Seven Secrets of a Successful Business Conversation

You may not know you have more control over the outcome of a business conversation than you realise, if you spend some time at an ‘inner’ level before starting the conversation. While traditional management and business information tends to focus on preparing yourself by researching the other person’s background, and knowing what you want, and various ‘sales’ techniques, I’ve found you’re more likely to not only get what you want but also to enjoy yourself in the process if your follow these 7 steps.

1. Decide to take the general attitude that the perfect result for you is available to you; it’s just a matter of determining what ‘perfect result’ means. And it might not be what you think it is! What it does mean is that you are willing to allow whatever happens to be OK. This doesn’t mean that you don’t ask the person to sign up for your product or service; it doesn’t mean you say nothing while they do all the talking; it doesn’t mean that YOU dominate the conversation either. It does mean that you bring all your knowledge and skills into the conversation, and then let go of the end result you are wanting, so that you can enjoy the conversation as an end in itself.

2. Imagine yourself at the end of the conversation and you have what you wanted at the beginning. Let yourself feel how that makes you feel. You wouldn’t want this result unless you thought it would give you a particular kind of good feeling, so take some time to explore what kind of feelings you think these will be.

3. Tap in regularly to this feeling place, as if the thing you want had already happened. For example, say you identify you feel confident, smiling, expansive when have taken on a particular project. Actively take steps in your mind’s eye to be in a place where you are already feeling confident, smiling, expansive, regardless of what you are doing.

4. Use an affirmation such as ‘this conversation results in the perfect outcome for both of us’. This means a win-win situation for everyone involved.

5. Enter into the conversation with the humble, but true, attitude that you are brilliant at who you are and what you do. Affirm that if the outcome you want is meant to be, the other party will see who you really are and want to be engaged with you. And if they don’t see it, that is their problem, and someone else will be the lucky ones that benefit from you and your energy.

6. Use your own inner guidance or Higher Self to help you see the truth about yourself. Which is that you are supported and held by the Universe; that it is your Higher Self (or any other word you use) that you can allow to shine through in this conversation, and that your job is really to just breathe, stay in touch with your inner guidance, and give space for that energy to surround your sentences with warmth, generosity and love.

7. Infuse a stone or other object with love, peace, confidence (or any feeling you want) and have it in your pocket, or round your neck, to help remind you of your qualities. Touching it from time to time will remind you of what is really important here, and help you come into alignment with that.