E-Tip 220 - 5 Tips for Building Rapport with Prospects

5 Tips For Building Rapport With Prospects

1. Body Language Speaks Volumes - First, be aware of your own body language - unfold your arms, uncross your legs, show your palms and remember to smile. Second, develop an awareness of your prospect's body language. Watch for inconsistencies between your prospect's spoken word and their nonverbal communication. Learn to rely on the nonverbal as a much more accurate indicator of intent. By understanding your prospect's body language you will minimize perceived sales pressure and know when it is appropriate to close the sale.

2. Make Eye Contact And Listen With Genuine Interest - You are certain to create an unfavorable impression if you give your prospect the idea that you are not fully present in the conversation. Unfortunately, we are often busy game-planning our response instead of truly listening to what is being said. I suggest that you occasionally repeat verbatim what your prospect says, especially their key words or phrases. Restating in your own words not only serves to clarify communication, but you deepen rapport when you use their words.

3. Ask Open-Ended, Clarifying Questions - Open-ended questions will require your prospect to give in-depth responses. Become an active listener. While it is important to educate your prospect about your product or service, as a general rule you should listen more than you talk. Keep your attention focused on your prospect and avoid the temptation to interrupt and dominate the conversation. The quickest way to destroy trust and rapport is to interrupt another person while they are speaking. If you do interrupt, minimize the damage by apologizing and ask them to please continue.

4. Be Aware Of The Pace You Set - If you jump right in with the "OK, let's get down to business" meeting kickoff before you give everyone a chance to take a breath and say hello, it often creates a tense atmosphere. Conversely, if you take too much time chatting the buyer will be wondering, "Are we ever going to get going here?" You have to gauge when to start talking business at the right time. Time the conversation right and you will be well on your way to building rapport.

5. Dress And Act Professionally - Research indicates that people form a lasting impression of us within the first five minutes. Be personable but not overly familiar. When appropriate, occasionally call your prospect by their first name. The sweetest sound to the human ear is the sound of our own name.

4 Competencies For Building Rapport With Prospects

1. Customer Acquisition - A great salesperson identifies and converts prospects who should be doing business with you into customers who are champions for your organization.

2. Customer Experience - A great salesperson creates an environment with customers to maintain a positive long-term relationship. They leverage positive experiences to create customer loyalty and a desire for them to be a champion for your organization.

3. Professionalism - A great salesperson projects an image of maturity and integrity that creates credibility.

4. Interpersonal Skills - A great salesperson displays a consistent ability to build solid relationships of trust and respect inside and outside the organization.

Summary: Building rapport is a critical step on every sales call, whether for a new prospect or a long time client. You do this by understanding what buyers want, exchanging pleasantries, grabbing favorable attention, establishing credibility, and clearly defining an agenda for the call.

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