Maria I. (her real name was changed to preserve the confidentiality of the client) came to her boss about a potential candidate for investors, who at that time was waiting in her office.
And after getting to know each other, through a brief presentation and an exchange of contact details, they set up a meeting to discuss the issue of immigration in more detail.
At the meeting, Maria asked a lot of monosyllabic questions: “Are you interested in immigration to the USA? Would you like to receive a green card? Do you have a business?” and similar questions. Lyudmila Markovna, as an interested person, in a conversation with Maria, gave positive answers to all questions, albeit monotonous, but positive. Based on the information received, Maria concluded that she was a good investor candidate.
Maria, realizing who was in front of her, without thinking twice, suggested Lyudmila Markovna continue their interaction. To which Lyudmila Markovka refused, and changing her expression, she ended her conversation by saying: “Sorry, I'm not interested in your offer. Please don't bother me anymore. Goodbye!".
Maria didn't understand what caused the refusal of their further cooperation.
Two answers to the question - why was Maria denied cooperation?
Maria, like many people, especially those with a technical mindset, tends to ask specific questions to immediately weed out the superfluous and get to the point. She formulated her questions, implying answers of the type "yes" or "no". It was the monosyllabic questions that didn’t allow Lyudmila Markovna to visualize what and why she needs/wants to immigrate to the USA and get a green card.
Not knowing how to properly prepare a presentation, and not understanding the differences between open and closed questions, led to a refusal from the future investor.
How can you avoid Maria’s mistakes?
Instead of asking the person closed questions that they can only answer with yes or no, you should ask open-ended questions to allow the interlocutor to tell the reason for his decision, and also you could hear and understand the desire of your candidate.
Knowing the desire or dream of your investor, you can build your presentation around this, thereby attracting the attention of the interlocutor more and involving him in the immigration process.
Three rules to follow when talking to an investor?
- Ask open questions, not closed ones.
- Build your communication around Value Proposition to reveal the desires of your interlocutor.
- Manage the conversation in such a way that your interlocutor speaks more than you.
To be prepared and attract the attention of an investor, we recommend you to familiarize yourself with our class “Investor Search”.