We’ve all been taught how to politely greet another person. We don’t even have to think about it.
I put out my hand and say, “Hi, my name is David. Nice to meet you.”
More than likely the other person, let’s call her Samantha, will soon ask me an introductory question, such as, “What do you do?”
How I respond to that seemingly innocuous question during a business or networking event has a dramatic impact on my bottom line.
Here’s why.
“Are You Like Me or Not?”
When we meet someone, our subconscious mind quickly decides into which of the following three categories to file the person:
• This person is like me,
• This person is different from me and can help me, or
• This person is different from me and can’t help me.
If you simply answer introductory questions, the other person is going to determine, This person is like me. You’re a peer, a colleague or a potential friend.
That is actually the death knell to influence and sales. You don’t want to be seen as a peer, but as a person of influence, as someone who has the ability to make a difference in people’s lives.
So what do you do instead?
Polarize
You polarize the conversation. Rather than responding to introductory questions, ask your own questions to quickly determine if the person is your ideal client or not.
For instance, when Samantha asks me what I do, instead of answering her, I say, “Let me ask you a question. If your annual income instantaneously became your monthly income, what in your life would change?”
Because I did not respond as she expected, her subconscious mind says, This person is different from me.
Then she will either say, “Gosh, I don’t know. That’s interesting. I’ve never thought about that before.” Or she’ll attempt to make something up.
My next question quickly determines if she’s a potential client for me or not. I ask her, “Would you like it if your annual income became your monthly income?”
If her answer is no, I’ve probably triggered something that she’s resisting and she’s going to move away from me.
That’s okay, because she is not my ideal client. My ideal clients don’t answer no to that question.
But if she says something like, “Who wouldn’t want to turn their annual income into a monthly income!” she’s shown me that she’s a potential client.
I then say, “If you’ve got about 15 minutes, I’d like to talk to you about how I could show you how to do that. Why don’t we get you on my calendar?”
Find Your Own Way
Since we’re all conditioned to answer questions, you’ll likely need to practice this technique before you feel confident in it.
When you’re practicing, don’t just parrot what I said. Find the questions that will quickly identify your own ideal clients.
And then you’ll find, in any business setting, that you can quickly position yourself as a person of influence and begin to rake it in.
