Too busy to read?

The right way to find out So how do you find out what someone does for a living? (I thought you'd never ask.) You simply practise the following eight words. All together now: 'How ... do ... you ... spend ... most ... of ... your ... time?'

When you want to give someone the subliminal feeling you're just alike, use their words, not yours. Suppose you are selling a car to a young mother who tells you she is concerned about safety because she has a young toddler.

Technique 36: Big shots don't slobber People who are VIPs in their own right don't slobber over celebrities. When you are chatting with one, don't compliment her work, simply say how much pleasure or insight it's given you. If you do single out any one of the star's accomplishments, make sure it's a recent one, not a memory that's getting yellow in her scrapbook.

Baring their hot button Before jumping blindly into a bevy of bookbinders or a drove of dentists, find out what the hot issues are in their fields. Every industry has burning concerns the outside world knows little about. Ask your informant to bare the industry buzz. Then, to heat the conversation up, push those buttons.

told Dan about how pleased Diane was to meet him yet how little she learned about his life. Dan simply replied, 'Well, when I meet someone, I learn so much more if I ask about their life. I always try to turn the spotlight on the other person.' Truly confident people often do this. They know they grow more by listening than talking. Obviously, they also captivate the talker.