Small Talk Skills

[KPO89]

Any job in sales or a successful career in business requires being able to create small talk. No one likes to lead off a sales call with business. I've made the mistake of doing this in my first couple months on the job. I knew better but for lack of better planning I spoiled several good opportunities by leading off with canned sales talk.

There is no formula for successful small talk however there has to be some tips and tricks everyone uses to make it easier. Small talk doesn't really come natural to everybody...like all skills it has to be developed.

I've learned to somewhat pre-plan small talk by looking at the prospect's LinkedIn page or reading news relevant to the prospect's position on the morning of the call....even as simple as looking at what they display in their office when the meeting takes place there.

What do you do?

 

[ter1413]

google.com

 

[oman]

what the hell kind of world do we live in where people are making threads about how to force inorganic small talk

 

[Mr_Incognito]

Find something they are passionate about and start a conversation about that topic, once they start responding then just become a good listener.

 

[uNiCoRnPriNcEsSx]

Just start off with current events and don't get political or talk about touchy subjects. Then is business time.

 

[Dakota rube]

Originally Posted by uNiCoRnPriNcEsSx

Just start off with current events and don't get political or talk about touchy subjects. Then is business time.

This is the beauty of living on the Great Plains: everyone "” and I mean absolutely everyone "” here talks about the weather. If you can sense the temperature, the humidity or the quality of sunlight present, you're a small-talking master!

 

[KPO89]

Originally Posted by oman

what the hell kind of world do we live in where people are making threads about how to force inorganic small talk

I am not talking about forcing inorganic small talk but there are some people who have a better grasp on creating a conversational flow...other people who happen to be more introverted need to practice this.

There is nothing inorganic about tactically keeping a conversation moving. Inorganic is the age-old "Weather talk..."

 

[Connemara]

Originally Posted by Dakota rube

This is the beauty of living on the Great Plains: everyone "” and I mean absolutely everyone "” here talks about the weather. If you can sense the temperature, the humidity or the quality of sunlight present, you're a small-talking master!

And here we have it, folks, the only beautiful thing about living on the Great Plains.

 

[Dakota rube]

Originally Posted by Connemara

And here we have it, folks, the only beautiful thing about living on the Great Plains.

Don't forget the RubeBabesâ„¢

 

[acidboy]

when I do sales call I keep it direct, short and respectful at the first meeting. I also try to see if the person I'm talking to would be someone I can hit off well if I try to make small talk, and also look around for clues about him so I can find common topics that we can talk about. I also try not to rush it for fear that I come on too strong or fresh. at the back of my mind, whenever I talk to clients whether personally or by phone I try to make it a pleasurable experience for them, and everyone has their own way of defining whats pleasurable so I adapt.

 

[blahman]

Originally Posted by oman

what the hell kind of world do we live in where people are making threads about how to force inorganic small talk
You have much to learn, young Padawan. It is to make a connection with the other person and will make your job a lot easier if you can make that connection. Not like its a totally new 2010 sales concept. It has always been around. It's called having people skills.

 

[boo]

As a recipient of sales calls, sports seems to be a fairly common topic and seems to work for most people, at least men. It just doesn't really work for me since I'm not that much of a sports fan and don't follow it closely. I'm glad I won't be in the office tomorrow, otherwise I'll probably have 20 calls from people wanting to talk about Tiger Woods.

I have a friend who keeps close tabs on reality TV shows. While many people won't care, the ones who do will be passionate about it, and it gives her a reason to touch base on a regular basis.