(Or how to get what you want while maintaining good relationships with people.)

Lately, I have seen bunch of articles about how people are now refusing to take coffee meetings. Mostly, they seem to argue that they are a waste of time. And yes, oftentimes they are...but mostly because people don't practice the art of the coffee meeting. Yes, I think there's an art to it and most people are not aware of it. I am not sure if it's rudeness, cluelessness,  or perhaps just lack of knowledge.

So, this past Friday, I had a coffee meeting. But it achieved nothing for either party. This is what happened: "Jane" contacted me through LinkedIn. She is someone I have met a couple of times before and who recently started a new job, in a different industry. She had been in PR, and I was not sure if she had been laid off from her PR job, and now wanted to get back in. I figured she was contacting me to discuss career stuff. Also, she made it seem as though she was looking to catch up, on a friendly basis. Well, after an hour and a half of chatting, it turns out Jane really wanted to sell me on her new financial planning business. Except she never asked.