This is the place to start when building a new relationship.
The first step is knowing at least a little bit about the people you will be meeting with. The Internet is a great place to gather some basic information. Do they have a LinkedIn or Facebook profile? Do they have a website? From these sources, you can often get some idea of who they are and who they work with. Knowing that, you can make a few plans.
If they work with people you want to work with, great. You know some possible introductions you can ask for. Make some educated guesses about the types of businesses they probably know. Some of those might be good referral sources to ask for.
Think about who you might know who might be potential clients. Or who might be good strategic partners. Make a list prior to the meeting.
In other words, walk in armed with some possibilities. Then during the meeting, listen carefully. Ask questions about who they work with. Compare the information to the educated guesses you made. Think about who else you might know who they need to meet.
Of course, you want to be very clear about who you need to meet. Are the people they work with potential clients or strategic partners of yours? Do they know people who could be good mentors? Or people whose services you need? All of those are good introductions to ask for.
Finally, try to find something out about them personally. Perhaps you have shared interests. Or one of your clients is absolutely passionate about something this person likes. Shared interests give you easy ways to make introductions and follow up in the future.
If you have done all these steps, and the other person is at least willing to try, each of you should walk out of that meeting with some actions to take. Introductions to make. Events to attend together. Articles to send each other. The possibilities are endless.
The next step, of course, is to do implement the actions you said you would take. If you do what you committed to, you make it much more likely that the other person will do likewise. And the reverse is true. Sometimes people we have just met test us to see if we are committed. Make sure you pass that test!
Tags: Referrals, Relationship building