I stopped by Best Buy today to pick up a mounting bracket for our new TV. On the way through the checkout line I struck up a brief conversation with Lori, the cashier. With a few questions and in a surprisingly short amount of time, I found out quite a bit about her, including her home town, her plans for the holidays, some of her family history, her upcoming work load, and her preferences with regards to animated television shows.
Not bad for the five minutes it took to ring up my sale.
Now imagine what we should be able to do with a full hour with someone else.
This is why one-to-one meetings are such a valuable part of our networking practice. It really is a wonderful opportunity to connect in a meaningful way with members or potential members of our networks.
And we won’t have to worry about the folks waiting behind us in line getting upset about us taking too long.
Photo credit: By U.S. Navy Journalist 2nd Class Jim Williams. [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
![By U.S. Navy Journalist 2nd Class Jim Williams. [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons](http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:US_Navy_030620-N-7391W-007_Cashier_Sue_Amine_assists_a_customer_at_the_Pearl_Harbor_Commissary,_run_by_Defense_Commissary_Agency's_(DeCA),_in_the_new_Pearl_Harbor_mall_complex,_which_opened_earlier_this_year.jpg){kind=link}