Forget “The Secret” just ask questions

Let me set the scene.

I am in Dubai in the UAE it’s a Monday Morning 07.15 and I am networking at SABCO the South African Business council ( I am British ).

I bump into a British chap who I met at a recent Danish Networking event.

We start talking and using my now natural Skills of probing and asking questions about people ( in an effort to Refer or help them ).

We navigate down an interesting path of question and answer. (it is simplified below for ease of reading. The actual process took 10 minutes)

  1. Yes both we both lived in Plymouth ( UK )
  2. Yes had both been to Cardiff (Wales )
  3. Yes we both knew the “Same” Building in Cardiff
  4. His friend lived on the 9th Floor of that building
  5. I own a property on the 9th Floor of that building
  6. His friend lived in apt 02
  7. I own apt 02

Needless to say, after we picked ourselves up off the floor. I also recall thinking back to a few months before when a previous tenant there had been late in payment and I was thinking how great it would be if I met someone in Dubai who knew them so I could chase them down if need be.!!!

Ok so maybe  “The Secret” has a point in the “Law of Attraction “ but you find out nothing unless you ask questions.

Phil Bedford

This entry was posted on Tuesday, October 20th, 2009 at 10:54 am and is filed under Uncategorized, marketing, networking, sales. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

5 Responses to “Forget “The Secret” just ask questions”

  1. Ziad on October 20th, 2009 at 11:15 am

    Phil,
    Read “The Secret” again! You’ve already attracted a late payer and now his friend!
    Ziad

  2. Niraj on October 20th, 2009 at 11:54 am

    Interesting, would have never guessed that to happen! the power of networking for sure..

    truly amazing!

    :)

  3. Susan on October 22nd, 2009 at 5:05 am

    Hey Phil – that’s such a Dubai thing lol! The very first week I was here – 7 years ago – we were in the VIP suite at the Deep Purple Concert. I heard Scottish voices behind me and having just left Scotland that was quite exciting so we turned round and started chatting to the couple – usual questions
    Me “where you from in Scotland”
    He “oh, a tiny little place in the north, you’ll never have heard of it”
    Me “Oh, Jonathan and I are from the north, try us”
    He “North of Inverness”
    Me “yes, keep going”
    He “well its a tiny place no one’s heard of on the Cromarty Firth”

    Can you guess where this is going? Yes, he came form the same tiny village as me but it gets crazier – we were in the same class at school (in fact my best friend fancied him!!) until the 4th grade when he left to do an apprenticeship and to quote him “Oh yes, I remember you – you were one of the swots, you went to Uni”

    Yes, I was. but now we’re both in the same VIP suite in Dubai 24 years later!!

  4. philbedford on January 3rd, 2010 at 2:43 pm

    Hi Susan,

    too small hey. BTW was reading your article in a magazine the other day. you are it appears quite famous:)

  5. Susan on February 11th, 2010 at 9:02 am

    LOL, or infamous :-) Which magazine?

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