Over the year’s you’ve probably had millions, if not billions, of conversations. Some of those conversations may have led to personal friendships; others professional associations. Yes, you never know when a simple conversation can turn into an opportunity to market your business.
So let’s be good at this:
- Ask questions. There’s no better way to start a conversation. “Have you lived here long?” “Did you hear about (blank)?” “I love your (blank), where did you get it?” are some of my favorites. They are guaranteed to get a reply, but then you need to keep the conversation going. How?
- Be interested first. Great conversation is a dance. It’s give and take, and wit, and repartee… but listening is critical. Instead of waiting for them to stop yapping so you can pivot to your story, try asking follow-up questions instead. Like this- “Interesting. I’ve wondered about that, what is it you like most about (blank)?”
- Ask for opinions. This stops questions from feeling like an inquisition and it invites fresh thinking. The question “What’s your opinion?” and statement “In my opinion” both leave room for discussion. It communicates that you’re interested in what they think – and that’s so much more important than how tall, short, fat, rich or pretty we are. When we ask someone what they think, they immediately give us a free upgrade in their good peeps ranking.
- Make friends. If this is your goal you will almost never fail. Meet strangers with an open and accepting heart, and you’ll suddenly find new friends everywhere you go.
