Take Opportunities As They Arise – The 8 Points Of Freestyle Networking

Action is the foundational key to all success. Pablo Picasso

There is a well-known tale about a man struggling to save himself from drowning after heavy rains swell the local river and it bursts its banks. He is clinging onto the roof of his house as the waters rush by when a man in a rowing boat shouts to him to jump in.

‘No, thank you. I am praying to God. He will save me.’

Soon after, a motorboat came by and the driver asked him to jump aboard, to which he replied, ‘No, thank you. I am praying to God. He will save me’.

Then a helicopter flew over, a rope was lowered and a man shouted down to him, ‘come aboard’. The stranded man again said, ‘No, thank you. I am praying to God. He will save me’. The helicopter flew away.

Not long after, the man slid into the water and drowned. When he arrived in heaven, he asked God, ‘What happened? I prayed to you that you would save me, and yet here I am; dead.’

‘Well,’ said God. ‘I sent you a rowboat, a motorboat and a helicopter. What more did you want’?

The moral of the story? Take opportunities as they arise.

How many opportunities might you have come across in the last seven days but have missed out on? It’s likely you will never know because like most of us, you were oblivious to them around you at the time and you didn’t take action to find out.

Try this:

Each time you find yourself in a situation where you mix with other people, on a flight or waiting at the taxi rank for example, say hello to the person next to you. Find something in common such as maybe you are wearing the same shirt, or using the same smartphone, because it’s the commonality that instantly ignites a flicker of interest in us.

I call this approach freestyle networking, just talking to those around you to see if anything develops. Only recently I found myself in a departure lounge chatting to a businesswoman about her full day of meetings all because she yawned and I enquired “tough day?” You just never know who you bump into.

To help your efforts at freestyle networking become fruitful, I have put together 8 steps or principles to follow because once you are tuned in to the fact that you have opportunity all around you, be sure to make it count.

1. Have a plan in your head.

Decide who you want to talk to. What do you want the outcome to be? What if anything do you have in common that is obvious? You may only have one chance to chat with this person, so make it count and be organized in your approach.

2. Make the first move.

Get into position. If you don’t show up physically, nothing will happen. Then you need to start with hello. Walk on over to the person you wish to speak with, but do it subtly.

3. Pass a comment.

What subtle or obvious thing can you use to connect with someone? Do you both have the same overnight bag, or are you both reading the same book? Try saying, ‘I couldn’t help but notice... ’ when you start the conversation.

4. Just say hello.

Are you able to just say hello? If you receive a negative vibe after you’ve passed your initial comment, then maybe wait to introduce yourself. It’s good manners to say hello, but you may have to leave it there.

5. Discover their occupation.

After you’ve introduced yourself, allow them to respond with their name and occupation. Carry on chatting if they are responsive to you. Say something along the lines of, ‘Tell me more about what you do. Have you been doing it for a long time?’

6. Steer the conversation.

Have an idea where you want the conversation to go and try to steer it there. If they’re reading a business book you could comment on it. Or you can ask what line of business they’re in; it’s an easy way to talk shop. You could say, ‘I see you’re reading a Jim Collins book. Have you read Great by Choice yet?’

7. Obtain their contact information.

Ask for a business card for the purpose of following up later. Ask, ‘May I have one of your business cards? I’d like to follow up a little later if I may’.

8. Agree to follow up.

State that you will follow up with them at a later date so that they will be expecting you to call. Follow up quickly as the more senior the connection, the quicker they will forget you. Say, ‘Thanks for chatting with me, I’ll drop you a line with my details by way of a follow-up later on’.

Obviously not every encounter with someone you don’t know will go this smoothly and some will not want to take it any further than simply acknowledging your greeting, so be aware of this and don’t be pushy if they are simply not interested in chatting.

Whatever the situation, even if you are not thinking about networking or opportunity, it’s just good manners to start with hello when you meet someone new, you just never know how they might impact on your life.

For comments: How do you start a conversation with someone you don't know? Have you approached someone of high profile and found success? What stops you from doing this?

I do hope you follow my posts in the future.

My latest book “Start with Hello” (Wiley) is out now. You can get a complimentary sample of a chapter from here. You might also be interested in The Say Hello Project taking place in October.

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