A few sentences about the business, the area or projects relax the conversation before you move on to the offer.
What it means in practice
Small talk is a short, casual conversation at the start of a meeting – about the business, the area, projects, the weather or the industry – before moving to the actual offer.
Why it matters for your business
A few sentences relax the atmosphere, build rapport and show you’re interested in the person as a person and entrepreneur. Too much small talk, however, can make a busy owner impatient.
Examples and good practice
- Refer to something you see: a project, the premises, a company van.
- Ask about the business: “How long have you been running it?”.
- Keep small talk to 1–2 minutes.
- Move smoothly to the purpose of the visit.
How to use it in a sales conversation
A good bridge is asking about their work: “Beautiful bathroom in that photo – where can customers see more of your projects?”. It leads naturally to the topic of the website.
