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D32 is a premium business growth network where business leaders and experts in Perth and across Australia form meaningful relationships so they can leverage the time, contacts and activities of a vast network. D32 supports the little guys (and gals) and the 7-8-figure businesses. We’re a community that has each others’ backs. This podcast is about all things business, entrepreneurship and connectiom.
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Kingsley: [00:00:00] Welcome back to the District 32 podcast. Dean, glad to have you back in the studio. Oh, great to be back king. See sales, talking all Well, you talk sales, that's who you are. That's what you do. . You sold yourself into here just about building a great business that's doing really well. That takes obviously good sales.
Appreciate Yeah. Now. One of the topics you mentioned you wanna talk about today is something, again, like last week we talked about closing. It's a big topic. Yeah. Building rapport. There's so many different opinions. Yeah. On what you should and shouldn't do. Yeah. And what it is and what it isn't. Yeah. So I'm really looking forward to hearing what you got to say about what building rapport is.
Yeah. And how you actually do go
Dean: about it. Yeah. Like it's a, like I think most people struggle with, I suppose that initial conversation or in a networking environment. . How do you get traction with a conversation? How do you start a conversation? . How do you connect with people like it? It is challenging.
I, I would think for most [00:01:00] business owners from, I suppose, my experience over the last 20 odd years. So I, I think the first thing to, to recognize is. Usually the other person is the same. Yeah, yeah. They're struggling. Oh. . And even the people you kind of meet in business who are in business 10, 20 years, even after that at the time, and that experience and that success, they, they, they, they still kind of find it awkward or they, or they struggle.
So if you kinda recognize. Everyone's in the same boat. Um, that to give you a bit of confidence, but going back to a word I always kinda think of, think of the word control, because if you can take control in the sales environment in general, things happen a bit quicker. So if you kinda acknowledge, okay, I'm gonna take control of, uh, this conversation, whether it's a one-to-one, a networking event or wherever the, the case may be.
So, I mean, you can have a, a steady line of, I suppose, openers, like, I mean, if it, if it's, if it's a, if it's a Monday. It could be, Hey, how was your weekend? Or how long did it take you to get here? If you're meeting someone for the first time at a networking event, um, and they might say, oh, I was, I was, oh, busy with [00:02:00] the kids football match.
Oh, and then take a, develop a conversation there. Oh, how many kids do you got? What, what are into, are you into the sport yourself? So it's very just human. It's not salesy, it's just you're just looking to make a connection. I mean, if you're, if you're doing that social, you're, if you're meeting a new group, you're joined a new football team, or it's the same situation.
It's, there's no difference between social and I suppose professional in, in, in that way, manner. But think of questions, uh, just to start a conversation or have you involved in this group long or what's your experience and tell us about, uh, uh, what gets you up in the morning, you know, just a number of.
There's probably half a dozen or dozen questions that would work in any situation where it's a one-to-one and networking event. And what you're trying to do is just get the other person talking and like, I'm not a body language expert, but what I always notice is if I, if I've initiated that kind of rapport and they're talking, you can see people's, I, I always notice their shoulders kind of drops, that they're feeling comfortable 'cause they're talking about themselves.
And usually then they'll follow questions back, oh, [00:03:00] is this your first time at the event? Or. Or, or just are you into the sport yourself or the thing might be, but just, just think you're going to take control and just you, you can, you can have even just write it down. What are the six to 12 questions? I'm sure you, you could Google stuff around how to start a conversation.
Yeah, yeah. And just, and just have those six, eight questions to initiate conversation. And I, I always find as well, if you're initiating a conversation, whether it's socially or professionally. And people are talking, it builds the trust as well quite quickly in the connection to go, oh, I was really nervous coming to this event and thank God I, I met this guy.
And you know,
Kingsley: it makes
Dean: a
Kingsley: big difference. It does. Yeah. Yeah, it really does. And this is something that you are really good at, and I know firsthand because when you guys first come to the Gold Coast Yeah. Yeah. Um, there was the event and you know, you, you're promoting it on LinkedIn. Yeah. Yeah. So I'm on LinkedIn and I'm like, yeah.
Oh yeah, I'll give it a shot. Yeah. Yeah. So put my name down and I think within the next few minutes I had a phone call. That's right. Yeah. I remember now. Yeah. And I'm [00:04:00] like, geez, that was fast. And, and then started talking and I'm like, okay, so are you one of the, the reps for the company? Yeah. Yeah, that's what I was thinking.
Yeah. And no, no, no, no. I, I actually, uh, one of the founders of the company, I'm like, whoa. But you were instantly able to just the way you approached and talked and asked questions. Put me into a relaxed mode. Yeah. Yeah. Because once I get a sales person, I am instantly, as much as I've done a ton of sales, if I get one coming at me, my walls go up straight away.
But you are able to just pull down those walls and make it a nice, relaxed thing and go, yeah, no, you want, I wanna go there.
Dean: Yeah. Yeah. I think it, it is if you're, if like you, like we, we know like in terms of even say closing, nothing happens without the trust being at a really high level. So, I mean, when you're meeting someone for the first time.
I mean, what, what are you trying to achieve? You're just trying to achieve a human connection that that's it. Mm. I think like that's a great point. It is, and and like I think it was really highlighted as well, Kings, you say when you look at the COVID [00:05:00] period, when people are on lockdowns and stuff, we were, we were all craving that connection, uh, socially, and you kind of forget we're humans and that, and that's what we do.
And in an environment where you're meeting someone for the first time, whether it's an introduction or referral or a networking, I mean, the hardest part is really that connection. So if you can connect with someone on a human level, the kind of the rest of that stuff will kind of, will kind of flow. Yeah, and I think I, it's, it's something you've actually, you said to me, uh, a while ago about being curious.
Be curious about that. The, the, the other person. And that will elicit kind of information, small talk, I suppose, where you kind of connect over sports, hobbies, family interests, and. Once that connection's made, the rest of the conversation is actually quite easy. So yeah. Tell us about the business.
What do you guys do? And, and all all that stuff that, that we're keen to know around the, the professional side of things, but the human connection is first and foremost, nothing happens without human connection. Someone's doesn't connect with you on a [00:06:00] personal level. It ain't gonna happen
Kingsley: on a business level.
Actually, it's really interesting, you, you've brought back a few things in my mind of, of what's happened with me along those lines. Okay. And some, sometimes when you're talking to people you don't know what's actually gonna connect. Yeah. When I was selling in real estate, you go into to a house and you're looking for that, okay, how can I connect?
You look at pictures on the wall or sports gear that's around, or the car or whatever it is, and you just start talking about things and that you, yeah. You pick something and bang, they light up and you're like, okay, here we go. Got 'em. This is what I need to hone in on and work on that side of things. I remember one guy I went to really hard guy to deal with and to get the listing on that house was ridiculously hard.
Yeah. I like fun socks. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Um. I walked in there and, um, the guy I worked for at the time, he's loosened up a lot now, but he's like, in real estate, you gotta be more professional. You don't wanna wear socks like that and blah, blah. Yeah. Yeah. He actually does now. Oh, very good. but this guy looked at [00:07:00] my socks and went bang.
That got him. Yeah. And from then on I was able to jump in, get the listing and do what needed to happen just because I had fun, socks on socks. And that's what he enjoyed, despite the fact that he was very, didn't come across as that sort of guy. So I, I, I think, um. The whole thing of building rapport. Just it's, it's like a lot of selling, I think.
Yeah. Listening. Yeah. Looking, understanding that person and, and move on.
Dean: I, I, it's, it's a brilliant point you, you make as well. And I suppose having that awareness if you're in someone's office or a home. Like, you might pick up stuff from, as you said, on the walls where, oh, I see you're into the sports, or I see you've got young kids, or whatever.
Mm. And that gets them talking. Uh, again, the other thing as well, I suppose about creating rapport is say preparation. So if you're meeting someone, whether it's an introduction or a sales inquiry, and you're meeting them. Try to do some research, have a look at their website, LinkedIn, you might find some common interests, whether it's hobbies or whatever, or they might be associated with a [00:08:00] charity, which you can kind of mention, Hey, I see you do some good stuff with the charity.
And as you said, that, that lights them up. 'cause that's their passion. They're giving their time and energy, whether it's a not-for-profit charity or a sports club. So yeah, no, great point. You make as well, just have that awareness as well and, and, and do a bit of research. It, it, it'll put you more at ease if you've got some.
I mean, you said, oh, I know something where, where we can kind of connect as, as humans.
Kingsley: That what you just said there reminded me pretty much summarizes Dale Carnegie's book Outta In Friends and Influence People.
Dean: I read that, uh, uh, brilliant book. I haven't read it in a while. I'll need
Kingsley: to revisit. Yeah. But that pretty much to me summarizes the book.
Oh, does it? Alright. Because that's, that's all he needed on, based on, I'm dealing with a person here. I'm not trying to sell a company or an organization. I'm dealing with this person. Yeah. And that's what he based everything pretty much. I know that's an oversimplified. Yeah. Yeah. Simplification. Yeah. But that's pretty much it.
Yeah.
Dean: Oh, brilliant stuff. Well, if Dale, if you're listening in for a Wolf, what took you a couple hundred pages? I've done in 30 seconds, so, but no, it's a brilliant, a brilliant book and, uh, yeah, it's, it's, it's [00:09:00] one probably I'll, I'll revisit myself or, uh, yeah, always go to, go back to the James. No, that's great rapport.
It's just we all need it. A hundred percent. Yeah. Yeah. So many ways. Beautiful. Thanks team. Cheers. Appreciate that. Thanks, Amelia.