We all have common desires, such as being wanted, needed, and accepted. When you make emotional connections with your prospects and get to know them as people, you go a long way toward establishing rapport with them. It is easy to forget that prospects have lives beyond the office. If you can make an emotional connection with them, stick to them like Velcro and never lose it!
ACTION ITEM
Write yourself a note to remind you and your employees that people buy from people, then learn to “inner-view” your prospects so you can get to know what's inside them.
When Steve attended a family reunion, he was amazed at how quickly the years seemed to disappear as he talked with his long-lost relatives. That was because their common interests about the family made it easy to pick up where they had left off years before. Your prospects are ready, willing, and waiting to establish a relationship with you if you take the time to “inner-view” them. That means getting to know where they were born, where they went to school, their hobbies, their families, their pets, and their greatest accomplishments. Learn to establish at least one topic with each prospect that you can continue as a dialog each time you connect. Find common ground, and they will become not only your customers but also your friends.
TAKEAWAY
You can make more friends in two weeks by
getting interested in people than you can in two
years by trying to get people interested in you.