comfortable doing this?” or “Does that sound acceptable?” • Help the other person save face. Never make them feel cornered or defensive. Be interested in what they have to tell you. I can almost hear you asking, “But what if I’m really not interested?” Remember, it’s a skill that you can develop. Start by acting interested. Then learn to turn the other person’s conversation subtly toward subjects that are more interesting to you. Part of being interested is just keeping yourself alert and engaged. Avoid being judgmental. You don’t agree with everything your friends say, right? Just treat the people you meet the way you treat your friends. Once you learn this, I have seen huge changes in customers. I’ve met with some people who came in and were kind of ornery, difficult to deal with, and even downright hostile. I hit it off. I sat down. I learned how to talk to them and listen to them for hours, and then they hired me to help them sell their house. You can do the same thing yourself. Just learn how to listen. You can try turning it into a contest for yourself. See how long you can let someone else talk before you open your mouth and speak. Maybe you meet a new person at a community event or somewhere or maybe a new customer. Just let them talk. If you’re there meeting them one-on-one, maybe at an open house, just let them talk and talk and talk. Just smile and listen to them and see how long you can go before you interrupt or reply. Most people avoid silence. The less you say, the harder they will work to fill up the empty spaces in the conversation. Think of how much you’ll learn about the other person! You’ll learn what
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