Perfect Pitch: Give it to me straight...

By asking frank, direct, and diplomatic questions, you can quickly determine the potential for working together with a new contact. I like to ask open-ended, action-based questions that are grounded in the “let’s keep talking” principle. Some good questions of that kind might be, “Have you ever worked with an executive recruiter before? What was your experience? What would you like your experience to be?”

When you ask those kind of questions, you encourage clients in a non-threatening way to share relevant stories from their own experience. Those stories will put you in a much better position to gauge the possibilities for a mutually beneficial relationship.

When speaking with a new contact, focus on simple questions that illuminate what the client actually does. Skip the fluff. If you’re afraid of seeming too inquisitive, that fear can cost you many more clients than an overly aggressive style. We all want to be liked but that desire shouldn’t get in the way of solid business practices. Sometimes it seems more comfortable in the short run to start a friendly relationship than to gain information that can build a solid business partnership. Don’t let that happen.

People in my line of work face a lot of rejection so they tend to be very open to praise and positive feedback from prospective clients. And for the clients, the early phases of a relationship can be like having a free consultation about their favorite subject, which is themselves. All this provides frequent strokes for both sides. If this early relationship seems so good, it may seem natural to assume that the relationship should go forward.

But if the client is not legitimately qualified, it’s only a matter of time before both parties realize that this isn’t a fit. But by then you may have wasted valuable time. Yes, “let’s keep talking”…but not forever and not with everyone.