It is very common for us to keep talking about our businesses when we attend networking events when meeting up new people. After a while, you will realize that people are not really interested in what you are talking, they have something going on in their mind – What’s In It For ME! Being part of the BNI networking group, I learnt something that I think is worth sharing in this post.
You will find the following techniques useful if you are meeting a lot of new contacts every now and then. If you are a BNI member currently, I would suggest you to use some of the techniques below to capture the attention of the people who are listening and create an impact in your sales manager minute.
Ask Questions
This is by far the most effective method that I use to get people to listen to me. I figure out that the less you talk, the more people want to listen to you – especially when you are addressing to their concerns. Hence, asking questions so that you know the key concerns that are bothering the people is extremely important.
In a elevator pitch, it is also useful to start off with a question as a lead to the solutions you are providing. This method can also save you time in prospecting. Through questioning, you can filter and better target the people around you.
Another reason why questioning works greatly is because it makes people think. You may be surprised that most people you are talking to actually do not think and process the words you say. I am guilty of this as well, sometimes we are just not in the mood to listen or just have too many things on our mind… whatever the reasons. Hence, asking questions will make your listener think and express their opinions.
Use more ‘You’ than ‘I’ or ‘We’
One way to help you become a more interesting person is to use ‘You’ more often when meeting new contacts. This powerful method will help you become more concerned about your prospects or even friends around you. A good ratio is 3:1 – meaning that for every ‘I’ or ‘We’ you say, you must mention ‘You’ three times more.
This method works extremely well when you are asking questions. If you can get your listener to share with you about what he or she is passionate. They will be more open to listen to you especially if you can help them to achieve what they want.
Use their common language / lingo
This method takes a bit more effort but is certainly rewarding! People pay additional attention to the professional terms they often use. For example, the word, ‘PageRank’ will turn on most Search Engine Optimizers (including me!).
I know of a lady who can always think of relevant analogy in terms of her listener. And it always delights me when she came out new analogy that links my trade to hers (she is in the health and wellness industry).
I would like to end off with this advice – at least be passionate about the things you say. Most people will forget what you say several weeks later but if you can come across as a highly passionate person in the things you share, people will normally remember you longer. A lot of times it is how you say that creates an impact!
I hope that these advices here will help you in someway or another. Let us be interesting =)
