Thanks Piotr for the invite you gave to me in a comment on a recent @happyvoter article, to comment on this post.

I applaud your courage. To talk Steem to owners of businesses with such aplomb, that deserves my standing ovation! I am used to talking to business owners and I know how to quickly impress on them their need to talk with me.

Firstly, understand your clients. Get to know who does what, where and when, and so on. The research takes time, maybe 20 minutes on Dr Google and elsewhere. Also, always remember to do that one last important search: add "scam" after their business name, and you'll be surprised what pops up!

Next, when making first contact, always assume the person you are speaking with is the primary decision maker. Often, and especially is SMEs, that decision maker is the gatekeeper: the receptionist or similar position. Telemarketing skills are awesome here, if you've ever had the pleasure of spending a few years telemarketing. I tell you, that experience is just so beneficial for generating ice-breaking moments, and the gatekeeper changes from fiend to friend. What helps here is a smile, always telecommunicate with a smile and that happy face often gets magically teleported on to the listener!

Now, you have arrived at the hand or ear of the chief, the owner or owner's representative. Time is critical, so keep greetings short and relevant. If meeting in the chief's office, then a quick look around will tell you the type of person you're dealing with: family photos indicate family values, expensive artwork perhaps a collector and wealthy investor, laptop rather than a PC a person on the go, and so on. Just 2-3 seconds as you're sitting down and getting settled, then quickly shape your thoughts to reflect the priorities of the chief, mirror actions and thoughts, nodding your head, retain eye contact as much as possible. All these actions indicate to the chief that you're a good listener, perhaps someone to be trusted.

Close the deal at the first opportunity. Again, telemarketing skills are useful here. As soon as the chief sounds interested, close. This is when you have the Steem representative's diary handy, so you can refer the chief to a senior official Steem rep. Remember, do not waste the owner's time, your part in this process is as an affiliate or intermediary because that is how you will be paid. Close the deal, say your farewells, then move on to the next one. Oh, and please do remember to talk to the gatekeeper and be real friendly; these people will recommend you to the clients they love dealing with so they change from gatekeeper to door-opener.

I hope these few ideas help you Piotr, in your endeavours to make Steem great (again?).