How To Score Advice…Even Before You Need It
Return with me to freshman year chemistry class.
Do you remember when your professor would quiz you on the pesky periodic table? Remember freaking out when the answer wasn’t clear? When we don’t know what to do next we do nothing-unless of course you used that old trick where you talk about the one page in the textbook you actually did read… and milked it! But I digress…the point here is to look at what happens when
we “blank out” in social situations?
What happens when we meet someone who can be helpful to us eventually but not right now?
One reason why some people seem to attract more experts, mentors, and generally awesome people than others is because
they know how to “delay” the benefits that others can offer us.
Too many times we get caught up in the “what can you do for me now”
mentality that we eschew building relationships.
How do you handle the an opportunity when someone offers you their expertise before you are ready?
Here’s a true story. I recently introduced my friend to a potential mentor with 11 years experience in her industry. The mentor, we’ll call her Tracy, sent a reply email to my friend.
No answer.
A month went by.
Nothing.
When I asked my friend what happened, she said emailing Tracy was on her “to do list” because she didn’t want to reach out to her until she had a specific question. You know what Tracy thought? That my friend blew her off.
So what should she have done in this situation? B.S? Blank out? Say Nothing?
Ding ding ding…you guessed it…none of the above!
A simple way to maneuver this situation is to acknowledge the person who reached out, even if you are not ready to benefit from their expertise.
People can’t read your mind so they like to know that an introduction email wasn’t made in vain. It pays off to simply communicate that you are happy to be making the connection. You would be surprised how being upfront is met with understanding. Being upfront buys you the time you need to be prepared to benefit from a mentor relationship.
Here is an example of how my friend could have replied to Tracy:
“Hey Tracy, it is great to meet you and I really value your experience in my field. Currently I am getting my business off the ground and do not have any pressing questions. Would it be ok if I contacted you when things do get rolling with a specific question?” Thanks in advance for your time and consideration.”
This type of response creates an unwritten contract for the prospective mentor to be a willing champion later on.
But what if it takes you six months to get off the ground, will this turn the person off? Probably not. newsflash, people aren’t thinking about you like that. They have their own stuff to worry about. When you get back in touch with this person all you have to do is reference the email with the “agreement” to talk at a later date. Try this approach and let me know how this works for you.
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