Page 208 - ConvinceThemFlip

convince them in 90 seconds or less
“Tell me about your company’s return policy,” I said.
“For starters, we were forced to change our warehouse
procedures last July because the freight company we deal
with instituted new weight restrictions.” He sighed and
shook his head. “It caused all sorts of headaches for the
shipping guys.”
“How did the shipping guys respond to all the
changes?”
That opened up the conversation. For the next few
minutes I heard about personnel issues, problem-solving
strategies, and a dozen ways things can go wrong. I kept
the ball in play with a few
questions, an attentive atti-
tude, and feedback: a few
head nods, a “yes” or two,
and a shrug at one point.
We went on for a while
after that, and I will say that I learned a great deal. I can
also say that the CFO walked away pretty sure that he was
the most interesting man in the room.
But what can you do when you’re pretty sure that
you’re the least interesting person in the room? Let me
tell you about my friend George.
George, a human resources manager for one of the
country’s largest consulting companies, is over forty and
a little self-conscious about it. He’s been having trouble
Avoid questions that
have simple yes-or-no
answers.
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