A few posts back I spoke about my convoluted path to meeting Karen MacNab. Here is another example of how the path to someone is not always a straight line. Since it is a bit convoluted please stick with me. That is the point.

On pages 44-47 of  my book “Turn your Business Card into Business” I speak about the use of magnetic business cards as a useful device to deliver your message and encourage potential clients to keep your name accessible. These are ideal for ambulance and other emergency services; pizza and other food delivery services; and of course insurance and retail agents as well as others find them handy. While browsing through my local big box office supply store I encountered some prepackaged business card sized magnets with a pressure sensitive side that allows the user to afix their own business card to the magnetic material thus creating their own business card magnets in small quantities. I had seen these before and written about them but now it made me think that I should contact this company and see if we might be able to create some kind of alliance.

I contacted the company and was solidly rebuffed by the marketing manager who did not even care to entertain the notion. Figuring that I was not dealing with the decision maker anyway I decided to move up the food chain. Somewhere online I discovered that Chuck Rizzo was the president of the company and decided to take my proposal to him. This however did not end well either as I absolutely could not get through the gate keepers. In a last attempt I sent a book off to Chuck but still did not hear back.

Fast forward almost 2 years later and I read a post at LinkedIn by Chuck Rizzo explaining how he managed to get his product into a major big box office suppply store after being turned down by the product buyer because he sent the product directly to the company president via FedX. Great story. But why was it not my story? I responded to Chuck via LinkedIn and told him how I had tried in vain to get through to him to no avail.

About one day later my phone rings and it is Chuck Rizzo calling to explain that shortly before I tried to contact him he had actually sold the company and left. We had a good laugh! I wondered why the people I spoke to did not at least tell me that Chuck was no longer there. But then I understand that they felt there was not need to help me.

As far as Chuck was concerned we ended up having a nice conversation for about 30 minutes during which he told me about the many items he had developed and marketed through many of the major mass merchandisers. He had left his original company because he wanted to persue what he did best which is develop products and help others develop and sell products that can be distributed through mass merchandisers.

It seems Chuck Rizzo and I did not meet under the circumstances I had imagined but we did ultimately connect and I believe he will be a friend and valuable business contact for me and others in my network. If you have a product or know someone that has a product suitable for a mass market that needs further development and marketing assistance. Take a look at Chuck’s website.  http://www.takemenational.com .

The path to your goal may not be the straight line you envisioned. Continue to reach out and grow your network. Today is June 1st and Day 36 of my challenge to meet 100 new people in 50 days and Chuck Rizzo is number 60. You can see I need to meet 40 more people in the next two weeks so if there is someone you think I should meet let me know.