Have you ever had someone turn a festive holiday dinner party into a sales presentation for his (or her) new business opportunity?

You’re right. It is not fun; not appropriate; and definitely not appreciated.

So why would anyone do that?

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Now that you’ve experimented with the concept of six degrees of separation, you probably have a half dozen new referrals to talk to. What are you going to say to them?

It is strange, but while nearly all sales businesses talk about the value of referrals and teach their sales force to ask for them, they generally neglect teaching how to contact a referral. And yet it is, without a doubt, one of the most powerful ways to grow your personal book of business.

This is one way to do it. Continue reading

OK, you’ve had some time to study and practice your friend-making skills. Now, let’s work on your influencing skills. You’ve probably learned a lot of the theory if you’ve been studying Dale Carnegie’s “How to Win Friends and Influence People”.

I suspect you’re anxious to go out and start finding new people to do business with. Before that, let me warn you of a group NOT to start prospecting in — Continue reading

Have you finished reading “How to Win Friends and Influence People” yet?

Great!

You might want to make it a plan to study the second section of that book, “Six Ways to Make People Like You”, on a weekly basis until it is firmly engrained in your personality and becomes your normal way of dealing with people.

The best way to learn any skill well enough to make it a habit is to practice. And the best way to keep practicing is to make it fun. So, why not make it a game?

First, the rules: Continue reading

OK, you’re in business to make money. That means you are going to have to find clients and customers somewhere. If you sit around and wait for them to find you, you’ll grow and poor. You have to go out and find them.

One thing to remember is that they are, in all probability, just as shy as you are. After all, they are real people just like you. They’re not some evil behemoth searching for new business people to eat for breakfast. If you ask, they will respond… nicely most of the time (unless you’re a jerk).

Here is the secret of most of the most successful business prospectors today:

Did you know that Warren Buffett Continue reading