IN CONTEMPT OF CONVERSATION

Worthless. Beneath consideration.

Such is to have contempt for something.

And for many in the world of business, though they wouldn't claim to be in contempt of conversation, they are in practice in contempt of it.

How can I make such a sweeping and generalised statement?

Simply because few engage in it.

But let's backtrack. What am I seeking to discuss here?

What I'm seeking to discuss, or better still, to bring into the light, is what I'll call the Art of Conversation.

But not the Art of Conversation that one might engage in when striking up a throwaway conversation with a stranger on a train, or in a supermarket queue, or at a football game.

No, I'm talking here about the Art of Conversation in business. The ability to be able to strike up a conversation with a professional stranger because one understands the power and possibility that doing so unleashes.

What power and what possibility, you might be asking?

To which I reply:

The power and possibility conversation unleashes to create business opportunities.

Conversation builds rapport conceives opportunities

It's why people still network in person. Conversation is the vehicle that turns strangers into not-strangers. As conversation continues, rapport is established, and once rapport is fully established, opportunities emerge - either to do business together, or refer one another to one another's networks, or to collaborate.

Opportunities literally abound for those who master the Art of Conversation in a business context.

And yet, in my experience, few (and particularly few business leaders) elevate conversation to the heights it deserves - instead relying on marketing, content, ads and spammy lead generation tactics.

Where have all the practitioners of the Art of Conversation gone?

Well, thankfully many of them are starting to emerge again here on LinkedIn. Possibly because it costs nothing to start a conversation, but equally possibly because LinkedIn is 'the world's largest professional network' - it's a platform that's been designed so you and I can network online with one another - and potentially millions of others around the world.

And yet for many companies, LinkedIn is still 'low priority' and, at best, dumped on the Marketing Department to broadcast the latest company news and humblebrags. Few Marketing Managers are assigned the task of building relationships with potential customers - in part because they've never been trained to do so, but also because company owners don't see the value.

Which presents you and me with a wonderful competitive advantage - if we can master the Art of Conversation ourselves. While our competitors continue to throw mud at the digital wall in the form of ads and so-so content, we can start conversations, build rapport, and conceive opportunities while our competitors continue to scratch their heads.

It's time to seize the day, friends!

CREATING OPPORTUNITIES FROM CONVERSATIONS

Here's a very loose non-pushy approach you might consider adopting:

1. Engage with others' posts on LinkedIn - between 5 and 10 a day if possible, Monday to Friday - and ask questions. In my experience, questions are the very best 'tool' to get conversations started. In my experience, few people will ignore the opportunity to answer a genuine question.

2. Invite the individual to connect on LinkedIn, thanking them for answering your question. At the same time, try to find something in their profile that will enable you to continue conversing via message - perhaps referencing a mutual connection, for example.

3. If they respond, this time by message, try to continue the conversation still further by sending a voice message or a personalised video message with a tool like Loom. By doing so, you become more 'real' to the other party. As someone once said to me in response to a personalised video, "You've gone from 2D to 3D!"

4. If they respond again, chances are rapport is starting to be established and it might be time to suggest coffee/virtual coffee. (The more you engage in this practice, the more your 'gut' will tell you when it's right to suggest taking the conversation off LinkedIn). Now, this will depend on your business goals and the value to your business in building rapport with this individual, but the beauty of being able to look someone in the eye - online or offline - should not be lost on us.

5. In the context of an online or offline face-to-face meeting, the value of the relationship conceived can really be 'nutted out' - whether, as previously mentioned, it's to do business directly with one another, or to become referral friends, or to collaborate in some way. The possibilities are immense!

CONCLUSION

So there we have it, friends. While some, in a business context, hold conversation in contempt, I, for one, definitely do not. I've seen time-and-time again how the Art of Conversation can grease the commercial cogs like little else.

In fact, why don't we start a conversation in the comments below?

Until next time, friends - happy rapport building!