You’ve heard the old adage “telling is not selling”? It can really put the brakes on any genuine rapport building you have going for you when you are meeting with a client or prospect. You are probably an expert in your field, and if you are not, you should become one. The challenge with knowledge is that once you have it, you may tend to talk about it with authority.
I was in a meeting with a prospect a few weeks ago and the point person representing the company talked nonstop for about 30 minutes on a variety of subjects (only a few of which pertained to what I had to offer). He was the expert in his field and in his job. At a few points he got rather technical and tedious about the details of a piece of technology he was using. To be honest, when he mentioned details that I didn’t understand I got lost and it was difficult to find a pause to get clarification. So, I just let him go on and on and was looking for the next opportunity to fund an exit.
In order to keep the interest of anyone in a conversation we need to engage them and involve them in the conversation. Just because you are interested in what you are talking about doesn’t mean that the other person is. After all, each of us is a unique creature with different views and interests. If everyone in the world were like me; this world would be a crazy place and everyone would be the exact same way and want the exact same thing - BORING. My point is that everyone’s perspective is different and important to them. We need to connect with them in a way they can understand and relate to.
The key to doing this is very simple; ask questions and listen. You are probably saying to yourself, great point captain obvious. I wish it were more complex, or a secret formula, but that is how to keep someone engaged in conversation. You have probably found that people like to talk about themselves and discuss what interests them. So, ask questions about them. I have been amazed how much detail a complete stranger will offer up if I just ask a question and engage them in a conversation. Now not everyone is like that, but many are. People do like to talk if someone will listen.
Here are some keys to asking questions that will help you get information that can help you understand how to position your product or service.
• Build Rapport; ask about them, get them to open up to you. Don’t get too personal at first, as this may be viewed as invasive. Don’t be obvious about why you are doing this and a good rule of thumb is to take a genuine interest in the other person. People will sense if you are not genuine.
• Ask “have” questions. Examples are: “What do you like about what you have?”, “what would you like to have that you don’t?”.
• Qualify: Ask questions around how you can help them. Example: “If you had ___________ what would it do for you?” or “if you could do _____ how would that impact you?
The key in all of this is to ask questions. Ben Franklin said that the purpose of a conversation is to inform and to be informed. So make your conversations more interesting by asking questions that stimulate conversation points. To take it a step further, you can even pre-think your questions. Be a detective, get curious about them, their motivations, how they think. This will really separate you from the pack and give you an edge on your competition.
Respect the Torch and ignite your passion!
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