….on the quality of our answers. Now we’re grown up (well some of my readers are!) we are often judged on the quality of our questions. If you want to be an effective networker and spot potential business or career opportunities it is asking the pertinent question that is likely to get you there. Asking good questions means
- you are interested in the other person
- you are building rapport by giving your attention ( as long as you listen for the answer)
- you are flattering the other person by suggesting they know more about the topic than you do
- you may just learn something new
Start with ‘ice-breaker’ question which revolve around the event itself. “Why have you come?” “Where have you travelled from?” “Who do you know here from XCo?”
Ask question about their business and career. What they do now? What have they done before? Where do they see their career / business going in the next 2 years?
And if you do spot an opportunity ask the KEY question “A few minutes ago you said you had an issue with xx. How do feel about me giving you a call in the next few days to continue this conversation for me to find out more about it. And if you think it relevant we can then arrange a meeting?”
Quality questions lead often to quality answers.
Blog by Will…