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The other day I attended a business meeting where one person in the group– I’ll call him the Talking Head–absolutely dominated the conversation. He went on and on…. and on. This person was not the least bit curious about the opinions or comments of others in the room. And when someone did manage to get a sentence in, the Talking Head managed to interrupt.

At one point I really had something to say. I’d been trying to say it for five minutes. I took a deep breath so I could get it out as fast as possible before the Talking Head interrupted. Uh, oh. He saw me breathe and lunged forward with his next thought before I could exhale.

He talked fast, was intelligent, and had a certain degree of charisma, but absolutely no interest in participating in a conversation. Monologues were his thing.

Strangely, I had had a conversation with a similar type the week before. Both are entrepreneurs. Maybe they had drunk too much coffee that day. But the problem is that neither was exhibiting any level of listening skills, which is crucial if you want to be both successful and happy and actually have healthy relationships with other humans.

When you’re bursting with ideas or are passionate about your topic, it’s easy to become a Talking Head. Some people are just very outgoing and love to talk. I’ve been a Talking Head at times and maybe you have too. But developing the ability to listen is so much more effective and vital to becoming a successful entrepreneur. Here are a few tips:

Be curious

Cultivating a curiosity about everything around you will motivate you to ask people questions about themselves, their businesses, their habits, likes, dislikes and experiences. This will make them feel heard, appreciated and understood. Would you rather hire someone who makes you feel like that or a Talking Head? Well so would your prospects.

Listen Deeply

If you want to know your clients deepest desires and needs you won’t want to just listen to their words, but watch their body language and listen for what they might want to say but don’t. This is how you discover what you can provide for them that they will highly value and will be happy to pay for.

Don’t interrupt

Okay this is a hard one and it brings back memories of what your mother told you a thousand times.. But the truth is that when you interrupt you’re saying this: “what I have to say is more important than what you have to say and while you’re talking I’m thinking about what I want to say next”. Not very friendly, is it? It’s not that we do this intentionally. We’re often passionately involved in the topic of discussion and can’t wait to add our two cents. But just keep listening until an opening presents itself. Jot down your thought if you’re afraid you’ll forget it before your turn. Your fellow humans will feel heard.

I’ve found that during an initial meeting with a prospective client or gatekeeper, the less I talk and the more I ask questions and listen to the answers, the more likely that person is to hire me. This has been proven again and again.

So the next time you’re preparing for an important meeting, repeat this mantra first. “I am not a Talking Head. I am not a Talking Head”. Then go in and listen. 

Janis

I’ll admit that cold calling has never been my favorite marketing method. However, from time to time it is absolutely necessary for all businesses to pick up the phone and call people you don’t know. Why? Well here are just a few of the ways cold calling can boost your business.

• You could connect with new ideal clients 
• You could set appointments with key decision makers or ask them for advice
• You could find investors for your business
• You could find quality joint venture partners who will promote your products or services to their clients or subscribers for a percentage of revenues.
• You could set up appointments with gatekeepers–other business owners who have clients similar to yours and who could refer to you.
• You could invite an influential person to lunch and begin building a relationship with them.
• You could set up a mastermind group of accomplished partners who could help you grow your business.
• You could set up speaking engagements to build your reputation and sell your products.

Yes, cold calling is a skill we all need to master.

What if I told you my hands used to go cold and clammy each time I had to make a cold call? Sound familiar? It’s true–but no more.

In many small businesses, the difference bettween gettting mediocre results and great results can be measured by how many times you pick oup the phone and connect with people who can help improve your business in some way. I’ve done plenty of cold calling in my 19 years as an entrpreneur. I’ve even been a corporate sales trainer. But�I was never very fond of cold calling.

However, in the past year of so, I’ve relly begun to pick up the phone, and with careful pre-planning, the results have been impressive. First I called a small group of highly successful women nationwide and put together a virtual mastermind group that is creating many new business growth opportunities and connections.

Next I called some very successful online entrepreneurs to set up some joint venture opportunities.

I regularly set up speaking engagements by cold calling.

My results improved dramatically after reading a wonderful book written by a cold calling master, Wendy Weiss. She’s known as the “Queen of Cold Calling” and if you read her book, “Cold Calling for Women” you’ll understand why. Don’t let this put you off if you’re a guy–these tips work for anyone.

I’ve gotten to know Wendy and she’s doing a great teleseminar tomorrow, October 24th, that you may want to attend if you want to dramatically improve your cold calling results.

The Miracle Appointment Setting Script Live Coaching Teleconference is designed expressly for business owners, entrepreneurs and sales professionals. This is a live, step-by-step coaching teleconference to help you implement the skills you need to catch a decision-maker’s attention and get that decision-maker to agree to a meeting with you. Imagine the effect on our bottom line if you were able to meet directly with more qualified decision-makers.

Here are the details:

Miracle Appointment Setting Teleconference

If you can’t make the seminar, at least consider reading this wonderful book. Try the techniques WEndy suggests and let me know how your results have improved.

To your success,

Janis