While I have not tallied it up thus far, I can safely say that I have met over 70 new acquaintances – some have become friends – in the last several months. At the end of 2010, for the first time, I will attempt to tally them up for the year. You see, it has never been about the number. I am going to tally it up to prove a point. These are genuinely people that I thought to myself, “I would like to get to know her” or “Jeez, what he does sounds so interesting. I am going to reach out to him to learn more.”
Believe it or not, people welcome meeting YOU, yes, YOU! I have yet to meet one person who has refused a meeting. And do you know why that is? People want to build new relationships just as much as you. I’m not talking about the superficial exchanging of business cards to build a rolodex. I mean learning about why they do what they do and caring to know about their families, interests and contributions.
Sure we all hope to do business with someone, but it goes beyond that. Before I even think about working with someone, I try to get to know them. Maybe we might not make a great business partnership, but you may be a heck of a bowling partner. Maybe we initially met for you to learn about my services and it turns out you don’t quite need them yet. However, through conversation, it could be revealed that you are just the person to fill a vacancy on a committee I’m familiar with.
Not everyone fits in one box. You’ll never know the true potential of a relationship if you don’t approach it with an open mind. So get rid of those old, washed up notions of networking. People are as interesting and unique as the stars in the sky.
Stay tuned for my 2010 tally in December … and if you haven’t thought about it, you should: Have we had lunch yet?
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