A simple thought for today. Be interested in people before focussing on doing business with them. Then connect the dots and see where that leads.
Today I had a call with someone who I was introduced to by a client who felt we could have common ground in general but also in one specific area. On the call, though we did talk a little about that area, quite quickly I asked to pause and talk more widely, so we first both told our stories (in a contextually relevant way), and then we got onto talking more broadly about our areas of focus and interests, having a stimulating and fascinating conversation on zoom for over an hour.
In short, we were both interested in each other and so shared and asked questions about a wide variety of overlapping and intersecting subjects. After a while, we centred onto a few key areas and connected a number of dots and so will meet again soon to continue the conversation and see where that leads.
I highly recommend this approach when meeting new people. Rather than race to see “what business can we do together”, instead simply be interested. That approach will build a relationship that, should it be right for you to do business, will have created a firm foundation of trust and understanding before you begin that.