The Crucial Difference between Talking AT Someone versus Talking WITH Someone ~
When I first started out in business, I had the naive notion that all I had to do was to tell people about the wonderful services I could offer them, and they would fall all over themselves, signing up with me.
Nothing could have been further from the truth; and nothing could have felt more uncomfortable, pushy, and salesy, than trying to convince people to invest in my coaching and courses.
Basically, what I was doing was talking at people, taking hardly any time to find out if they were even remotely interested in what I had to offer.
Thanks to some excellent advice over the years; I finally came to realize that, rather than talking at people without first ascertaining their interest level, I had to do a complete reversal of my methods and start talking with people instead.
So what exactly does that entail?
It requires asking the right questions, and listening carefully to the answers.
Only then can you truly assess whether the products, skills, strategies, techniques, or training you offer are a good fit for the person with whom you are talking. If it’s not a good fit, it’s a waste of everyone’s time, including yours.
So pick up your marbles and go play your game with someone else more likely to be interested in what you have to offer.
Just remember: You’ve got 2 ears and only 1 mouth, use them proportionally.
Or, as Stephen R. Covey taught in his book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, “First seek to understand, then to be understood.”
For a related article on the joys () of talking with people on the phone, click here.
