How to Start a Business Relationship on the Right Wording

"History repeats itself everyday: The Biblical hero Samson killed a thousand Philistines with a jawbone of an ass. Today, a thousand sales will be killed with the jawbone of an ass."

In today's multi-cultural business and social environments it is very easy to offend another person without realizing it. It might be an innocent remark, a joke, or a topic that makes the other person uncomfortable. Saying the wrong things can be very damaging and counter productive and in many cases unrecoverable. Just ask the sales professional who lost a large account because he/she said the wrong things to the procuring decision maker. Or, how about the politician who suffered a severe loss in approval rating because he/she said something to offend his/her constituency. How does one prevent such situations? Simple - just talk about topics that people will talk about naturally. These safe topics have been narrowed down to four areas and can be used in the typical "ice breaker" situation.

Successful net workers and sales professional use a simple acronym to keep one-on-one or one-on-group conversations on very "safe" topics and away from taboo subjects such as religion, sex, race, and politics. Coincidentally, these are the same topics banned in all business meetings and boardrooms throughout the world. The simple acronym is: FORM. The letters stand for:

F: Family, Friends

O: Occupation, Organization

R: Recreation

M: Money matters

Applying this acronym during any conversation will keep the dialog on safe and culturally-neutral topics. As an avid net worker and marketing professional I am confident of making a very good first impression when I introduce myself to someone I never met before all because of this acronym. Wouldn't you agree that practically everyone likes to talk about their family or themselves; their job; what they do for fun; and money matters such as the stock market, the mortgage market (and not necessarily how much money they earn on the job)? I know by using this method of I will be able to obtain all the information needed to take the new relationship to the next level. Also, at the same time I am demonstrating to the individual that I have an interest in him/her as a "person" (and not just as a sales objective).

The FORM technique can greatly enhance the FIRST IMPRESSION you create in a first time meeting. Combine it with enthusiasm on your part and a display of keen interest in the other person will create a lasting and memorable first impression.