Good business is all about what your interactions look like as one person to the other. Your focus needs to be on creating the types of conversations that help build relationships and build rapport.
Keep an open mind and remember that not every conversations has to lead to a sale. You might be creating opportunities to sell but also, very importantly, opportunities to partner or open another door.
You know you’re on the right track as long as the focus is on building the relationship because people buy from those they know like and trust. If have the right sorts of conversations that build trust, rapport and relationships, people will connect with you and are more likely to be able to help you.
Here are 3 quick to help you to understand the other person
- Do you have a similar audience? Could this be a cross promotional partner? Might this person be right for your referral team?
- Are there any doors you can help the person to open?
- Engagement and understanding. You must genuinely engage and be interested in the person, (if not, they’ll sense it). Doing so allows you to really hear them and to quickly identify if you have a solution to their challenge.
When you focus on understanding the person, hearing their needs and challenges and how you can help each other. You move away from a transactional conversation and into building a mutual relationship from which you can both grow and benefit.