6 Ways to Find Common Ground With Wealthy Prospects

Slideshow January 08, 2024 at 04:53 PM Share & Print

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You know how to walk up to a stranger at an event and start a conversation. Can you keep the conversation going?

Like attracts like. This is the principle of attraction. It can be easy to meet people in social situations, but you want to form an enduring relationship. People often like to spend time with similar people. and as an agent or advisor, you want to break into this world. This means you need to make the case why “we are similar” and “you want to see me again.”

Imbalance in the initial relationship can be perceived as an issue. In the early stages, it can seem like you are doing all the giving. The wealthy like to be cultivated! You are extending the invitations, and not much benefit is coming from the other direction. This should balance itself out as the relationship matures. It might even get to the point where you are deriving the lion’s share of the benefit. You must be patient.

Here are six ways to lay the foundation and establish common ground.

Bryce Sanders

NOT FOR REPRINT

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1. What Do You Bring to the Table?

When you chat with people, you learn about their interests. They might be a wine fan. Or an engaged investor. There is something you can offer that has value.

Let’s assume you like wine, which is an incredibly inefficient marketplace. There are bargains to be had, if you know where to look. If you are talking about wine and mention a couple of good deals you have recently found, they should be suitably impressed. You are up front and ready to share, telling them where you found that great deal. They want to know you because you are both wine fans. You know where to find great deals. You bring value to the relationship.

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2. Supporting the Same Team

This is an easy commonality to establish. If they are sports fans, they have at least one favorite team. Often, it is the hometown team. If they are not tailgating on weekends, they are at a sports bar or in their family room cheering on their team. Sports fans know statistics and love talking about them. A lot depends on where supporting the local team fits into their lifestyle. If they watch on TV or attend every home game, you should have a solid connection, assuming you are an equally big fan.

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3. Similarities in Your Backgrounds

You attended the same college or served in the same branch of the military. You belong to the same faith. These are common denominators, but a lot depends on the strength of the bond. If you went to the same school, you might have met at an alumni event. If you served in the military, you might have attended a veterans event. If you didn’t meet that way, they might have a bumper sticker or article of clothing announcing the connection. If they display a symbol from an organization, it is important to them. That is your common ground.

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4. Geographic Similarities

You grew up in the same neighborhood. You had a job assignment putting them in the same city but at different times. You went to college in that town. You have the ability to talk about familiar businesses and landmarks that only someone with the same experience can do. A New Yorker can tell another New Yorker fairly quickly. I have a saying: “New York never leaves you.” This gives you plenty to talk about.

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5. Friends in Common

This is one of the easiest ways to establish common ground. This works very well in the local community and serves several purposes: It provides people with a reference. They call them up and ask: “What can you tell me about (name)?” It can also be a form of pride or establishing your position in the social hierarchy. When they ask: “Do you know (name),” that is another way of saying: “I am important enough to know them. What about you?” You can usually find people and names that will be familiar. Getting together as a group is another way you can establish a connection.

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6. Supporting a Common Cause

Many of the people you meet will be attending community events. Although some might be social climbers, let us assume they bought a ticket to the event because they support the mission of the organization. You can talk about their depth of involvement. And yours too. How long have they been involved? What other causes do they support? You are establishing that you have shared value, another form of common ground.

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