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Money Conversation Deal Mastery. Ask Open Ended Questions. Listening Strategically. Maintaining Control Of The Conversation.
Money Conversation Deal Mastery
Ask Open Ended Questions The fastest ways to kill a conversation or a networking session is when you fail to ask open ended questions. If you ask someone, “Are you an accountant?” You will get a one-word reply which is “yes” Full stop. “Do you live in San Francisco?” “No…” “What is your favorite color?” “Blue” As you can see, your conversation ends abruptly or awkwardly where you will have to think of another question to ask immediately. You might even sound like a spy or a really nosy person if your questioning persists. When you ask open ended questions, it forces them to elaborate further and it reveals what the person is thinking. Ask questions like this: “What do you think of the democratic party’s decisions?” “Why did you decide to move to San Francisco?” After you ask them these questions, you can use the follow-up technique in chapter 2.2 above by getting them to elaborate further if their answers are too short.
Listening Strategically Being a good listener is one of the keys to networking your way to wealth. You may or may not realize it, but some of the best conversations one may have is not a competition of who talks the most. You must practice empathic listening. I don’t mean listening by leaning forward, with a hard stare and saying, “Um hmm, yeah, yes, hmm…” You can’t fake this. If you listen for the sake of listening, you will wind up asking them questions that makes the ‘target’ feel as though they were talking to a brick wall all along. Listening emphatically helps you to ask intelligent questions from the perspective of the ‘target’. But make sure you allow them to finish without interruption. Remember, they will respect you more when you show genuine interest in what they are saying. Practicing the art of listening empathically causes you to try and feel the hidden meaning behind the words they are saying. Once again, this is something that touches the subconscious level. If you are not clear, it doesn’t hurt to get them to elaborate further. Also, remember to stick to the same subject when you are engaging the other party. Lastly, wrap up the conversation by elaborating the points they have just said – “As you have mentioned…” or “If I understand you correctly…”
Maintaining Control Of The Conversation If you are dealing with a difficult customer who is aggressive/defensive, you have to gain a tight rein on the conversation or else you will be going up against impossible odds. One of the best ways to gain control is to be the one asking the questions most of the time. So how do you accomplish this if the prospect keeps on asking the questions? Firstly, you must always turn the questions back against him. For example: If you have a customer who keeps on pestering you about the benefits of the product you are trying to sell or the membership club you are trying to get him/her to join, you can try it like this, “What’s the benefit of the product?” “Good question, Mr. Prospect, but before we get into that I feel it is pointless explaining the benefits of my product to you unless I know exactly what you want. Why don’t you share with me what are the needs of your company?” This way, you still maintain control without the prospect bombarding you with questions making you answer them one by one as though you are a dog playing fetch with its owner.
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