Welcome back to the Good Girls Get Rich podcast. I’m your host, Karen Yankovich, LinkedIn strategist, PR mentor, and unwavering advocate for women building wealth and visibility on their own terms. In today’s episode, we’re taking a hard look at something that’s both incredibly simple and deeply underused: your existing LinkedIn network.
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We want to hear your thoughts on this episode! Leave us a message on Speakpipe or email us at info@karenyankovich.com.
About The Episode and Highlights:
If you’re a woman in transition—whether from corporate to consulting, from hustle to high-ticket, or from quietly brilliant to loudly visible—this episode is your roadmap. You don’t need another funnel. You need to reignite the network you already have.
LinkedIn Isn’t Just About Visibility—It’s About Leverage
We’ve all heard that “your network is your net worth,” but most people treat their network like a dusty Rolodex from 2006. I’m here to change that. Because what if I told you that your next $25,000 consulting contract, board seat, speaking engagement, or media feature isn’t out there… it’s behind you?
That’s right. Your next big opportunity is likely sitting in the inbox of someone who already knows, likes, and trusts you. Someone who already respects your work. Someone who just hasn’t thought about you in a while because, well, life.
And this is where most entrepreneurs go wrong. They’re so busy grinding—posting daily, building funnels, chasing strangers on social media—that they forget the goldmine of relationships they already have. These are people who already see your value. You don’t have to convince them. You just have to reconnect.
The Reconnection Revolution: Turning Existing Relationships into Revenue
Inside my She’s LinkedUp accelerator, we always start with what I call the “low-hanging fruit.” Before we even talk about PR or big visibility strategies, we look at your existing LinkedIn network—because this is where the momentum begins.
Let’s break it down.
I want you to open LinkedIn, click “My Network,” and start scrolling. Sort your connections by recent conversations, or by company. You’ll be amazed at who’s there. That former colleague who’s now a director at a company you’d love to consult with? That client you adored working with who moved into a new leadership role? The person you met at a conference in 2019 and never followed up with?
It’s all sitting right there.
The problem is, most women don’t take this step because they don’t know what to say. They don’t want to be “salesy.” They feel awkward about initiating a conversation that doesn’t have a clear outcome. And honestly? I get it. But this isn’t about pitching. It’s about reigniting relationships. And relationships, not cold leads, are what build seven-figure networks.
The 3-Step Reconnection Method for LinkedIn (No Sleaze Required)
This episode introduces you to my tried-and-true method for turning dormant connections into warm leads—without ever sounding like a spam bot.
Step 1: Start with context.
Think back to where and how you know them. Did you meet at a conference? Were you on a board together? Did you used to work together? Reference that moment. “I saw a post about Disney and thought of our conversation about your trip with the kids,” or “I just came across your profile and realized how long it’s been since we were on that panel together.”
Step 2: Drop in a current positioning line.
Let them know where you are now. “I’m currently working with high-level women leaders to land media and consulting contracts using LinkedIn and PR.” Keep it short, clear, and powerful.
Step 3: Create an invitation without an agenda.
This is the magic. “Would love to hear what you’re working on—maybe there’s a way we can support each other.” That’s it. No hard sell. Just curiosity and connection. And believe me when I tell you: this kind of message has led to six-figure conversations for my clients. It works.
Why This Strategy Works So Well for Women in Business Over 40
Let’s be honest: if you’re anything like the women I work with, you’re not some rookie starting out. You’ve got experience, results, leadership, and legacy. But what’s often missing is the visibility to match that brilliance.
The women I serve—high-achieving professionals, coaches, consultants, authors, board members—are done with tactics that feel like a race to the bottom. They’re not here to chase likes. They’re here to land big, aligned, transformational opportunities. And those don’t come from random cold outreach. They come from aligned, trusted connections. This is especially true for high-ticket consulting, executive visibility, board seats, and speaking gigs.
When you pair this warm reconnection strategy with a public-facing PR presence (like being featured on podcasts or in Forbes), your credibility multiplies. That old colleague now sees you as the go-to expert in your field. The magnetism becomes real.
That’s why She’s LinkedUp teaches both: LinkedIn strategy for discoverability and PR strategy for instant credibility.
PR + LinkedIn = Visibility That Converts
Imagine reconnecting with a former colleague on LinkedIn… and when they check out your profile, they see:
- Articles you’ve been featured in
- Podcasts you’ve been a guest on
- Awards you’ve received
- High-ticket services clearly articulated
Suddenly, you’re not just an old connection—they’re wondering why they haven’t already hired you. That’s visibility done right. Not constant posting, not going viral. Just being strategic, visible, and credible to the right people.
That’s what I call Empowerment Era Marketing. And that’s what today’s marketing demands.
Ready to Find the Gold in Your Network?
Here’s what I want you to do today:
- Open LinkedIn and click on “My Network.”
- Sort your connections by recent interactions or company.
- Make a list of five people you already know, trust, and respect.
- Reach out using the 3-step method: context, positioning, curiosity.
And please—don’t make assumptions. That neighbor? Her brother might be your next big client. That old manager? He might be leading innovation at a company desperate for your expertise.
This is not about reaching out to 100 people a week. This is about 2-3 powerful reconnections a week that could change everything.
Still Not Sure What to Say?
That’s why I’m here.
If you want help crafting the right positioning, polishing your LinkedIn profile, or layering in a PR strategy that turns your name into a magnet, let’s talk. Book a complimentary strategy call with me.
Let’s find the revenue hiding in your relationships. Because the truth is, your next opportunity isn’t out there. It’s already in your network.
And you? You’re not starting over. You’re starting from power.
Resources Mentioned in the Episode:
- Connect with me on LinkedIn: Karen Yankovich
- Follow me on Instagram: @karenyankovich
- Book a complimentary strategy call with me.
Magical Quotes from the Episode:
“You’re not starting from scratch. You’re starting from experience. And that is your power.”
“Empires are not built from cold outreach. They’re built from warm alignment.”
“Your next big opportunity isn’t out there. It’s behind you—in the people who already trust you.”
“LinkedIn makes you findable. PR makes you credible. That combination is where the magic happens.”
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Read The Transcript
GGGR Episode 312 – Final
00:00
Karen,
00:10
hello, hello, and welcome back to the good girls get rich podcast. I’m your host, Karen
Yankovich, and today we are diving into one of my favorite truths about success, and that is
that it is hiding right in front of so many of us. Well, you are likely only one or two connections
away from your next big opportunity, and the chances are they’re already in your network. I
like to refer to this as the low hanging fruit in your network. And in our she’s linked up program.
This is where we start, because we want you to very quickly jump into the money making stuff,
right? There’s lots and lots of strategy that we talk about, but at the end of the day, we want
you to quickly be jumping into bringing in revenue and your low hanging fruit. The people
already in your network is where we like to start. So if you’re out here grinding or building
funnels and posting daily and chasing strangers and still feeling a little bit invisible or a little
frustrated. Listen in, because today I’m going to show you how to stop searching and how to
start reigniting and magnetizing the people that are already in your network. And you know,
this episode is especially for you if you’ve been in some kind of transition and and you know,
sometimes that transition is it’s just time to level up, like I’ve been at six figures. It’s time to go
to multiple, six or seven figures. Maybe you’re just leaving corporate and you’re going into
consulting. Maybe you’re stepping into something bigger at your current role. Right either way,
no matter which of those or any of those that are true for you, you’re not starting from scratch.
You’re starting from experience, and that is why your existing network is such a gold mine for
you. Okay? So, you know, we do want to be building new followers, right? Eventually we’re out
of people, and we want to be continuing to expand our network very strategically and very
micro targeted. You’re never going to hear from me connect with 100 people a week like that’s
not going to come out of my mouth, but what we’re hearing a lot of, what we’re seeing a lot of,
is chasing new clients, chasing new new clients, new leads, new followers. You know, there’s
bots. I’m sure you open up LinkedIn, and, you know, very at least, I open up LinkedIn, and very
often I’ve got all these new connection requests from people that I don’t even know, and I’m
not even really sure why they want to connect with me, other than they probably want to sell
me something, right? They’re not really looking to make true connections. But what if I told you
that the real leverage doesn’t come from that the real opportunity is in your history, not in your
future.
02:36
Crazy, right? Most of the women that I work with in she’s are sitting on absolute treasure troves
of trust and credibility, former clients, former coworkers, board members, mentors, even
friends and neighbors. You know, I remember one time a couple got a long time ago, I workedfriends and neighbors. You know, I remember one time a couple got a long time ago, I worked
for a company, and at this company, there was a guy that I knew, and he was a friend of my
neighbors, and he was his family was friendly with some of the business partners. I had family,
and they were and I met, and I said to them, oh, you know, I had, I had a barbecue over the
weekend, and, you know, I this guy. He said he knows you guys. And they were like, wait,
what? Like you had? I’m like, Listen, I’m sitting there, like in my shorts, drinking a beer. Like it
wasn’t the time to necessarily be be pitching him or to be promoting him, but I set the stage
right, like I, you know, I said, Oh, I think you might know some of my business partners are from
the same town, blah, blah, blah. This is a guy I was sitting around with at a family barbecue,
right? And,
03:34
you know, turned into a real opportunity. So some of the reasons, though, that we’re not
tapping into this is because we’re not really sure what to say, right? Maybe you feel a little
awkward reaching out, like I said to these guys. I’m like, listen, I wasn’t about to pitch him on
anything. I was sitting around. We were eating cheeseburgers and drinking beer, right? But I
set the stage, right? But I,
03:54
you know, I feel like it’s important that you understand that you don’t have to be pitching for it
to be successful, you can. You want this to be magnetic? You want them to come back to you
and say, Tell me more about that, right? Maybe you’re thinking like, if they wanted to work with
me, they would call me, or they’d reach out to me. Here’s the thing, they’re busy. They’re busy.
They’re not scrolling LinkedIn thinking about how to send you money, right? But if you show up
powerfully, if you show up intentionally, you can start to reawaken those connections and and
we’re magnetizing these opportunities to us. Empires are not built from cold outreach. They’re
built from warm alignment. Does that make sense? So let’s talk a little bit about visibility here.
Like visibility isn’t just being seen by strangers. It’s about being remembered by people who
already trust you. Think about it, right? Who have you worked with in the last 10 years that you
loved the connection? You loved working with them? Who maybe have you helped get
incredible results, who already knows you’re brilliant but hasn’t seen.
05:00
You’ve been doing lately, right? So these are the people that bring your network to a seven
figure network. These are the people. So here’s your practical step for this episode. I want you
to go into LinkedIn. If you’re in your car, you can come back to this later. Go into LinkedIn, click
on my network and sort your connections by recent conversations or companies. You might be
surprised by how many people you forgot you were connected to. It’s so interesting because
one of the things we do in our she’s linked up program is we do, like I said, We want you to find
that low hanging fruit pretty quickly, pretty early on. And so many times, so many times,
people say to me, oh God, Karen, if I if there were good people in my network, I wouldn’t need
you and but I but, you know, my jersey comes out and I’m like, Yeah, we’re gonna look anyway.
We’re gonna look anyway. Let’s look at your network. Let’s open up my network and let’s just
look. And they scroll through their network and they’re like, Oh, I didn’t know that mark left IBM
and is now at 18. T That’s really interesting. That could be an opportunity. Or, wow, you know, Iforgot about this person. I met them at a conference, and we, you know, COVID happened, and
we never really followed up, but I really liked them, right? You don’t know. You don’t know. And,
like, how cool is that? Because now your outreach doesn’t have to be, you know, hey,
remember me. It could be. It could say, hey, remember me. We had that amazing Greek salad
at that conference in Phoenix a couple years ago, right? So you certainly could say something
like that, but that’s where it’s not weird, right? That’s where it gets that’s where it’s just
normalized. Or you can say, Hey, Mark, so cool. I think I thought you were going to retire from
IBM and I see you moved to AT and T I would love to hear more about that. Let’s reconnect,
right? That reconnect word is gold in your LinkedIn strategy. And let’s get real. Let’s get real.
Let me just put this on the table right now. Everybody, every single person in marketing right
now is talking about LinkedIn. Everybody’s talking about LinkedIn but bots, and they’re
connected with millions of people. The reconnect is where the money is on LinkedIn, the
reconnect is where that’s happening. So let’s talk a little bit about how we reconnect and
reignite real relationships with people. So there’s a three step reconnection method we’re going
to talk about here on this episode. First, you want to you want context, right, some kind of
contextual reminder. Start with something real. Saw your post and thought of you, or saw a
post about Disney World and remembered you were going there with your kids. Or I’ve been
thinking about some of the incredible people I’ve worked with over the years, and I thought
about you and the work we did at blah, blah, blah. Or, you know, I mean, listen, you don’t have
to tell them you were scrolling through your network. You can say, I just came across your
name here on LinkedIn. And I can’t believe how long it’s been since we had we were at that
conference together, right? Something contextual. Start with something contextual, because
you want to stand out from all the crazy people pitching all over the place, right? So start with
something contextual, and then
07:55
drop in a tiny little bit. Remember we talked about this on the last episode. If you haven’t
listened to the last episode. You want to go back and listen to the last episode of this as well,
Episode 311 you want this these messages to be short. That episode was about DMS, and we’ll
link that episode in the show notes as well. Let them know a little bit what you’re about, what
you’re up to. I’m currently working with high impact women leaders, navigating blah, blah,
blah, and helping them land big visibility opportunities using LinkedIn and PR. Like, tell them a
little bit about what what you’re doing now. Like, when I saw you, I was doing this, and now I’m
doing this, or, you know, I went deeper into this from the last time we talked, you know. But I’d
love to hear what you’re up to, you know. I mean, listen, I loved our conversation. What are you
working on that maybe you can use a fresh perspective on? I’d love to catch up. No agenda,
right? No agenda. This alone leads to five and six figure conversations, and has led to five and
six conversations in some of our she’s linked up students. This is just casual, powerful, non
transactional energy, and that is what’s landing right now. Listen, you don’t want to waste
people’s time, but they’re on LinkedIn to network. LinkedIn is virtual networking, so network,
right? Network, dive into your existing network. You know, we’ll talk at some point in the future
about building your network, but there is never going to be a time that I’m going to tell you to
build your network before you reach into your existing network. You have so many beautiful
contacts there, even if you’re not sure, right? Even if you’re not sure, like, for example, let’s
say, you know, maybe you connect with your next door neighbor, right? You connect with your
next door neighbor. And you’re like, I don’t know, I got neighbors, neighborhood on the brain
today, I guess, right? And you’re like, you know, I know that you work for ABC company, but I’m
not really sure what it is you do. Let’s take a let’s have a conversation. Can maybe separate
from our personal, you know, our families, and tell me a little bit more about waging and wecan help each other. That person’s brother in law might be the biggest connection you ever
made, right? But if he doesn’t know what you do and you don’t know what they do, you can’t
have that conversation, right? So you have to go into these conversations, not only with the
non transaction.
10:00
Energy, but with open minded energy, like, like, don’t say I’m not calling Jerry. What the heck I
there’s no reason for me to talk to him. You know what? Jerry’s brother might be your biggest
client that you could ever have, and you don’t know that because you haven’t talked to Jerry
yet, right? I don’t want you to have big, long, two hour conversations. I don’t want you to do
this times 100 a week, but if you’re doing this times a couple of weeks you are going to find the
gold, you are going to find the gold. And honestly, if you do this from a perspective of genuinely
wanting to connect and get to know these people, it’s fun as well, right? It’s not, it’s not like a
drag, like sales calls can be a networking can be sometimes, right? So I want to just give you a
little bonus here now. And this is, this is a little like I want to talk a little bit about why I think
the PR piece of this is so important because, because the PR gives you public credibility. And
when you layer that public credibility on top of that personal history,
11:01
that’s the magic combination. That’s the where’s my magic wand. Here I just saw it. That’s the
magic combination. You’re watching on the video. That’s the magic wand, right? Imagine you
connect, reconnect with a former colleague, and they check out your LinkedIn and they see
articles that you’ve been featuring in, featured in our podcasts, that you’ve guested on, right or
awards or leadership recognitions, right? Now, you’re not just someone they used to work with,
right? You’re a trusted visible expert, and they’re going to want to get to know you like we want
to be surrounded by people that lift us up, right? So when you build this credibility around you
with a strong PR strategy, which also can be very simple, right? You become that trusted,
visible expert, and people want that’s that magnet, right? That’s the magnet they want to talk
to you. This is why we teach both LinkedIn and PR in our she’s linked up program. One makes
you findable, the other one makes you credible, right? Does that make sense? So if you’re
wondering where your next contract is coming from, where your next client is coming from,
where the next opportunity is coming from. Please stop. Please just stop. Just stop. Stop what
you’re doing. Stop all the postings. Stop all the stuff, and turn around. The trail is behind you.
It’s the people that you’ve impacted, the people that you’ve worked with, the people you’ve
supported, the people you’ve inspired. You just need to reopen that door. Okay, so let’s take
this podcast and make some action here. I want you to take some action here. Go into LinkedIn
right now and make a list of five people that you already know, love and trust and who likely
trust you as well, and reconnect with these five people using those three steps, the contextual
reminder, the current positioning and the curiosity. Invite, okay, using those three steps and
just reconnect. I would love to hear how this goes. Right. If you go into the show notes, you’ll
see or if you go to Karen Yankovich, comm slash, speak pipe. You can leave me a voice
message. I want a voice message from you telling me how this is going. I want to know I’m
telling you. I can’t wait to hear these messages, because I’m telling you you’re going to find
some gold. You’re going to find some gold, right? And if you want more support with what to
say, how to position yourself, how to use your visibility as a magnet, you know where to find
me, right? You go to Karen yankovich.com/call, book call on my calendar. I’d love to chat withyou, see if it’s a fit, to get you some support, right? Because, you know, it’s not always a fit, but
if the time is right, the time is right, if it’s not, I’m not going anywhere. There’s lots more
episodes of this podcast coming out, and they’re always going to be here for you. So I’m
excited to see where you go with this. I’m excited to see where you go with this. If this has
been valuable, then please share this episode on your social media. Tag me. I’m at Karen
Yankovic across all social media, right? Share it with your friends, because if I, if you tag me,
then I see it, and I can share it on my social media, and that’s how I get your name in front of
my network. And right now, now we’re like, this is how we create that ripple This is how we
create that ripple effect. Okay, so you’ve got a little bit of homework in this episode. You got a
little bit of homework going to your into your network, and sorting it by recent recent contacts,
making a list of five people you already know right, sharing this episode on your social media,
and booking the call at Karen yankovich.com/call
14:18
Thank you so much for listening, and I’ll see you next week on the good girls get rich podcast.
And remember, you are not starting over. You’re starting from power.