I recently attended a conference where Alfie Kohn ("Punished By Rewards", "Unconditional Parenting", etc.) spoke about parenting a child. As he described healthy ways of parenting, I was struck by the commonalities of a parent/child and a business/client relationship.
One of his speeches was summarized by "Talk Little, Ask Lots" - stop talking and be curious about the other person's needs and feelings. As a business person you want to engage in a dialogue to understand the potential client's needs and build trust. After you've introduced yourself, shift the conversation back to the client. What's their problem? When does it need to be solved? What have they tried? What's their budget?
Only after you've asked these questions can you begin to figure out if you can help them. Are they are trying to solve a symptom or a problem? Is this problem a match for your business (sometimes the best service you can provide is a referral to an expert)?
Remember, the goal of the conversation/meeting is to develop a long-term relationship. If you can communicate with passion, honesty, and wisdom you're well on your way to bridging the divide between prospect and client.
It's important to actively listen to others. We often spend most of our time in conversation waiting for our chance to jump in and impress the other person by our knowledge (or to simply talk about yourself). Pretend you're a radio interviewer: really try to get to know the person in front of you.
Business Networking Talk Little Ask Lots - To learn more about this author, visit Jay Hamilton-Roth's Website.
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Jay Hamilton-Roth
(Visit Jay's Website)
Jay Hamilton-Roth founded Many Good Ideas
(www.
ManyGoodIdeas.com) to help small
businesses brainstorm, design, and
implement effective marketing strategies.
He combines creativity with common sense
to demystify the process of getting great
results. He has used his high-tech
background from MIT to help him launch
five businesses. He consults with
companies in a wide range of industries
and publishes a monthly marketing
newsletter and daily marketing blog (ask.
ManyGoodIdeas.com)
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