Similar to Grace’s recent blog post about the art of storytelling, finding a “chink in the armor” is crucial when furthering connections and establishing long-lasting relationships. As a current sophomore who is studying Accounting and Finance, I’ve recently had the awesome opportunity of interviewing with big companies for summer leadership programs. In the midst of engaging and meeting new people, finding a way to break the ice with them has been at the forefront of my mind. First impressions are unbelievably crucial and can take you a long way. More specifically, if the conversation brings up anything I’m passionate about or know I can elaborate on, I immediately take advantage of it. As most of you already know, golf is a big part of my life. Fortunately enough, most of my professional conversations with connections have resulted in talking about golf. This is a great way for me to become comfortable and to engage more.
Although golf is a great way for me to connect, my advise to anyone, especially salespeople, would be to find any possible “chick in the armor” in the midst of conversing and blow it out of proportion. When I say blow it out of proportion, I mean don’t be afraid to elaborate on it. Prospects who are dealing with salespeople feel more inclined to trust them when they become comfortable. Storytelling or conversing with someone about a topic that is of mutual interest, can go a long way in becoming successful.
BoweryJE22