Stop pretending you know them!

Some people think it’s OK when talking to a prospective customer for the first Time to pretend like you had a previous relationship with them to get them to be warm and loosen up to listen to you. This is a bad idea because there is a little bit of apprehension when people are involved in sales conversations... this can be even more annoying when they discover that you are just trying to sell them something! Focus on being professional, credible, and appropriate when you meet total strangers for the first time before you try to sell them something. The friendship part of the equation will take care of itself over time.