Maybe, I'm a natural salesman.
By nature (and nurture) I am a warm, outgoing and friendly person. Since I've returned to New York, many people have told me I'm "so personable and friendly."
My doorman went so far as to say, "I always see you coming. Even on a crowded sidewalk, you are the only one smiling. I like that." In my professional life, my instinct to approach another person, to ask questions and listen (really listen) to the answers, has often served me well. It's not that I'm salesman (though I can sell), it's that I enjoy interaction and all that it brings to me. I can learn from the stories others tell, the options they share and, the facts they hold as ultimate truth.
And when everything aligns, serindipity indeed!
Yesterday, I struck up a conversation with a lovely woman (and yes, some in NYC just want to be left alone). Over the conversation, I learned that she teaches at Columbia.
"Wonderful, what do you teach?" I asked.
"Huntington's Disease," she replied, then stood silently.
"Ah yes. One of my clients is an emerging non-profit, The Foundation for Mitochondrial Medicine. They were created to accelerate the development of the most viable treatments and therapies for mitochondrial disease. We've been discussing that Mitochondrial disease can look like any number of better known diseases, including Huntington's disease."
The shock on her face was brief, but I caught it. For a moment her eyebrows were raised, her mouth was slightly open. That some random person, was indirectly working in her field of study, was both unexpected and delightful.
We went on and on for about 10 more minutes.
While this is pretty cool, what’s even cooler to me is that I never would have made this connection had I not reached out and initiated the conversation. I'm a footnote to the fact that this non-profit is making credible strides forward. Like more familair diseases including Autism, Parkinson’s and, Alzheimer’s, the road ahead could require tens of years of research and hundreds of millions of dollars. My involvement has been small but, I sold them on my skills at making the complex clear and simple. Now they have a better sense of their value and, clearly communicate that to the wants and needs of their audience. Now, they can sell.
Looking forward, maybe I can connect my client and this professor. I know that I'm going to initiate the conversaton...it's in my nature.
