4. You Can Enhance the Life of Everyone You Meet
The fourth and final belief of successful random networkers is the knowledge that you have value to others who will ultimately drive your success. Random connecting isn’t just about what others can do for you; it’s about what you can bring to them, too. And no matter what you do for a living or where you are in your life, you always have some kind of value to offer. It might come from the company you represent, the products you sell, the services you provide, your subject matter knowledge in your area of expertise, your insights, and all that you can offer others from your portfolio of professional and personal experiences.
People are going to buy what you offer only if those things make a positive difference to them. They are going to contract for your services only if you somehow will improve their life or circumstances. And people are going to be far more inclined to share high-quality information with you—the kind that expands your life—if you share some quality information with them.
You are worthy of others’ time and attention. You have the ability to change their lives for the better, but only if you believe you can.
Knowing and living this fourth belief will give you the confidence to reach out to others, in any place and under any circumstance. You are worthy of every random encounter you make—and the connection that follows—by virtue of what you bring, what you know, what you do, and just who you are.
How you think about the world around you and the people in it makes all the difference in your ability to expand your life through making random connections and turning strangers into productive relationships. In Table 10.1, notice the difference between the two columns and how much more opportunity there will be for you when you embrace the beliefs that expand your possibilities.
Table 10.1 What You Believe Is Directly Related to What You Achieve
| Beliefs That Will Limit You From Expanding Your Life | Beliefs That Will Enable You to Expand Your Life |
| The world is not a friendly place. | The world is a friendly place. |
| I don’t have anything worthwhile to offer. | My product, service, or subject matter knowledge is valuable to others. |
| If I am not sitting or standing near the other person, it’s impossible to connect. | I can maneuver my way to be close enough to initiate a conversation. |
| People don’t want to be bothered. | People are social creatures and hungry for human connection. |
| That person probably isn’t worth meeting. | Everyone has something worthwhile to offer, and I just don’t know what it is yet. |
| People don’t like to talk about themselves. | People like it when someone else shows interest in them. |
| I don’t know what to say to initiate the conversation. | There are dozens of observations I can make, insights I can share, or questions I can ask that will create a conversation path. |
| Others will think I’m weird if I just start talking to them. | People will open up and respond favorably if I approach them respectfully by showing curiosity and genuine interest. |
| He doesn’t look friendly. | People don’t always look like what or who they are, and the only way I’ll know is if I make a friendly comment. |
| She (or he) might think I am hitting on her (or him). | If I keep the conversation on purely professional terms, she (or he) will not misconstrue my intention. |
| I am not a desirable job candidate. | My background and experience make me a valuable contributor wherever I work. |
| If I try to sell this person something, he or she will resent it. | What I offer makes others’ lives better, so he or she is likely to be glad I made it available. |
Do you want more clients? Would you like to gain a competitive advantage in your industry? Build partnerships and alliances for your business? Have an investor in your company? Explore a different career direction? Find a new job? You can define your goals, write a business plan, and map a strategy, but at the end of the day you will need people to help make it happen.
It always has been, and always will be, through who we know that we achieve our goals, realize our dreams, and expand our lives. And although the advent of social media provides a fabulous new channel for meeting and communicating with people, if you want connections that turn into productive business relationships, you are likely to find them in your daily travels, every day, all day long.
The world is a friendly place, and you can meet anyone, finding customers, partners, investors, mentors, and friends, simply by talking to strangers. You are just a comment, a question, a remark, or a compliment away from tapping unlimited potential. In the next section you will discover the key principles and techniques for turning your everyday random encounters into meaningful and productive relationships.