Rapport is a word thrown around a lot in sales. And quite rightly so. If you are not developing a rapport with your prospects than you will really struggle to influence them into buying from you.
In this article I want to share with you a basic understanding of what rapport is, and also my five top tips to help you develop rapport with your clients.
Rapport is simply a strong and positive relationship you have with your prospect, your customer and even the gatekeeper if you work hard enough. Rapport is recognised when you have a lot in common with the person you are communicating with and the communication in general is good and positive.
If you can develop strong rapport with your prospect and your customers then asking for the sale, asking for repeat sales and handling customer relationships all of a sudden become a whole lot easier.
So, without further a due, here are my top
five tips on how to develop rapport:
Communicate Well
No one likes being talked to. And no one likes not being listened to. We could perhaps write a whole article on communication alone, however it is safe to say that to develop good rapport you need to communicate well with the person you are speak with. You need to listen to them and to actively listen as aswell. You need to ask questions and understand them as a person. You need to use your manners and be polite at all times. Doing so will help you with the next tip…
Find Common Ground
We all get on well with people with similar interests and tastes as us. Whilst communicating with your prospect look for common ground. Once you do, make a note of it and be sure to talk about it whenever you can. The common ground can be anything from watching the same TV Shows, supporting the same football teams and even growing up in the same City. Whatever it is, communicate and ask questions to find the common ground and enjoy a good conversation about it.
Share Experiences
This is an afterburner from the common ground part of the process. The ability to share an experience is a sure way to solidify a relationship and ensure long term rapport. This can be anything from going to a football game or even connecting on social media and communicating about non-work activities. Anything you can share with someone will help you to develop long term rapport.
Be Empathetic
To be empathetic is the ability to understand and share the feelings of others. Not everyone you come into contact with is going to have the exact opinions and feelings as you and yet this does not mean you cannot develop rapport with them. By listening to their views and opinions whilst not taking offence or without judgement will show a whole new level of caring and will ensure that your rapport is developed.
Mirror
This is such a key thing for me and something that I have written about on countless amounts of times. The ability to mirror the personality of someone is key to ensuring that you can find common ground and start communicating well. The ability to mirror ensures that you do not come across as someone too loud when you first meet them, or even too shy and quiet. Your ability to match, or mirror, the personality of the person you are speaking with will demonstrate common ground in which you can then develop a strong rapport with them.
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