How to build lasting business relationships according to this publicity coach

This article is part of Tech in Asia’s partnership with The Jay Kim Show where we publish the revised transcripts from the show’s podcast interviews with top entrepreneurs. This is heavily revised from the original show transcripts. For the full interview, go here.

Selena Soo is a business and publicity coach for entrepreneurs, experts, and authors. She helps people increase their visibility through her signature approach, which essentially comes down to building powerful, long-lasting relationships. She’s helped clients land multiple six-figure book deals and get featured in big-name articles and magazines.

Why don’t you start off by telling us who you are and what you do for a living?

“My name is Selena Soo and I am a business and publicity strategist. What I do is I work with entrepreneurs who have personal brands. They may be an expert, author, coach, or service provider, but they’ve got a personal brand. They’re looking to get that out into the world, so I’ve [built] different programs that help them get clients.

“With a lot of entrepreneurs, one of their biggest struggles is that they’re great at what they do, but people just don’t know about them […].”

Could you share your story with us?

“My greatest passion has always been connecting people to opportunities. I feel like I’m able to quickly see the synergies between people and opportunities and who needs to know who. […] Even when I didn’t have a business, I was connecting people to six-figure consulting opportunities, media opportunities, and other influencers.

“I’ve always been driven to help people who I think have a powerful message that the world needs to know about because I think they are the ones who are really changing people’s lives. So my main focus has been working with certain thought leaders in the business [of] personal branding, health and wellness, and the relationship space […].

“I would see someone who I thought was incredible and I would reach out to them and offer value, offer to make a connection, offer a suggestion, or whatever it is. […] Over time, I developed these relationships and people got to see the quality of my work even though a number of them weren’t even official clients of mine. These people really believed in me and saw me as a go-to expert in publicity, influence, and making connections. […] That gave me the confidence to start my own business.

“[…] Before I started my business, I worked in the non-profit world and I made a non-profit salary. I remember thinking that I was kind of capped. I knew that I was […] a big giver, that I loved to help people, and that I was hard working. I didn’t see myself as a business person. I was also very introverted and [was always] behind the scenes. I thought that to be a successful entrepreneur, you had to be this extrovert born for the stage and that you had to know everything.

“Now, of course, I realize [that] you get to outsource things and you don’t have to know how to do every single thing in your business. But from somebody who was making very little money […], to now having my own business, sharing my gifts in a bigger way, and being able to generate that kind of revenue and make that kind of difference is pretty mind-blowing. […] I’m very grateful for where I am today.”

If I’m an entrepreneur, how would I start connecting with influencers? What are the pitfalls I have to know?

“[…] The very first step is getting clear on who you want to connect with because there are thousands of interesting people that you could potentially connect with, but you’re just one person. […] In order to figure out who goes on your influencer list, you’ve got to be clear on what your goals are because an influencer is somebody who can help you achieve [them].

“Maybe they’ve already achieved it, so they can show you the way, connect with people that can support you in that journey, or they can open a door for you. Your goals can be business-related or they could be lifestyle or personal […].

“[…] Give yourself an opportunity to just freely think about […] all the different things [you] want to accomplish and all [your] different goals, big and small. Write them on a piece of paper and then go back and circle the things that are most important, that you feel most drawn to. […] Those are our goals. You want to look at the people who are connected to it, but then you also want to have a filter so it’s not just about who is powerful and famous.

“You want to connect with people that you are naturally drawn to, that have similar values to you. There could be somebody who’s accomplished what you want, but maybe you’ve heard this person doesn’t have a lot of integrity—they’re not a good guy or a great person. Then it doesn’t matter that they’re influential. They’re not going to be your influence because that’s not the person that you want to associate or affiliate yourself with.

If you had one piece of advice for young entrepreneurs that want to connect to influencers, what would it be?