I had the pleasure of sitting next to Jane at a networking meeting a few of weeks ago. Random chance placed we two somewhat introverted people at the table next to each other, and for the first 5-10 minutes we didn't speak to each other at all. This of course defies traditional networking convention. Within 30 seconds of sitting down shouldn't I have introduced myself, given her my sales pitch and business card? Am I losing a sale here, and should I just forget about networking because I am not good at it?

In a word, "no".

It turns out that after a while Jane and I finally did get to talking, I learned that Jane is a fine artist, that's what she does, but beyond that I learned she has a background in computer graphics, 3d modeling and working with a very high profile computer gaming company - all of which I find interesting. And this, rather than focusing on how I can help her business and vice-versa was the topic of conversation over the next 10 minutes. I learned about Jane as a person, an artist and a small business owner, and not once during the conversation did she ever focus on what she and her business could get out of talking with me. Jane focused on establishing a personal connection rather than making a sale.

Congratulations Jane, you get it.

Well, after we talked Jane did ask me for my business card - that's important! She asked for the card. Do you see the value that has over me springing the card on her and moving on to the next person? This is called Permission Marketing, and it absolutely best way you can network your business. I in turn asked for her business card, and at that point I was truly interested in learning about her business and how I might be able to help her. But it wasn't until we both had made a small investment in the personal relationship first. Jane even was kind enough to offer to email over a software program that she was using to test drive - that's huge value.

Again, Jane gets it.

So why and how did this networking connection work? You can come up with your own theories, I am convinced it worked because each person:
* Invested in the relationship first rather than what they can get
* Gained permission first to market their business
* Wanted to provide value for the other person

Since that meeting I've emailed Jane a couple of times, got her permission to send her our weekly email bulletin called the "Can-Do Confidence Builder", and in turn I've looked at Jane's web site and artwork - she's fantastic, you can view her artwork at www.janebradleyart.com. If I meet people in the future that are looking for her type of artwork, I will be more than happy to send them to Jane - all because of a 10-minute conversation.