Chapter 24 Talk about the topics that the other person is most interested in

The wonderful way to understand the other party's inner thoughts is to talk to the other party about the things that interest him most. Anyone who has ever visited President Roosevelt at Oyster Bay will be amazed at his vast knowledge.Bradford, an authoritative writer on Roosevelt, wrote: "Whether it was a shepherd boy or a knight, or a politician or diplomat in New York, Roosevelt knew what to say to him, and talk about his specialty." So how did Roosevelt do this?The answer is actually very simple-no matter who Roosevelt wants to meet, he will always fall asleep late the night before the visitor's arrival, and read some knowledge that the visitor will be particularly interested in.

Because Roosevelt, like all leaders, knows that the best way to understand the other party's inner thoughts is to talk to the other party about the things that interest him most. Mr. Philip, who is a professor at Yale University, is a very kind person.He learned this truth at an early age. Philip wrote in one of his sketches about human nature: "When I was 8 years old, I went to my aunt Linsley's house for a weekend. In the evening, a middle-aged man came to my aunt's house. I was chatting casually with my aunt After a few words, he noticed me. I was very interested in boats at the time, and this visitor had a special interest in talking to me about this subject, and he seemed to be very interested in it. , we talked very well. After he left, I still admired him. My aunt told me that he is a lawyer in New York. He should not be so enthusiastic about the ship-related matters, and he should not even be interested. said."

Philip felt very strange, so he asked his aunt, "But why has he been talking to me about the ship all the time?" My aunt smiled and said: "Because he is a noble and cultivated person. He sees that you are very interested in boats, so he just talks about topics that he thinks can make you pay attention and make you happy, and just chat with you. In this way, He made himself popular." Finally, Professor Philip added: "I will never forget what my aunt said to me. I learned from it that if you want the person you are talking to Interested in your conversation, you have to talk about topics that interest him."

At this moment when I am writing this part of the chapter, there is a letter in front of me from Mr. Jeff, who is passionate about the cause of children. "One day, I felt that I needed someone's help," Mr. Jeff wrote in the letter. "There will be a boy scout summer camp in Europe. I would like to invite the manager of a large company in the United States to sponsor me and a Travel expenses for the Boy Scouts. Fortunately, before I went to visit the manager of this large company, I heard that he had written a check for a million dollars. It was a check for a million dollars, you know! Then Some reason prompted him to void that check again, perhaps to remember some lesson I don't know, he put the check in a picture frame as a souvenir. So, the first thing I did when I saw him was Ask him to show me his check, and tell him I've never in my life heard of a check for such a large amount; and I'll tell my boy scouts that I did see one A check for a million dollars. The manager handed me that check very pleasantly. I was always amazed and asked him to give me the details of how the check was drawn."

Did you notice?Mr. Jeff didn't start off by talking about Boy Scouts or European camps, or what he wanted their help to do.He just talks about topics that can interest the other party, so that the other party is willing to talk to him.And so it came about as Mr. Jeff said: "After a while, the manager I was visiting asked me, 'Oh, you must be here for something else, right?' So I told him about me. To my surprise, He not only readily agreed to my request, but also generously gave me more support. I originally only asked him to sponsor one boy scout to go to Europe, but he generously funded five boy scouts and myself , wrote me a check for $1,000, and suggested that we spend seven weeks in Europe. He then wrote me a letter of introduction, introducing me to the managers of his European branches, and told them Help us when the time comes. When we arrived in Europe, he went to Europe himself, received us kindly in Paris, and showed us around this beautiful city. Since then, he has been very enthusiastic about our Boy Scout cause, often Provide job opportunities for Boy Scouts from poor families."

Mr. Jeff said again: "But I also know very well that if I didn't find a topic of interest to him and make him happy, then not only would this matter not go so smoothly, I think I'm afraid even 1/10 No chance." Is this method equally effective in commercial activities?Now let us give an example, and see how Mr. Dufino, the manager of Dufino Company, a high-end bread company in New York, does it: Mr. Dufino had been trying to sell his bread to a big restaurant in New York.For four consecutive years, Mr. Dufino has visited the manager of the hotel almost every week, and often attends various social gatherings organized by the manager.In order to facilitate this business, Mr. Dufino even rented a long-term room in this hotel and lived there, hoping to make this business.However, despite Mr. Dufino's exhaustion of various methods, he still failed to get what he wanted.

"Then," said Mr. Duverneau, "I did some research on human interaction and decided to change my strategy. I decided to find out what the person's interests were, what he cared about and was most interested in. "I found out that he is a member of the American Hotel Association. Because he has such a strong interest and enthusiasm for this cause, he was elected as the chairman of this organization and also serves as the president of the International Hotel Federation. Every time only No matter how busy he is, he will come to attend a meeting or any event without hesitation.

"So, when I visited him again, I started talking to him about the Hotel Association. Guess what his reaction was? It was amazing! He spent half an hour talking to me about the Hotel Association. , he was full of energy and enthusiasm throughout the conversation, and I am sure that this association is his greatest interest, and he can say that he puts all his energy into it. Just before I left his office, He persuaded me to join this association. "During the entire meeting, I didn't mention a single word about bread to him. However, after a few days, I received a call from his hotel supervisor, asking me to send over samples of bread and quotations. .'I don't know what magic you put on the old man,' the executive said to me on the phone. 'He's really impressed by you!'

"Imagine, I've been dealing with this manager for 4 years, trying to sell him bread, but without success. If I hadn't managed to find out what he was interested in, and learned about the issues he liked to talk about, I'm afraid I I'm still fighting with him to death, but I've gotten nothing!"