Building a strong network can
be quite important, one that is often built over years of trial and error,
largely resulting in learning through many mistakes.
There is an abundance of
opportunities to gather help, connections and support from many of the people
around you or that you have the chance to casually meet.
You just need to open your
eyes and learn to step outside your comfort zone to take advantage of these
opportunities.
This is the way it works:
You have absolutely no idea
who the person that you just met and are casually talking to knows or to where
their experiences may lead to.
For example, I recently had a
casual meeting with a friend that brought another friend along that happened to
live near me. There wasn’t a real purpose or premise for the meeting aside from
we live close by and should just know each other.
1.Keep Quiet and listen.
It turned out, after an hour or so of
listening -- note that I didn’t say talking -- I
learned he’s been outrageously successful, having built and sold
multiple companies.
I had no idea prior to having
breakfast with him. Who do you think he knows or is connected to, aside from
everyone you could imagine?
It’s
a good idea to treat everyone that you meet as if they’re
the most important person ever.
Yes, there are major social
benefits to this mentality, but remember that you only get one chance at a
first impression.
2.Look local.
Whether you’re
building a new business or working inside one that is already moving along, you
have no idea how many people you are connected to through people that you see
and interact with constantly, largely because they’re
casual interactions.
Are you in medical sales and
trying to land that top doctor? I bet one of your neighbors knows him or her
personally and you have no idea because you’ve never cultivated
the relationship or, even more simply, just asked.
I’m
not suggesting that you go door to door through your neighborhood and pester
your neighbors for their contacts, but spend the time to better know those that
you see and interact with regularly.
If you have a solid
relationship with them, don’t be afraid to ask
for help or connections. Good people have a natural tendency to want to help
other good people.
3.Earn respect.
It’s
also important to reiterate that you can’t ask someone for
help or a connection that you don’t have a relationship
with. Well, let me rephrase that -- you can but it won’t
work and you’ll permanently burn that bridge. It’s
really one of the most common mistakes new networkers make.
You must build trust and
connection with the person first, because you need them to want to help you and
trust that you’re not going to embarrass them when they introduce you
to someone.
If you are, however, focused
on creating real relationships that are built on respect and have the potential
to benefit both parties -- even if that’s just enjoying the
interaction or from helping you -- you’ll be amazed at where
your relationships can take you.
Leave a comment and share
your thoughts on what you have gained from Casual Meeting.
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