Build Rapport Through Buzzwords Author: Ronnie Nijmeh, ACQYR.com

What if I told you that you could be more influential and powerful and all you'll have to remember one simple thing? To persuade your people, all you have to do is: "Cook their favorite meal before they're hungry..."

You're thinking, "What? Sure buddy, that makes no sense!" Well hang on, let me explain!

No one said that managing people was easy. Humans take pride in being complicated! If we weren't complicated, we wouldn't need lawyers or politicians, right? If you can understand a few human intricacies while avoiding unnecessary conflict, you'll be on road to having your people on your side doing what you want now!

The Trick

Has anyone ever remembered something about you that entirely caught you off guard? Perhaps it was your birthday, or a miniscule personal fact that you thought was an inaudible waste of breath. But, not only did they remember, but they conveyed their interest in you by asking you about it! Didn't that make you feel special? > It's a common experience, and often times an overlooked way to build rapport and we all know how important rapport is when persuading your people. All it takes is a little bit of effort and smart listening.

Buzzwords. Are You Listening?

Listen to buzzwords (a.k.a keywords)...did they mention their favorite sports team? Their siblings? Their children? If so, remember context, date and place, then write information down before you forget! This information might come handy some day!

EXAMPLE: On Fridays, you may recognize this common conversation starter in elevator ride down to lobby: "So Charlie, what are you doing this weekend? Anything special?" If you ask question, listen to answer! Then remember their answer to follow up with them. You'll be shocked at results! Then all of a sudden when you need their help on accomplishing your goals, they'll be much more likely to help since you've already built a great foundation. If they tell you a specific date, time, or event, remember it, then ask later! Whether it be a birthday, meeting, sporting event, or any other personal event. Think of it like a personal event list. It'll keep you on top of things. The next time you call a friend, business contact, or acquaintance, pull out your notes beforehand and refresh your memory. They'll be glowing if you say happy birthday or inquire about their child's graduation. You'll be shocked about all of positive remarks that will be fumbling out of their mouth!

"Cook Their Favorite Meal Before They're Hungry..." So back to basics: It's your job to find out more about

your people, your family, and your friends. One day they might indirectly mention how much they love a certain chocolate bar, or a favorite dish. They don't usually expect you to remember, but strive to remember and write down your findings.

A month or two later, make their favorite meal and watch their jaw drop when you tell them that you remembered. All of a sudden you've built a strong connection and have yet another person who'll be willing to help you on your road to success.

Is it necessary to plan out each and every stage of project in extreme detail in order for you to succeed? If so, than this concept isn't quite what you're looking for. If you're able to adopt "do it first, tweak it later" philosophy, then "Ready? Go! Tweak." is right for you. And you just might find yourself with a huge advantage later on. You would have planned less during initial stages of project, but overall, you were able to get instantaneous feedback and finalize your plans along way; a process I call: Spot Planning.

Spot Planning Spot Planning is process of creating plans and making decisions concurrent to launch. It's on-the-spot decision making as opposed to pre-planning. It gives you flexibility of deciding on-the-go without stalling or disrupting progress. The key to this is effectiveness of spot planners.

Spot planners are able to:

* Understand time implications of a project * Make quick and accurate decisions * Thrive in ambiguous situations * Deal with many stages of a project at once (planning, implementation, tweaking, promotion, etc.)

Do any of those characteristics describe you? I hope so!

Tweaking Performance One Shot at a Time

Let's go through another example to reinforce idea behind tweaking. Imagine that you're brand new to archery and you're taken out to a controlled shooting environment. The instructor will give you a prize if you can hit target. Then you're given two options:

Option 1: You have 1 arrow, so you must aim carefully before you shoot. Once you've shot that single arrow, it's gone! Boom! Bye, bye! So in order to succeed, you'll probably want to take as much time as you'd like to make sure shot goes as planned.

Option 2: You have 100 arrows, but you're not allowed to aim as carefully before you shoot. Instead, you're only allowed to shoot and tweak your performance after every shot. In essence, you'll be continually improving with each arrow fired. By 100th shot, you'll be more accustomed to angles, environment, wind and other factors. Odds are better that you'll hit target with 100 chances than with only one.

"Each trial brings progression, and only through progression will success be born." --Ronnie Nijmeh

In reality, you may not be given 100 chances to succeed, but key point is that there's an opportunity for trial and error in most business and personal experiences. So use these opportunities wisely!

The importance of tweaking your idea, product, or service each time around can't be stressed enough. Did it work first time around? If so, you know what may work in future. If not, find out what needs improving, tweak it, then try again.

Perfectionism

You can't always be perfect. You can't always write perfect report, have perfect product, or simply "be" perfect. You're prone to make mistakes and have flaws (whether major or minor). But that shouldn't stop you! Acknowledge that you can't always be perfect and use effort to learn, grow and adapt.

"Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up." --Thomas A. Edison

If you prolong planning stage in search of "that perfect ending" or "that perfect feature" you won't be progressing on to new levels of success. And if only you're willing to let go, you may realize just how close you are to success! Parents, doesn't this sound familiar (perhaps when your child moves away for first time)?

Tough Questions

It should be noted that not all initiatives should utilize "Ready? Go! Tweak." technique. I wouldn't say that a car company could "tweak" their faulty brakes after it's been released to public. Nor would you want to experiment in an already established and competitive market.

So ask yourself:

In your business, project or venture, is it possible to begin after minimum amount of planning? What are negative effects of doing so? Will you be slingshot into lead if you use "Ready? Go! Tweak." and "Spot Planning" techniques? Are you able to afford making mistakes or deferring decisions until after launch date? Are you working with a smaller, more adaptable team?

If you're in a position to launch with minimal amount of planning and are willing to tinker along way, you just might find yourself in first place when all is said and done. Can you do it?