Building Rapport

To generate new clients and retain your existing ones, there is an essential need to connect. There are many tips for building rapport but they must all be grounded in a very real and authentic desire to build trust. People can smell genuineness from a mile away, so there’s no real “faking it” in this game. The purpose of building rapport is to simply make friends and build trust. In fact, 90% of buyers must feel comfortable with you first.

First off, know that buyers will most likely never give you the key to the sale. By telling you exactly what they need from you, they know it will be logically difficult to reject a sales offer that caters exactly to their needs.

Second, know that what you say within that first minute will directly impact the outcome of the sale.

How the conversation should go:

• They want to know that you care about their individual interests. So using professional/technical/business interests right off the bat is a great way to get the conversation flowing.
• Don’t start with personal information. This can often turn buyers off, especially Driver and Thinker personality types.
• Start the conversation and keep it going by getting the buyer to talk. Ask open-ended questions. This will help the buyer enjoy the conversation more because they are talking about what they like to talk about. This will also lead the progression of the conversation.
• Be careful of unsolicited small talk. If you’re in a jam, you can reference the artifacts in the room (pictures, trophies, etc). Just be careful of how long that goes on because this can easily turn off buyers.

Lastly, realize the gravity of appearance. Appearance accounts for 55% of how buyers judge you. Because buyers unconsciously use your appearance to make inferences and draw conclusions, take note of how you look, how you sound, and how you speak. Your attire should represent confidence, success, expertise, sensitivity, professionalism and attention to detail. It seems petty but you don’t want to lose a buyer because of the way you are dressed.