I live and die by the network.
I will pretty much talk to or meet with anyone for 20-30 minutes. (Not everyone will meet with me, but that’s another story.)
A few months ago, I met Rasul Shair at a presentation I gave.
We chatted, connected on FB/LinkedIn, etc.
Last week, he reached out to me for a coffee meet-up.
I proposed 30 minutes on a date that worked for me.
He countered: I was looking to set aside an hour to meet.
To which I responded: I'll be very blunt...so pardon my direct approach. Generally, I say I will meet with anyone for 30 mins. I'm open to an hour discussion, but since you are asking for it, I'd like to have some idea of an agenda, the objective. Fair enough?
Then, he delivered the Grand Slam of networking pitches.
No worries about being blunt/the direct approach (I actually prefer it). I have absolutely no problems with that. I can only know how you operate if you tell me. Completely fair!
Reason #1.
My main reason for wanting to meet has to do with your work with Dan Pink. I know another author which I though that you may want to become familiar with his work. I was connecting the dots in my head and thinking that there may be something there of interest to you. We did an interview with him for the blog and we made a really good connection (we are also linked on his blog). I was thinking that there may be some opportunities for you two to work with each other and I could help possibly broker that connection.
Reason #2
I wanted to meet to get a more in depth feel for your work. Find out what kind of projects you are seeking out. See if I could be of assistance and bring something to the table for you from the work I am doing - which I would like to discuss with you as well.
Reason #3.
Simply to start building a rapport with you. I like to align myself with people who are movers and shakers (it helps me up my game - smile. One of my personal approaches to life is if you want to be a millionaire you need to hang out with millionaires. So I seek to build relationships with folks that I feel are serious in their work and constantly looking to grow and move forward in their lives and businesses.
We may be able to do actually to all of this in 30 minutes (not sure). I just wanted to allot an hour - just in case. So we may only need 40 or 45 minutes. Again I just wanted to have enough time for good discussion.
Let me know what you think (being blunt is fine - smile) and if this works for you or not.
What I think is that is that Rasul knows how to sell, baby!
Lesson: if you are asking someone for their time (for a job, for a sale, etc.), outline the WIIFM (aka the “What’s In It For Me”) in a way that, as the Godfather would say, “is an offer they cannot refuse.”
I’m pumped for my meeting with Rasul now.
Comments
Rasul Sha'ir said on 1.21.2009 at 8:12 AM
Wow. . . thanks Jeremy! Honored to be a subject of one of your posts! I'm definitely looking forward to our meeting as well. As Mr. MacLeod says. ..Rock on!
Michelle James said on 2.03.2009 at 9:22 PM
As a person who meets with Rasul monthly for 3+ hour conversations, I can assure you it will be worth your 60 minutes...in fact, that is probably not enough time. Going deep and wide needs time, space and attention...there is no short cut to expansiveness...and meeting with Rasul is worth it :-)
Michelle James said on 2.03.2009 at 9:23 PM
As a person who meets with Rasul monthly for 3+ hour conversations, I can assure you it will be worth youir 60 minutes...in fact, that is probably not enough time. Going deep and wide needs time, space and attention...there is no short cut to epxpansiveness...and meeting with Rasul is worth it :-)
Halelly said on 2.04.2009 at 8:05 AM
Rasul rocks! I also found our conversation fascinating and requiring space(I also met Rasul at the same event as I met you, Jeremy, and Rasul and I met for coffee a week or two later).
I'm interested in your approach - I must admit I have *never* placed a limit (explicit or implicit) on a networking meeting, and always find that they are enjoyable and end too quickly after 60-90 minutes. Sometimes I wonder if I'm too loose with my time, and maybe think that I need to place limits on these types of meetings. But the benefits of truly connecting with an interesting person (which I really can't see how you could do in 20-30 minutes) seem to outweigh the costs, for me. For now, at least.
Phil Labelle said on 2.04.2009 at 9:16 AM
What ever comes out of this meeting will surely be valuable. Efficiency is a key factor in building a valuable network.
Jeremy said on 2.04.2009 at 2:49 PM
Wow, what a loyal group of followers that Rasul has.
Bottom line is that I agree w/Phil. Efficiency is key and my assessment is that 30 minutes, for an initial conversation, is probably enough to assess whether a follow-on is worthwhile. It's like dating. First, coffee...then dinner.
Rasul and I chatted for 1.5 hours and it certainly was worth it!
Nevertheless, I stand by my game plan. Time is valuable and we all have to earn additional attention with each interaction. Think Gladwell's "Blink." Each person is interesting and valuable, of course, but may not be relevant to your business, thus you need to protect your time well.
Thanks for the great comments!