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Stop trying to be interesting and be INTERESTED.

Guest post by: Patrick T. Malone

Article Overview: Last week I wrote about identifying your potential follower/customers point of view at any moment in the conversation. And we introduced you to Apathetic Agnes through Confident Connie with a variety of other attitudes in between. So now that you have answered, “Where are you?” the next question is “What do I do now?” The simple answer is be INTERESTED, not interesting.

Stop trying to be interesting and be INTERESTED.

Last week I wrote about identifying your potential follower/customers point of view at any moment in the conversation. And we introduced you to Apathetic Agnes through Confident Connie with a variety of other attitudes in between. So now that you have answered, “Where are you?” the next question is “What do I do now?” The simple answer is be INTERESTED, not interesting.

Four words will guide you – attention, response, understanding, respect.

First, give your follower/customer 100% of your attention. Each attitude has a certain amount of energy, so make sure your response has a similar amount. Instead of saying you understand, prove that you have an understanding. And most importantly, respect your follower/customers right to a different point of view than yours at any moment in the conversation.

The following examples will demonstrate those four words in action for each of your potential follower/customers.

Apathetic Agnes – “Sounds like it isn’t a priority…” “Appears that is not important…” “Looks as if there are more important issues…”

Whining William - “That appears to be a real problem…” “It must be difficult…” “That sounds frustrating…”

Risky Roy – “That looks like a real uncomfortable situation…” “It appears to be risky…” “Sounds like there are some things that need to be avoided…”

Hostile Harriet – “Got it, what’s wrong?” “Let’s stop here. What is the problem?” “Let’s not go any further until we fix that.”

Skeptical Sally – “That’s a reasonable concern…” “Sounds like some proof is needed…” “At this point skepticism is understandable…”

Neutral Nelson – “Glad you are open to the idea…” “ Thanks…” “I welcome the opportunity to share this information with you…”

Studious Stephanie – “There is a lot of information to digest…” “Some analysis is appropriate before proceeding…” “It never hurts to check the data…”

Interested Ida – Simply answer their questions

Enthused Ed – “That does seem to have numerous possibilities…” “”Yeah, just imagine the possibilities…” “I loved that aspect also…”

Confident Connie – “Then let’s do it.” “Thank you for your confidence in us…” “Based on that, I suggest we move forward…”

While each of these examples could be a complete sentence, you will notice that I have left room for a continuation of the conversation into an appropriate action plan for each point of view. Next month I will talk about aligned solutions and provide you with some examples.

For now, concentrate on your ability to provide your follower/customer with an acknowledgement that is appropriate for their point of view. Most people are more responsive to leaders who are INTERESTED in them rather than those who try to be interesting to them.

Related Articles
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  Social Media Principle 1 – People Not Consumers
  Aligning – Doing Business from the Customer’s Perspective
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  The Power of PR Make Yourself Newsworthy
  I'm Not Interesting Enough to be in the Media
  Networking and Joint Ventures-Why to Ignore Your Competition
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  Are You a Baby Boomer and Is Retirement for You?
  Miss Congeniality

Article Tags: acknowledging, interesting, rapport, respect



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