Susan Clark, Senior Director of Program Development, DirectTrust
LinkedIn: Susan Clark
Clark on Connecting
I met a man in a bar. No, it wasn’t that kind of meeting. Rather, it was a networking event at a piano bar during a healthcare conference about five years ago. I was an attendee, and his cybersecurity company was one of the sponsors of the event.
Although the prospect of an immediate business connection seemed remote, we exchanged details on LinkedIn and kept in casual contact over the years. Fast forward several years, and I’m at DirectTrust and Sean Yoshikawa is now head of client partnerships at Decoto Consulting International, which helps international health tech and life science companies crack the U.S. market. He’s a super-duper connector like I am, and we have forged a deeper business relationship by introducing each other to business friends who might have common interests. Sean also connected me to other cybersecurity vendors at the time DirectTrust was creating a membership category for cybersecurity.
The following is just one example of how Sean and I help each other.
Before I went to the ViVE conference in California in February, Sean introduced me virtually to Dave Whelan, then CEO at BioscienceLA, a nonprofit catalyst for life sciences in the greater Los Angeles region. We didn’t manage to connect in person at the conference, but we did get to talking a few months later.
When I mentioned that I was traveling to Palm Springs, California, to speak at a conference, Dave asked whether I knew Jon Warner, the executive chairman of Citizen Health in Minneapolis, although he lives in Palm Springs. I looked him up on LinkedIn, and although we have a few hundred connections in common, I didn’t know him.
Jon and I met for coffee during my California trip, and we have all types of common connections. He runs a startup and serves on the advisory board for several companies.
To recap: I met Sean, who introduced me to Dave, who introduced me to Jon. During my meeting with Jon, I asked him whether he knew Sean, which he didn’t. So, I introduced Sean and Jon about a month ago, and they met virtually while Sean was in Tokyo.
Turns out, Jon had a business connection in Tokyo who was running a startup. Jon introduced Sean to that person, and they connected and met in person in Tokyo the same day and are actively doing business together now.
How’s that for a Clonnection? I’ve gone global!!
But wait, there’s more! I had written this far and was nearly ready to publish when I had a call this week with Jomo Starke, a re-connection made back from Jon Warner. I got on the phone with Jomo and he said to me, “I remember I first met you at the piano bar in DC……”. Yes, the SAME event where I met Sean. I have now reconnected both of them as well to complete the circle.
It will come as no surprise to anyone who knows me (or anyone who’s read at least one of these columns) that I am extroverted. That’s what Clonnections are all about, meeting new people, learning their stories, telling your own, and maybe finding that tie that leads to new business or new opportunities.
But first, you need to put yourself in a place where Clonnections happen. They don’t happen in your home office. They won’t happen if you’re at a conference but spend your time looking at your phone.
Be open. Be present. Maybe get a little bit out of your comfort zone, and Clonnections will happen!
