One of the most intimidating things for many people is talking to strangers.
Many can relate to the uneasy feeling in your stomach, the rapid beating in your heart, the general anxiety.
Unfortunately direct sales consultants can struggle with this as well and it can hinder their ability to be successful. The inability to approach strangers can result in many missed opportunities for your business.
If you struggle with talking to strangers, the good news is that you’re not alone and there is hope!
Here are some tips to help you move past the nervousness and bring in more customers by talking to strangers in waiting rooms, lines, church, elevators, or anywhere else.
Stop putting pressure on yourself
A large part of the anxiety of approaching strangers is putting too much pressure on yourself.
Don’t think of it as, “I have to try to make a sale with this person.”
Instead, think of it as, “I just want to strike up a conversation with this person. If I happen to be able to work my business into it then great and if not then no big deal!”
Simply changing the way you think can help reduce a lot of the anxiety. Just think of it as a normal, casual conversation and you may find that questions about your business will come up naturally.
Become an expert in compliments
The worst part about talking to strangers is knowing how to start the conversation. One easy way is simply to offer a compliment about something you’ve observed.
Something as simple as, “Excuse me, I just love your jacket! Where did you get it?” can easily get a conversation going.
You can compliment people’s clothes, accessories, hair, or something you notice about their conduct: “I saw you interacting with your kids and wanted to tell you that you seem like a great mom!”
Even if the conversation never gets around to your business, you just might make someone’s day (or even make a new friend!).
Be inquisitive
People generally love talking about themselves and their family. So once you get the conversation started, you can usually just ask conversational questions to keep things going.
Things like:
- “Where do you work?”
- “Do you have any kids?”
- “Got any plans this weekend?”
The conversation most likely will come back to you and you’ll be able to talk about yourself and your business, but don’t necessarily think about that when the other person is talking. Ask questions, and listen intently and genuinely, which brings me to the next point…
Be genuine
In all of this don’t just be thinking of yourself and what you can gain out of the conversation and how you can steer it to your business.
Foster an attitude in your heart of genuine care and attentiveness toward people. Actually care about what they’re saying, actually mean the compliments you provide.
In other words, don’t be fake.
If you’re fake, people may detect your lack of genuineness and get turned off. But genuine care and kindness for people is extremely attractive.
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We hope these tips are helpful for you as you seek ways to improve yourself and your business! Now get out there and start talking. 🙂
