Felix Thea

Part two of my “Never Eat Alone” blog series will cover best practices for creating the strongest relationship possible from brief encounters.  Keith Ferrazzi, author of “Never Eat Alone,” considers a “fast and meaningful” connection a “deep bump.”  Based on anecdotal evidence (read: personal observations), a skilled deep bumper can open doors of opportunities to connect with potential mentors and business partners – who are usually so busy that you will only catch them for a few vital minutes in your office hallway, on an elevator or at a conference – on a daily basis.

A deep bump is not an ice breaker to begin an extensive dialogue; rather, the goal is to make introductions and secure a followup meeting.  Thus, deep bumps are most useful at places where either party has limited time, such as at conference or networking event.

So how do you do it?  Get intimate!  What I mean is that you should go beyond business by asking questions and revealing yourself in a way that might make you feel vulnerable.  This is another example of the changing norms of professional interactions.  We’re all working so many hours a day that it’s not only commonplace, but preferable for our social and professional relationships to overlap.  Why regulate a professional connection to a shade of a friendship bond?  As with most things in life, you’ll be more successful if you plan and prepare.  If you know you’re going to meet someone at a conference or you plan on catching your company’s vice president in the hallway, do your research.  Find shared interests and connections so when you do get the chance to chat, you can talk less shop.  Here’s where you can do your research:

1. Look at their LinkedIn profile – see what groups or hobbies they’ve listed, are you genuinely interested in any of those?
2. Read their articles/blogs – think of a killer question or provide your unique perspective
3. Be a Knowledge Broker - this is the most effective technique to create a deep bump because you have moved beyond discussing shared interest into showing that you have value and are worth their time.  You have tapped into what Keith calls their WIIFM station: “What’s In It For Me?”

So whether you want to create a deep bump to sell your product or to find a mentor, the goal is to leave the encounter having parlayed a time and date or an email / phone number to set up a followup.