How To Build Rapport In Sales – A Guide
You’ve probably heard the age old saying – “People do business with people they trust, know and like”. I believe that not only does this still ring true in today’s world, but it does today even more-so.
How To Build Rapport In Sales
So how do you build rapport in sales? We’ll be looking at that in a bit more detail, but first let’s revisit what rapport is.
What is rapport?
Rapport is building an established connection with someone, where you feel and establish likeness with that person.
Building rapport in sales is the process of building and establishing that connection. Many people focus on building rapport with just sharing common things they may have with their conversation, but rapport is much more than that.
Areas to focus on to build rapport
A lot of training focuses on sharing on the surface commonalities with your potential client, if you want to build rapport. Instead as taught in NLP, you should be mirroring, and pacing and leading if you want to build rapport in sales.
The areas in which you can build rapport in sales, is the following:
- Body language (legs, head tilt, hands, arms)
- Posture (upright or slumped, leaning one way or another)
- Breathing rate
- Voice (tonality such as pitch, speed and volume)
- Values
- Their beliefs
How To Build Rapport In Sales – The Three Areas
If you want to build rapport in sales, you’ll need to follow on the three key areas during your face to face, or phone conversations with your potential clients.
Empathy
Empathy is the ability to understand and relate to a person, where they are currently at; and understanding their belief systems.
The way in which you do this, is by asking questions that help you understand and learn more about your potential client.
The more you get them talking about themselves, their company, their issues and their dreams, the more empathy and rapport you will build with that person.
Being similar
As mentioned earlier in this article, people do like people who are similar to themselves.
Although finding small relating experiences, or likeness that you share in common in important, this is just the tip of the iceberg.
By focusing on the dot points mentioned above; by pacing and leading, and mirroring your potential client (not copying), you’ll also be able to build rapport on a subconscious level.
Being authentic
It’s very easy for your potential clients to pick up on whether you’re being genuine, present and authentic; or whether you’re putting on a mask just to close the sale.
The best way to be authentic, is by actively being present for them in the moment, and genuinely asking questions to see whether you can in fact serve them or not.
By being authentically present an asking deep diving, open ended questions, you’ll not only build rapport – but maintain it throughout your conversation too.
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