STOP - Nobody cares what you do!

When talking to a prospect, if you start the conversation by introducing yourself and your outstanding product, you are well on the way to losing the attention and interest of your audience.

Similar to “First Dates" when you spend the time talking about yourself and not listening to the person opposite you, a second date is doubtful.

Whether it's affairs of the heart or business affairs, let the other person do most of the talking and you the listening if you wish for further engagement.

Prepare

Research the company:

The following suggestions are obvious - look at the website, LinkedIn, Newsletter, posts online, look up company results.

The Person:

Review their profile on LinkedIn, Twitter etc.

Where did they go to college, what did they study, where have they worked in the past, do you have any mutual connections, can they be useful?

Too Busy:

Often, people tell me they do not have the time to research as they are busy, busy, busy.

So are the people you plan to meet, do not waste their time by arriving unprepared in the hope that they will give you time to waffle on, in the belief you will say something that might engage them.

Successful businesses succeed as they seek to overcome problems quickly by partnering with people who turn up at meetings with an in-depth knowledge of their problems/issues and quickly explain how they can fix the problem.

“The majority see the obstacles; the few see the objectives; history records the success of the latter, while oblivion is the reward of the former” - Anonymous

When you focus on what you do (your product), people find reasons for doing nothing; no budget, wrong time of the year, too much disruption etc. etc.

Focus your conversation on the great outcomes as a result of your intervention and not on how you do it.

People will then buy into your solution and find a way to work with you.

It's a Win-Win situation. Prospects get their problem solved and you get the business.

If you wish to hear your prospect say “Yes”, why not talk to me - together we can capture your business story and create conversations/presentations that will quickly engage your audience.

"Connect 2 Grow", our Communication Skills Programme, takes place in November. Registration is now open!