You’ve been trying to get up the courage to approach your good looking new neighbor for weeks now, but every time you run into him at the mailroom, you go weak in the knees and lose the ability to carry on an intelligible conversation. While you’re not the first person this has happened to, you don’t want to let your shyness stand in the way of what could be an amazing relationship. If you can’t seem to gather up the courage on your own, try these tips and see if it gets you any further.
Approach the person who has caught your interest and in a friendly and engaging manner, introduce yourself. It’s always good to reference something you already have in common, such as the place where you have seen him or her before. (“Hi, I’m Alex, I live in your building- I’ve seen you around the lobby a few times.”) But be careful on giving too many details- you don’t want to sound like a stalker!
Use the opportunity to strike up a conversation- don’t stress about saying the perfect thing. Just be yourself, you may only have this one chance to show the person to the awesomeness that is you- take advantage of it! Keep your chat to a brief one- you don’t want to hold him or her up, and besides, you may have caught them at a bad time. However, this is the perfect excuse for you to ask for their contact information. Explain that you’d love to continue the conversation but you have to get going, and then casually ask for his or her phone number to follow up. Once you have gotten your desired phone number, say goodbye and continue on your way. The next part can be equally as hard, especially if you’re still dealing with that shyness we discussed earlier, and that’s actually calling him or her. Just remind yourself that you would not have been successful in getting their number if they thought you were a complete and total lunatic. Take your in and run with it!
Now remember, this method isn’t a guaranteed success, and there’s a good chance you might be rejected. If this happens, resist the urge to run away as quickly as possible. Keep your tone friendly and offer up your number instead (if you have a business card handy, you can always give him or her one of these), saying that you’d love the chance to talk again sometime. This doesn’t automatically make your venture a failure- many women feel uncomfortable giving a stranger their personal information. There’s a good chance your phone may ring in a few days!
So remember, next time you run into your neighbor in the hall of your condo building, don’t be shy- ask for their number!
