No one questions that making friends is a good thing. In this workshop, we will discover that the business of business is making friends, and the business of all sales professionals is making friends and building relationships. Strategic friendships will make or break any business, no matter how big and no matter what kind of market.

At the end of this workshop, participants should be able to:

• Discover the benefits of developing a support network of connections.
• Understand how building relationships can help you develop your business base.
• Learn how to truly like your acquaintances—not just pretend to.
• Identify the key elements in strong working relationships, and how you might put more of these elements in your working relationships.
• Recognize the key interpersonal skills and practice using them.

Course Outline:

Introduction and Course Overview

You will spend the first part of the day getting to know participants and discussing what will take place during the workshop. Students will also have an opportunity to identify their personal learning objectives.

How to Get People to Like You

Participants will examine the twelve rules of likeability in small groups. Then, the large group will reconvene and discuss its conclusions.

What Influences People in Forming Relationships?

There are seven main things that influence people in forming relationships. During this session, we will cover what those influences are and how participants can ensure they are a positive factor in your relationships.

Disclosure

Joe Luft and Harry Ingraham developed the Jo-Hari Window, a way of looking at our self-awareness and our ability to ask feedback of others. We will look at the Jo-Hari Window in detail during this session.

How to Win Friends and Influence People

One of the most popular books ever written was Dale Carnegie’s How to Win Friends and Influence People. We will spend this session looking at some of its tips.

Communication Skills for Relationship Selling

The two most basic elements of good communication are asking questions and listening to others. We will cover both skills in depth during this session.

Non-Verbal Messages

Did you know that your words convey only 7% of your message? We’ll discuss what the other 93% is made up of, and how you can ensure that your body is sending the same message as your words.

Managing the Mingling

During this session, we will discuss some tips on mingling, including ways to remember peoples’ names.

The Handshake

During the important first few minutes of a new relationship, a handshake is usually the only body contact between two people. We will discuss and demonstrate the five key elements of a good handshake.

Small Talk

Being able to small-talk successfully is one of the most crucial skills a businessperson can develop, but it’s also one of the hardest. We’ll discuss some basic do’s and don’ts of small talk.

Networking

Once you have started a network of business associates, how do you organize your contacts? We will answer this question to wrap up the day.

Workshop Wrap-Up

At the end of the day, participants will have an opportunity to ask questions and fill out an action plan.