Listen Up

I invite people to take a call or meet with me all the time. Engaging with people is one of the best parts of my role, and I absolutely love it. Here's a few little things I've learned over the last while.

Generally, people avoid perceived sales outreach like the plague! They expect a hard sales pitch coming down the phone like an avalanche, so they ghost you for ages. Persistence is key here.

If and when they do engage, here's what they really should experience......

Genuine interest in them as a person. A low-pressure informal chat with lots of listening and prompting. Phrases and questions like: How are you? Tell me about yourself. What's going on in your world at the moment? What's on the horizon for you in the next six months? Do you mind if you tell me about your business? I know how you feel. Is it ok to stay in touch?

I'll tell them about myself only if they ask. People usually prefer to talk about themselves and their interests first. Take interest in this!

If they want to engage with me, they will, regardless of what I initially say to them. In the modern world, most people have done some kind of due diligence on you before you ever speak (even if it's just a Google search) Rarely do people commit to a call blind. N.B. Try to keep your online presence up to date and relevant. LinkedIn works best for professional networking.

Ultimately, you must listen more and talk less!

This approach is slow and steady, many lose patience with the effort it takes, but it works. You form genuine long-lasting relationships with people, and they don't ghost you as often, as they know you are not just trying to sell to them every time you meet.

It takes time, it takes patience, it takes perseverance, but it's so rewarding!

Try it, turn the "here's what I can do for you" into "tell me about yourself, can I help you with anything?"

Happy Friday

#Relationships #Networking #Connections #Trust #Listening