I attended a wedding and met a competitor who works nearby. Soon thereafter he asked me to lunch. Hesitantly I accepted.
Ya nevah know.
Indeed. After an enjoyable lunch I came away finding a resource for something a client needed asap that he knew of, but we were soon to start to develop. Likely: energy and effort saved.
During the lunch we realized how much we complemented each other in our aims and our business orientation though with different industries. New referral opportunities.
Coming to the proverbial table with the wrong attitude was my fault. Congenial and honest conversation led to cross-referral opportunities.
Back at our respective offices, he immediately emailed with more material to further the good feeling from the lunch.
Rats-he sent it before I could email a thank you!
To Rich, this is the biggest thank you I can send you!
Mandatory LinkedIn moral to the story: I familiarized myself with his background via LinkedIn before the lunch.
It’s what happened at the lunch and after it that pleasantly surprised me.
Ya nevah know.
I often work closely with folks viewed by outsiders looking in as competitors.