Talk to Strangers: How Everyday, Random Encounters Can Expand Your Business, Career, Income, and Life by David Topus Read Free Book Online
Authors: David Topus
it published.”
Needless to say, I was delighted to provide one for her, and that random encounter gave this woman what may very well be the biggest opportunity of her lifetime, not to mention a book that may enhance the lives of hundreds of thousands of teens around the world. All this was possible because of synchronicity and the willingness to pierce the veil of autonomy and talk to a stranger.
We are far more dependent on each other than we even realize. Did you accomplish your greatest achievements by yourself? How many others contributed to or influenced your success, either directly or indirectly? Go so far as to think back to your childhood; didn’t your teachers, friends, friends’ parents, coaches, or maybe a boss or mentor help you in some way?
If you still don’t believe that you need others to achieve your goals and dreams, you won’t be inclined to reach out to them—in random encounters or otherwise. And you will sadly miss the opportunities that surround you every day. It is in most people’s natures to want to help others. It gives us a sense of purpose and of accomplishment. It just feels good. Helping each other is what makes the world go ’round.
CASE STUDY: Synchronicity turned a leisurely cigar conversation at a downtown Chicago smoking lounge into a major business deal for Andy T. and Jim N.
As Jim tells it:
Nearly a year ago, my business partner was enjoying a cigar at a downtown Chicago cigar store and smoking lounge—an ideal setting for conversation on any subject you may imagine. He began chatting with a fellow smoker, a complete stranger, sharing opinions about their favorite cigars, where they buy them, and where they smoke them. After building some rapport, the conversation eventually turned to business, and the fellow cigar smoker found my partner’s business intriguing. He suggested my partner call a colleague of his named Fred who might be very interested in learning more about our company. He gave my partner Fred’s phone number, and my partner turned it over to me for follow-up.
Not wanting to pass up a potential business opportunity, I called Fred who—as it turns out—was a senior vice president at a major supermarket chain with stores across the United States and Europe. His company would be a great target for our product. I learned about a new potential customer and was introduced to other decision makers in Fred’s organization. Had we made that connection only through the introduction by the fellow cigar smoker, it would have been a great story. However, Fred was just about to leave his position with the supermarket chain and was going to launch his own business. We worked with him on his business plan, but he was offered a senior job at another supermarket chain just as he was about to launch it. In the interim, Fred had introduced us to his business partner for the company he was going to start, who also had contacts at leading supermarkets throughout the world. As it turned out, Fred took the new job and will hopefully become a customer. But his business partner has joined forces with our company and is selling our products to customers across the country. None of this would’ve happened had it not been for the chance encounter that my partner had with a fellow cigar smoker on the North Shore of Chicago. You just never know who will be on the other end of that first handshake with a stranger and where it will lead.
Chapter at a Glance
We need each other to achieve our goals and dreams; we can’t do it alone.
Even those who get the credit for creating great things will ultimately admit they needed others to make it happen.
It is human nature to want to help others.
When we help one another, we tap into the magic of synchronicity.
Chapter 10
The Four Beliefs of Successful Random Connectors
Although successful random connecting takes practice and skill, it requires something
Needless to say, I was delighted to provide one for her, and that random encounter gave this woman what may very well be the biggest opportunity of her lifetime, not to mention a book that may enhance the lives of hundreds of thousands of teens around the world. All this was possible because of synchronicity and the willingness to pierce the veil of autonomy and talk to a stranger.
We are far more dependent on each other than we even realize. Did you accomplish your greatest achievements by yourself? How many others contributed to or influenced your success, either directly or indirectly? Go so far as to think back to your childhood; didn’t your teachers, friends, friends’ parents, coaches, or maybe a boss or mentor help you in some way?
If you still don’t believe that you need others to achieve your goals and dreams, you won’t be inclined to reach out to them—in random encounters or otherwise. And you will sadly miss the opportunities that surround you every day. It is in most people’s natures to want to help others. It gives us a sense of purpose and of accomplishment. It just feels good. Helping each other is what makes the world go ’round.
CASE STUDY: Synchronicity turned a leisurely cigar conversation at a downtown Chicago smoking lounge into a major business deal for Andy T. and Jim N.
As Jim tells it:
Nearly a year ago, my business partner was enjoying a cigar at a downtown Chicago cigar store and smoking lounge—an ideal setting for conversation on any subject you may imagine. He began chatting with a fellow smoker, a complete stranger, sharing opinions about their favorite cigars, where they buy them, and where they smoke them. After building some rapport, the conversation eventually turned to business, and the fellow cigar smoker found my partner’s business intriguing. He suggested my partner call a colleague of his named Fred who might be very interested in learning more about our company. He gave my partner Fred’s phone number, and my partner turned it over to me for follow-up.
Not wanting to pass up a potential business opportunity, I called Fred who—as it turns out—was a senior vice president at a major supermarket chain with stores across the United States and Europe. His company would be a great target for our product. I learned about a new potential customer and was introduced to other decision makers in Fred’s organization. Had we made that connection only through the introduction by the fellow cigar smoker, it would have been a great story. However, Fred was just about to leave his position with the supermarket chain and was going to launch his own business. We worked with him on his business plan, but he was offered a senior job at another supermarket chain just as he was about to launch it. In the interim, Fred had introduced us to his business partner for the company he was going to start, who also had contacts at leading supermarkets throughout the world. As it turned out, Fred took the new job and will hopefully become a customer. But his business partner has joined forces with our company and is selling our products to customers across the country. None of this would’ve happened had it not been for the chance encounter that my partner had with a fellow cigar smoker on the North Shore of Chicago. You just never know who will be on the other end of that first handshake with a stranger and where it will lead.
Chapter at a Glance
We need each other to achieve our goals and dreams; we can’t do it alone.
Even those who get the credit for creating great things will ultimately admit they needed others to make it happen.
It is human nature to want to help others.
When we help one another, we tap into the magic of synchronicity.
Chapter 10
The Four Beliefs of Successful Random Connectors
Although successful random connecting takes practice and skill, it requires something
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