People long for connection, even in business relationships. If you wish to increase sales or simply want to grow your audience on Facebook, making connections will be a crucial part of your success. While some people are born with a natural ability to make friends, talk freely with strangers and connect quickly, it is not that easy for others. Fortunately, forging genuine connections is a skill that can be developed with intentional effort and practice.
Connections in the business world, whether they are with potential clients, long-standing customers or co-workers, need to be genuine. Make no mistake, people can tell when someone is actually concerned about them as opposed to when someone is just trying to make a sale or use the relationship to his or her advantage. So, how do you genuinely connect with someone that you just met or someone with a particularly trying personality? Try some of these tips:
- Ask about their lives. Inquire about their spouses, children and latest vacations. People like to talk about themselves. Finding common ground, such as a love for golf or discovering that your children attend the same elementary school, can be the foundation of a real relationship.
- Be honest. People know when they are being fed lines. Speaking honestly while presenting your opinions and what you have to offer will not only set you apart from the competition, it will establish trust between you and the other party.
- Really listen. You know how annoying it is to be talking with someone, knowing all along that they aren’t really listening, but instead are building their argument and preparing their next response. Don’t be that person. Shut off your inner voice and learn to really, truly listen. Look people in the eyes. Remember what they say. Good listening skills are a rare and valuable commodity.
It takes time to learn how to be a good “connector”. Even if you do not consider yourself a “people person,” you can foster these skills over time, learning how to make connections that will positively impact your business for years to come. Fortunately, it’s not all that difficult, and boils down to this: simply treat others how you want to be treated, both personally and professionally.
ragedies, near-death experiences and the loss of a loved one all have one thing in common — reflections. In the period of time following these types of tragedies, people tend to stop and reflect back on their own lives. Has it been worthwhile? Valuable? Driven by purpose? These questions might be simple, but the answers are not.
At the hospital, Schroeder experienced a truly spiritual revelation when a beaming white figure told her that she had not yet finished her work. When she had fully returned to her body and was well enough to leave the hospital, Schroeder set her sights on what she knew to be her purpose — helping individuals find reasonable alternatives to the bloated higher education system.