One of the keys to winning a person over is to show genuine interest in them. When a person knows that you actually care about what it is they are saying or offering, trust and likability is not far behind. It reminds me of a popular saying, "People don't care how much you know, until they know how much you care."

A lot can be learned from this saying. A nice person can tell us endless information about their product or service but it's not until we have that likability and trust factor happening that the real impact is made. It's especially compounded when we share a general interest or feel that we are the subject of sincere interest.

A person showing real interest creates a sense of commonality. It is, of course, commonality that really helps to build good relationships. You should show genuine interest when you are business networking and below you will find 3 ways to do so.

First, when speaking to a person, make eye contact. I don't mean an uninterrupted stare but good eye contact in which you are lifting your eyebrows and are showing a fixation on what is being said.  Envision those times when you been talking to a close friend about something very interesting to you. Mimic those actions in relation to maintaining eye contact.

Second, nod and smile. When you're speaking to an individual and maintaining good eye contact, it's a good idea to nod every now and then. I'm not suggesting to nod uncontrollably  like you have some sort of nervous condition but nodding in correlation to what is being said.

You can usually tell by certain tones that are coming from your conversation partner, what the emphasis points are. Simply nod in agreement to those points.

You should also be smiling when it's appropriate to do so. Depending on the context of your conversation, a smile will translate that you are interested and engaged in what is being said.

This is of course inappropriate if it's a conversation about something sad. I'd avoid smiling if someone is explaining to you how they just lost their business partner of 30 years.

And third, ask questions. Nothing translates that you are engaged in a conversation like asking questions. Your questions should, of course, probe deeper into the subject. You should be asking questions that encourage the person to give more information about whatever it is they are explaining. As your questions are being answered, maintain good eye contact, nod accordingly, and smile when appropriate.

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