Talk to Strangers: How Everyday, Random Encounters Can Expand Your Business, Career, Income, and Life

2. Everyone Can Be Met

What you believe is possible has everything to do with what you make happen. There are some who believe that strangers are meant to stay that way, that people aren’t really available, don’t want to be bothered, and are shut down, shut off, and inaccessible. And since our beliefs precede our behavior—and therefore, our results—those who believe that people are not open or available find that people aren’t open or available. They create their own reality. They fail to make eye contact with strangers or pay attention to what others are doing. They surely don’t strike up conversations about a shared experience in the moment. And as a result, they also probably have a small and stagnant base of contacts, with an opportunity pipeline that trickles rather than gushes. And their options for personal, professional, and financial growth are probably limited.

Successful random connectors, on the other hand, firmly believe that just about anyone can be met—that if approached appropriately and respectfully, most people are willing to connect with others. Think about the times when you have made a connection with a stranger; you will realize that just below the surface, the person was quite open and willing.

Have you ever made a lighthearted comment to a stranger and had the person scowl at you? Have you ever made a remark to someone you didn’t know in an effort to befriend him or her only to be completely ignored? Most people who are out and about in public places—whether ...