Past, Present, Future – The Key to Connecting With People Everywhere You Go!
August 23, 2009 by Chris Record
Filed under Direct Sales Tips, Recent Articles
About 10 years ago I had a very successful entrepreneur teach me about the “3-Foot Rule”. He said that my Net-Worth would be equal to my Network, and that I should start building a database as early as possible because it will come in handy my entire life. That advice has been priceless for me!
He taught me about a contacting approach called PAST-PRESENT-FUTURE and how it would help me make friends with complete strangers everywhere I go, and that approach is still working well for me now. Here is how it works.
Let me paint a typical scenario for you, so that you can put it into action. Let’s say that you are eating lunch with some friends at a local restaurant. Your waiter is a sharp young man named John (you can see this on his nametag!) So here is what you would do:
START WITH A COMPLIMENT:
John, i must say that you are very outgoing and come across as a sharp young man.
PAST:
Q. How long have you worked here at this restaurant?
A. I have worked here about 2 years now.
PRESENT:
Q. Really, that’s great, what do you like best about working here?
A. I would have to say the people. But the paycheck doesn’t hurt :)
FUTURE:
Q. Do you see yourself working here for the next 5 years? Is this your career?
A. Oh no way! I plan on one day starting up my own business.
Q. Really, what type of business were you thinking of starting…
———-
Now you have engaged in a conversation where you can get a complete stranger to start talking about their future goals, dreams and aspirations, and in MANY situations they will tell you that they are looking to get into real estate. That allows you the opportunity to talk about what you do and exchange contact information to stay in touch. This will lead to more referrals for your business, more exposure, a possible new agent, a possible new home owner, etc.
Another twist on this is to use Past, Present, Future by talking about your local area. You could ask John how long he has lived in the area. What he likes best about the area, is this where he plans on settling? Does he have a family here? Then you can move right into what he does for a living, how long, etc.
PAST-PRESENT-FUTURE is a simple technique to help you easily meet people wherever you go. It has worked well for me for years and I hope it will work well for you too!
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