March 2008 Newsletter--p.2
...From Leigh
Progress-Focused Questions and Build Priceless
Business Relationships by Dean Lindsay :
Insight from Cracking the Networking CODE
When meeting a person you might want to build a priceless business relationship with, do NOT
hog the conversation and start talking about yourself, your business, or how cool you are. A
much better choice is to invest the lion’s share of the discussion asking questions about that
person and their life. Find out what PROGRESS means to them. You make a much more
powerful impression, a much more memorable impression, being interested in others rather than
trying to be interesting to others. This should ease your mind and help you relax because now
the pressure is off. All you have to do is work to answer these questions.
What is most important to that person at this moment?
What can I do to help this person progress?
Start by asking the person you are chatting with Who, What, Where, Why and How kinds of
questions.
People want and need to talk about THEIR business, NOT YOURS. That’s cool encourage them.
It gets you valuable follow -up info and saves you from having to come up with something witty.
Just listen and ask questions relating to what they say and people will think you ROCK. Always
be thinking:
How can I help this person progress toward his or her goals?
Give direct eye contact and be totally focused on trying to get to know the other person better.
People like to talk about how they got to where they are. The more rapport you have with an
individual, the more receptive they will be to establishing a relationship with you. Ask
conversational questions that bring out the contact’s uniqueness. Listen carefully and
concentrate on what the person is saying. Get curious. It makes no sense to ask questions if you
are not interested in the answers. Their answers should make it easier to make positive
impressions in the future. People love to talk about themselves, so master the art of asking
questions and listening to the responses so you can ask relevant questions.
It makes no sense to ask questions if you are not interested in the answers. Their answers
should make it easier to make positive impressions in the future. People love to talk about
themselves, so master the art of asking questions and listening to the responses so you can ask
relevant questions. If you can help them with a tidbit of information or link them to a resource,
you will be seen as a caring and knowledgeable person. You can either make a suggestion
related to what their needs are, or help them in some other way. The person will remember that
you were able to help them out. Plus you will gain knowledge. Knowledge is power, and asking
questions is seeking that power. Asking people questions about themselves makes you stand
out in their mind. add these to your conversational Rolodex:
Tell me more.
Please elaborate.
What are your ideas about…?
There is something I would like to ask you…
What is your opinion on…?
Do not ask questions in rapid-fire succession. This is not a Dragnet interrogation or a time for
cross-examination. Nor is it a time to relive your glory days on the debate team . Avoid asking
questions that are manipulative, boring, embarrassing, hostile, confrontational, insulting , or too
intimate. When you approach people, they will start talking about something, so follow that with
them and go with the flow. Abrupt changes in conversational course cause confusion and
frustration. Every question you ask makes a statement about you. Only ask questions that make
you look good (smart, concerned, with -it, etc.). Remember, it is going to take a series of
progress-based impressions to go from met to net. Ask questions that help you with those future
impressions. Ask questions that help you find the next step in building the relationship. The more
you know about the person (their interests, their business, their needs, their likes, their family),
the more ways you will have to Be Progress for them in the future. A major goal in connecting
with someone that first time should be finding that next step. Ask real questions. Get curious.
...From Leigh
Progress-Focused Questions and Build Priceless
Business Relationships by Dean Lindsay :
Insight from Cracking the Networking CODE
When meeting a person you might want to build a priceless business relationship with, do NOT
hog the conversation and start talking about yourself, your business, or how cool you are. A
much better choice is to invest the lion’s share of the discussion asking questions about that
person and their life. Find out what PROGRESS means to them. You make a much more
powerful impression, a much more memorable impression, being interested in others rather than
trying to be interesting to others. This should ease your mind and help you relax because now
the pressure is off. All you have to do is work to answer these questions.
What is most important to that person at this moment?
What can I do to help this person progress?
Start by asking the person you are chatting with Who, What, Where, Why and How kinds of
questions.
People want and need to talk about THEIR business, NOT YOURS. That’s cool encourage them.
It gets you valuable follow -up info and saves you from having to come up with something witty.
Just listen and ask questions relating to what they say and people will think you ROCK. Always
be thinking:
How can I help this person progress toward his or her goals?
Give direct eye contact and be totally focused on trying to get to know the other person better.
People like to talk about how they got to where they are. The more rapport you have with an
individual, the more receptive they will be to establishing a relationship with you. Ask
conversational questions that bring out the contact’s uniqueness. Listen carefully and
concentrate on what the person is saying. Get curious. It makes no sense to ask questions if you
are not interested in the answers. Their answers should make it easier to make positive
impressions in the future. People love to talk about themselves, so master the art of asking
questions and listening to the responses so you can ask relevant questions.
It makes no sense to ask questions if you are not interested in the answers. Their answers
should make it easier to make positive impressions in the future. People love to talk about
themselves, so master the art of asking questions and listening to the responses so you can ask
relevant questions. If you can help them with a tidbit of information or link them to a resource,
you will be seen as a caring and knowledgeable person. You can either make a suggestion
related to what their needs are, or help them in some other way. The person will remember that
you were able to help them out. Plus you will gain knowledge. Knowledge is power, and asking
questions is seeking that power. Asking people questions about themselves makes you stand
out in their mind. add these to your conversational Rolodex:
Tell me more.
Please elaborate.
What are your ideas about…?
There is something I would like to ask you…
What is your opinion on…?
Do not ask questions in rapid-fire succession. This is not a Dragnet interrogation or a time for
cross-examination. Nor is it a time to relive your glory days on the debate team . Avoid asking
questions that are manipulative, boring, embarrassing, hostile, confrontational, insulting , or too
intimate. When you approach people, they will start talking about something, so follow that with
them and go with the flow. Abrupt changes in conversational course cause confusion and
frustration. Every question you ask makes a statement about you. Only ask questions that make
you look good (smart, concerned, with -it, etc.). Remember, it is going to take a series of
progress-based impressions to go from met to net. Ask questions that help you with those future
impressions. Ask questions that help you find the next step in building the relationship. The more
you know about the person (their interests, their business, their needs, their likes, their family),
the more ways you will have to Be Progress for them in the future. A major goal in connecting
with someone that first time should be finding that next step. Ask real questions. Get curious.
