10 Networking Questions – Part Three

This week we conclude the series of 10 Questions by Bob Burg, intended to help you with your networking. 

7. What do you see as the coming trends in the widget business?

I call this the speculator question. Aren’t people who are asked to speculate usually important, hot-shot types on television? You are therefore giving them a chance to speculate and share their knowledge with you. You’re making them feel good about themselves.

8. Describe the strangest or funniest incident you’ve experienced in your business.

Give people the opportunity to share their war stories. That’s something practically everyone likes to do, isn’t it? Don’t we all have stories we like to share from when we began in business? Something very embarrassing happened that certainly wasn’t funny then but is now? The problem is most people don’t get the chance to share these stories. You, however, are actually volunteering to be that person’s audience.

9 What ways have you found to be most effective for promoting your business?

Again, you are accentuating the positive in this person’s mind, while finding out something about the way they think. However, if you happen to be in the advertising field, absolutely do not ask this question. Why? Because right now, it would be a probing question, and it will be perceived as such by your networking prospect. Eventually you will get to ask that question, but not now.

10. What one sentence would you like people to use in describing the way you do business?

Almost always, the person will stop and think really hard before answering this question. What a compliment you have paid them. You’ve asked a question that, quite possibly, the people who are closest to them have never thought enough to ask.