people standing talking at party Attend enough parties and events, meet enough peopleand the numbers should eventually work in your favor. (Photo:Shutterstock)

You are a true believer – attend enough parties andevents, meet enough people and the numbers should eventually workin your favor.  Picturethis:  You are at a wedding reception.  You meetother guests.  You go through “What do you do?” What now?  You know talking business with people you justmet is likely to make them feel awkward.

9 safe conversation topics

Your objective is to find some interests in common. You want reasons to keep in touch and a rationale for seeing themagain.  Here are nine safe areas:

1.  Where do they live?  I'vealways liked “Where's home?” as a conversation starter.  Iheard it from someone who worked at a large financial servicesfirm.  It's a give-and-take conversationstarter.  They tell you and you tell them.  Youmight be neighbors.

Continue Reading for Free

Register and gain access to:

  • Breaking benefits news and analysis, on-site and via our newsletters and custom alerts
  • Educational webcasts, white papers, and ebooks from industry thought leaders
  • Critical converage of the property casualty insurance and financial advisory markets on our other ALM sites, PropertyCasualty360 and ThinkAdvisor
NOT FOR REPRINT

© 2024 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.

Bryce Sanders

Bryce Sanders, president of Perceptive Business Solutions Inc., has provided training for the financial services industry on high-net-worth client acquisition since 2001. He trains financial professionals on how to identify prospects within the wealthiest 2%-5% of their market, where to meet and socialize with them, how to talk with wealthy people and develop personal relationships, and how to transform wealthy friends into clients. Bryce spent 14 years with a major financial services firm as a successful financial advisor, two years as a district sales manager and four years as a home office manager. He developed personal relationships within the HNW community through his past involvement as a Trustee of the James A. Michener Art Museum, Board of Associates for the Bucks County Chapter of the Fox Chase Cancer Center, Board of Trustees for Stevens Institute of Technology and as a church lector. Bryce has been published in American City Business Journals, Barrons, InsuranceNewsNet, BenefitsPro, The Register, MDRT Round the Table, MDRT Blog, accountingweb.com, Advisorpedia and Horsesmouth.com. In Canada, his articles have appeared in Wealth Professional. He is the author of the book “Captivating the Wealthy Investor.”