How to Build Relationships That Open Doors

Make a clear ask without making the other person feel used. Use research, personalization, and AI without sounding generic or over-produced. Follow up confidently without becoming annoying. Turn a response into an actual relationship, not just a one-time reply. Break down real outreach examples — what worked, what didn’t, and why. Draft an actual message to someone you want to know before you leave. About Your Teacher Evan Burk is a former NFL and college football coach, author, and leadership advisor who built his career by learning how to open doors that weren’t supposed to be open. Early in his coaching career, Evan sent more than 450 handwritten letters to coaches across the country, an unconventional networking strategy that helped him go from coaching youth football to working in the NFL with the Miami Dolphins in just 6 year. Over the past two decades, he’s continued studying how relationships are built, opportunities are created, and a thoughtful message can turn a stranger into a mentor, colleague, client, or friend. Evan is the author of Finding Intangibles and has worked with athletes, coaches, executives, and organizations across professional sports and business. In this workshop, he’ll share the practical strategies he’s used throughout his own career to reach people he didn’t know, and build relationships that changed where his career could go.