Part of the I'm New Now What section in Advantages, here are 6 steps to striking up a conversation.

Step 1
Always make direct eye contact with people when you encounter them. This action, coupled with a genuine smile, will exponentially increase your chances for a positive response.

Step 2
Start conversations by asking about a person’s family and you will have a guaranteed icebreaker. Ninety-nine percent of people love to talk about their family members and pets!

Step 3
Refrain from interrupting too frequently. Being a good listener will win points and give you the opportunity to learn interesting and useful facts about the person.

Step 4
Keep gossip to a minimum and never use profanity. The easiest way to lose a sale is by talking negatively about someone to a prospect, then learning he or she knows the person about whom you were gossiping.

Step 5
Be agreeable and resist the urge to correct people. Even if you feel that you are 10 times smarter than the person you are talking with, never let them know it.



Step 6
Always excuse yourself in a polite manner – never abruptly leave or slink away when you are finished talking with someone. Otherwise you could unintentionally make someone feel slighted, because you didn’t bring your conversation with him or her to a polite end.