate and past performance is not a guide to future performance.
[00:06:54] All opinions expressed by guests on the show are solely their own opinion and do not necessarily reflect those [00:07:00] at their firm. Manager's appearance on the show does not constitute an endorsement by Stacey Havener or Havener Capital Partners.
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