Did you ever notice how much better you get along with someone you just met when you find a common ground? It is human nature to be social and one of the characteristics of building trust and building a relationship is finding what you have in common. 
Asking open-ended questions of a new client can give you clues as to what kind of similar interests you may have or common history and can build that bond in short order.
Oregonians don’t normally have accents, so if I hear one I’ll ask, “Where are you from originally?” as one example of a question that has allowed me to see what part of the country someone may have grown up in. If they’re from the east coast or the south, for example, it gives me an opportunity to say that I grew up in NY and PA and spent four years in Virginia, too (and boy, do I know HUMIDITY as a result—something we can both laugh about if they’re from there, and then I can assure them that we don’t have that here at Fishhawk Lake.)
When a new client finds that you have tastes, experiences or values that run along the same lines, it can make everyone feel much more comfortable and allow all of you to have a “conversation”, instead of “selling” them on you.
Besides, if you genuinely LIKE people, it’s enjoyable getting to know them—it can open doors to future friendships, lifelong clients and for me, great new neighbors in my community who all love sharing memories at Fishhawk Lake!
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