2020 walks out, and in walks Clubhouse. What impact is it having so far?

Last year was our time to dive deeper into the tools we could utilize to maximize our impact. In a time where we could no longer be in offices and carrying out business as normal, we all had to create and recreate our own “normal” in our homes. But then it became hard to balance the work/life distinction and for many, I’m sure you felt the pressure of needing to figure out which places you could commit your time and for how long.

Looking back on all of the things I committed my time to this year professionally between LinkedIn, my Patreon group, Thursday Night Sales, The Surf & Sales podcast, writing two books … my time spent on all of these things outside of my core business was immense, but also paid off handsomely. Without having to pivot and develop new channels during COVID a majority of those opportunities probably wouldn’t have happened.

So, where does a new app fit in and how is it already impacting the professional landscape?

The NYTimes originally wrote a post in December of 2020 about the creation story of Clubhouse and how it began as a Silicon Valley app that grew in popularity in the tech and venture capital world but quickly, due to it’s live-stream-like qualities, broadened into chat rooms full of speed daters, theatre auditions, talk shows … and who knows how it will continue to progress.

Now more than ever, the key ingredient to success in my opinion is: be intentional with your time. My official position on Clubhouse after a few days:

If you’re using any of these tools for prospecting or networking, choose which one is serving you the most and be intentional in how you use it. It’s extremely easy to lose track of time on Clubhouse because it no longer requires the demand like Zoom does of you being presentable and right in front of everyone’s face. If you struggle with productivity and balancing personal downtime: good luck here.

You quite literally never know what’s going to be in a room — even if it has a specific title, it’s hard to keep the topics in check, even for the moderators. It can be easy for attention to shift away and lose track of time, so go in with a game plan. Don’t be afraid to push the conversation and contribute to create what you want to get out of these opportunities.

It’s a great place to go listen to folks who have no experience and limited success or brand on LinkedIn convince you they’re experts because they got in early and therefore feel like positioning themselves as experts on all things sales and business.

Example: I listened to someone with no more than ten engagements per post on LinkedIn for several months, teaching people how to increase their engagement…on LinkedIn. WTF!

Advice: BE VERY CAREFUL who you go and listen to if it has ANYTHING to do with your career, money, and so forth. Do some research on who is dispensing advice on Clubhouse before you listen to it on Clubhouse.

As professionals step into this new space, the possible use cases are endless (especially if you do have an existing network that migrates over.) Soon people will figure out a monetization strategy such as creating organized groups that charge to be involved in the rooms they’ve created.  Perhaps the hardest part: Sifting through the noise.

The hardest part of getting in and getting our hands dirty in the app is finding the right groups and networks. Success is going to come once you’re intentional with who you’re following, building groups with, what chats you’re joining and figuring out what your purpose is in being there.

How are you looking at using Clubhouse in your sales stack, if at all? How do you see it serving you in business? Where does it fit into your daily routine; is it a hindrance or is it a positive addition?