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Personal performance business development skills 143
6 Powerful
7 Easy to use
8 Simple to learn
9 Tried and tested
10 100percent guaranteed
11 Quick results
12 Dramatic difference
13 You want
14 Special offer
15 Free
16 How to
17 Bargain price
18 New
19 Limited time
20 Exclusive
21 Without risk
Consciously, see how you can work some of these phrases into your copy
without overdoing it or being too contrived, like my sentence above.
Conversational networking skills and tips
I have addressed the power and inuence of social media networking earlier
on but this section looks at the basic old-fashioned skill of face-to-face
conversation. The importance of it in business development should not be
under-estimated. Here are a few tips.
Business networking opportunities are everywhere
Let me ask you a question. When was the last time you were in a business
networking situation? If you have mentally started to list your breakfast
networking meetings, trade shows, business seminars or events, you are
absolutely missing the point.
The truth is business networking opportunities are quite literally every-
where. Business networking is simply about meeting people and developing
and maintaining relationships with them. Don’t miss the fact that business
144 The Financial Times Guide to Business Development
networking is not just a formal activity that you have to separate from the
rest of your life. Your entire life is based around meeting people and the
quality of relationships that you develop will inuence how successful you
are. Whether you are on holiday, travelling on a train or standing next to
somebody in a queue, you are in a position to network all the time. Don’t
miss the opportunities that life throws at you.
At formal business social events most people feel like you
You should know that around 97percent of people going to business social
events use words like ‘apprehensive’ or ‘nervous’ to describe how they feel.
Remember this when you are looking around the room and everybody else
seems to be having a wonderful time.
You don’t need to push or do hard sell in business
networking situations
I have often seen business people pushing their way through the crowds
at a business event handing out brochures and their business cards like
hungry predators treating other guests like prey.
Not only is this not a good strategy, it is positively counter-productive.
With this in mind, do not think of business networking situations as a
place to indulge in hard sell.
The whole purpose of these events is to build on relationships you have and
to meet new people you can establish a rapport with. In the vast majority of
situations it is unlikely that anyone is going to do business with you unless
they like and trust you. You won’t establish that relationship if you pitch
to them within the rst few seconds.
Small talk is big business
I am always asked, how do you move small talk to big talk and social to
business? Here is the simple answer. In your early conversation in some
form of networking situation, don’t worry about it. Small talk is the process
of nding something in common. It is the foreplay of a conversational
relationship. Keep it simple and focus your interest on the person you are
talking to rather than on yourself. However, as a starting point to moving
things forward, make one of the small-talk conversations about them, their
business role and their business. You will nd things will ow from there.
Remember, they are there to network just like you.
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Personal performance business development skills 145
Learn the two golden rules of great conversation
The two most important tools of great conversation in any situation are:
1 just ask, and
2 just listen.
It is absolutely vital to understand that whoever asks the questions controls
the conversation. Therefore if you want to become a great conversation-
alist and a good business networker you must rst master the simple art of
asking good conversational questions. The art of asking questions is to steer
the conversation in the direction you want, always looking for common
ground.
Having asked appropriate questions make sure you listen effectively to the
responses. When you listen, be absolutely attentive with good eye contact
and facial expressions and avoid looking around for others, checking your
text messages or your watch when somebody is talking to you. People know
when you are not really listening and apart from the fact that it is simply
rude it won’t help you develop a future business relationship.
Have a personal introduction
Here is a bizarre phenomenon. Despite the fact that you have been asked
the ‘What do you do?’ question thousands of times in all sorts of situations
and will be asked many more times in the future, many people struggle
to come up with a really good answer and even seem surprised by the
question.
A good response is one that provokes further conversation and questions
and one that conveys how you help others or, at the very least, indicates
the area of your specialisation. Your answer can change according to
who you are meeting, but most important of all is to make sure you have
thought it through in advance and without hesitation are able to trot out
something helpful when required. If you can, ask whoever you are talking
to this same question rst. Their answer might inuence which response
of yours you use!
Play conversational tennis
When someone asks you a question, don’t just give one word answers.
Give a proper response and always ask questions back. Good conversations
usually involve turn taking. Each question and response leads to the likeli-
hood of the two people establishing something in common.
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