What You're Getting Wrong About Building Relationships w/ Lauren Najar

You're probably working way harder at relationship building than you need to.In this episode, Lauren breaks down why so many entrepreneurs are getting relationships completely wrong online. From immediately viewing every new follower as a potential client, to sending cold DMs with the pressure to close before any real connection has been made, Lauren explains how tying a specific outcome to every person you meet is the very thing keeping you stuck. She walks through how relationships in real life actually form, and why the same principles apply to your online business.Lauren also gets into what it really looks like to engage with intention, why your content is not the most important thing you're doing on social media, and how she has closed the majority of her business in six years entirely through the DMs by focusing on real connection over closing. If you've been exhausted by your own lead generation strategy, this is going to reframe how you think about the whole thing.So if you've been making every conversation feel like a sales call before it even starts, this episode will show you a completely different way to approach it.Chapters: 00:40 What you're getting wrong with relationship building01:40 Why tying outcomes to connections holds you back03:40 How real relationships actually form05:40 Why tailoring your pitch starts with actually knowing your audience 09:40 Tailoring your approach without overwhelming the ask11:40 Why the wrong client creates friction on both sides13:40 How to validate whether you can actually help someone14:40 How relationship building works on social media platforms17:40 Why engagement matters more than your content18:40 Closing business in the DMs without sales calls19:40 Six years of building relationships entirely online21:40 How to start building relationships in the online space23:40 Why posting alone is not enough25:40 Engagement versus posting and what actually drives growth26:40 How to stop pressuring yourself to close every conversation28:40 What happens when you genuinely build trust first30:40 Consistency in connections and content equals sales32:40 My upcoming events and retreatsUpcoming Events:Chicago Retreat - July 14-16, 2026 - https://laurennajar.myflodesk.com/iid9wbr2ycNapa Retreat - October 5-8, 2026 - https://laurennajar.myflodesk.com/cetj223rsrGrowth & Connect Events - https://laurennajar.myflodesk.com/hb2a0mwbqwLet’s Stay Connected: → Follow Lauren on Instagram: www.instagram.com/laurennajar → Learn more or work with me: www.laurennajar.com → Follow Business Over Cocktails on IG: www.instagram.com/businessovercocktails → Attend Growth & Connect retreats & events: www.instagram.com/growthandconnect🎧 Subscribe & Review: Love the episode? Don’t forget to subscribe, leave a review, and share with a friend who needs a business boost and a good chat over a cocktail.