Given that conversational skills are a must-have in today’s world, I thought it’ll be great to write about how to be a great conversationalist.

While I am always learning new customer service skills for proper communication, I’ve been told by friends, acquaintances, and associates that they enjoy speaking to me, and they find themselves sharing personal things that they don’t share with others.

Below are ten timeless rules I apply to all my conversations:

1. Be genuinely interested in the person and what they are saying.
2. Ask purposeful questions
3. Be nice and keep it light
4. Have constructive debates
5. Let the other person do the talking.
6. Avoid making judgements
7. Don’t be scared by silence
8. Note whether the other person would like to break off the conversation
9. Be careful about making jokes that will be perceived as insensitive
10. Use conversations with people as practice for improving your customer service skills

When you find yourself face to face with someone you know is a potential customer for your company’s product or service. You want to make the sale and you know the only way to do that is to get that person talking with you.

Here’s what you don’t want to say: “Let me tell you about our wonderful product.” Say something like that and your prospective customer will want to escape the way you would from an overly aggressive cosmetics salesperson at the mall. Smart sellers know that you first have to create a relationship with a prospective customer, whether for a few minutes or over a more extended period, and only then try pitching whatever you have to sell. 

Being able to keep the conversation going can undoubtedly build the bonds between you and prospective customers.

Thanks for reading, until next month.

Angela