It’s not who you meet it’s how much people care about you and your idea. I could meet Bill Gates tomorrow and tell him about my amazing Twitter Parties, but he probably wouldn’t care. He doesn’t need an online party to be successful. He would probably be polite, take my business card and we’d never speak again.
I’m telling you this because like the rest of us, you probably get caught up in meeting big time people in your industry. You want the big players to notice you. This is good if your company is ready, but if it’s not, it’s a waste of your time.
You have to be willing to talk with everyone and think of them as if they are Bill Gates of your industry. This is hard to do. You have to slightly rewire your brain. This is done through practice. You have to pay attention to what the person is telling you. When your attention wanders, try to catch this quickly and bring your attention back to the person you are in a conversation with.
When your attention wanders you are missing out on a chance to create a connection. You are missing out on an opportunity to learn about someone’s superpowers.
Next time you are talking with someone who doesn’t seem like a good fit, try reigning in your entrepreneur ADD and focus back on that person. Try to find a hidden superpower that they have because one day you’ll probably need their help.