Make the Sale Happen Before Lunch: 50 Cut-to-the-Chase Strategies for Getting the Business Results You Want (PAPERBACK)

RULE 31 Solidify Your In-Person Opening

Paul Simon, the singer, takes an interesting approach to setting his concert playlist. He always starts out with a number that’s so familiar to him he can almost perform it on “automatic pilot.” That allows him to get his bearings, establish rapport with the audience, and make any adjustments he needs in his style or delivery. In other words, he picks a song that’s incredibly familiar to him, so he doesn’t have to think about the song itself while he connects with his audience.

Exactly the same principle applies to the very opening of your meeting with a new contact. When I meet with a contact for the first time, I rely on a “song” that’s so familiar to me that I can execute it almost without thinking. ...