With all the noise in marketing these days, the need for more meaningful conversations has become more important than ever. The rise in digital platforms has transformed how we communicate. Anyone can broadcast their thoughts to anyone at any time—even worse, everyone feels a need to. Feeling the pressure to reach customers and weed through the chatter, people tend to share their message everywhere possible. Instead, I encourage you to focus on building a stronger network with meaningful conversations. To make meaningful, emotional connections, I choose to interact on a deeper level. And sometimes, that means interacting with fewer people at a time. My most successful (i.e. profitable) business relationships are those where the two of us have ever-deeper interactions. Every time we get together, we learn a little more about each other, find more things we have in common, and feel emotionally closer to each other. Here are some tips for deepening your relationships by having more meaningful conversations:
Uncover commonalities
- Ask questions: about their business sure, but also about their kids, travel, hobbies, places they’ve worked.
- Look for things you have in common and explore those topics.
- Find ways for the two of you to bond.
Deepen the human connection
- Tap into the way they are feeling and the emotions they are expressing, and mirror those.
- Use feeling words (e.g., that sounds frustrating, you must be elated).
- Get a little vulnerable. I will often share a mistake or challenge I’m facing as a way to be more authentic.
- Share something that only your closest friends or family might know about you.
Be memorable
- Create a special moment (e.g. make a joke, give them a compliment, refer to something unique). In doing so, that person is more likely to remember you and what you discussed.
- Refer to a previous conversation. It’s much easier to pick up on the last conversation if a memorable topic was discussed.
- Memorable conversations build on one another, so that with each interaction, you deepen the relationship.
Be likeable
- Talk about unique experiences you’ve had—especially about those you have in common.
- Don’t try too hard. People are drawn to others who are open and real and trustworthy. Just be your most authentic self.
- When we like someone, we want to see them succeed, so it’s a lot more likely an “ask” will be answered with action if you’ve made the effort to get to like each other first.
Bottom line: meaningful conversations are key to building authentic relationships. It’s essentially the only way to stand out in a sea of endless dialogues. Endeavor to improve upon the silence and stop wasting time with useless chatter. We believe the world NEEDS to be having more meaningful (and civil) conversation. Honoring this philosophy in the way we work with clients, the way we market our business, and the way we work with our team members has led to higher profits and more fulfilling work. If you’d like to have a meaningful conversation about how to have meaningful conversations, get in touch with us!
