I was walking down 57th street in New York recently and I stopped to check my blackberry in a random bank lobby. A man I didn’t recognize approached me and said "I really enjoyed your talk last week at our bank branch."
It just so happens that last week, I was speaking for several branches of this bank and he had attended my session. We chatted for a few minutes and I offered to send him a copy of my book, Million Dollar Networking. He wanted to give me a business card, so he brought me into his office where I also met his branch manager.
The reason I tell this story is CONNECTIONS. I made two more connections and who knows where they might lead!
It’s also important to remember the follow-up! When I got back to my office I followed up by:
- Writing a "thank you" email to my connection at the bank who had arranged the workshop.
- Sending both of my two new contacts a personal note and a book.
- Filing their contact information in my database for future reference.
Always be open and aware of connections. Networking is a 24 hour operation, so work on making it your ‘state of mind’ all day long.
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