Rapport Building

by Floyd
(Tualatin Oregon)

Rapport Building



Answer
Hi Floyd,

Rapport Building is indeed one of the most critical aspects of selling.

Many sales trainers suggest that you talk about something that your client is interested in especially if you have an interest in that as well, something like golf.

While this may build some rapport it is very difficult to move from discussing golf to discussing business without breaking that rapport that you have built.

If you build rapport at the unconscious level you can maintain it across a number of contexts.

You build rapport rapport by accentuating the similarities between you and your prospect and minimizing the differences.

So, if you go to see a prospect and they are feeling down don't bounce off the walls with enthusiasm, tone it down a bit.

Dress appropriately. If a prospect and his whole organization dress casually don't come in wearing a $1000 suit.

There are many ways to build rapport at the unconscious level and many of them are covered in my eBook on sales rapport


Hope this helps, Greg

PS: I sent you a copy of The Agreement Frame which you mentioned in your response to my "Helpful" Form.

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Jan 24, 2010
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starstarstarstarstar 		Creating Real Rapport
by: Sandra Zimmer

Rapport is a subtle skill, a non-verbal skill. Many sales trainers are focusing on shallow things to DO, recommending that salespeople look for obvious things in common to mention. Rapport is a felt-sense of connectedness that is built by love, acceptance and caring for another. It is a subtle energy that happens between two people when one is BEING present with another and being open to be authentic with the other person.

It is not something that can be used to manipulate others into buying or agreeing. As soon as you try to build rapport in order to manipulate someone, you have squashed the energy. Until a salesperson can set aside his own agenda to make the sale and be present to serve the client or customer, there is no real rapport.

But once you are truly there for the customer, he can feel it and rapport happens.

Sandra Zimmer
www.self-expression.com



Answer
Agree it's not about manipulation and it's subtle and it is predicated by a desire to do what's right for the prospect (to arrange a win-win).

Really, having Rapport just opens up the lines of communication so that it's possible to discover if there is benefit for both parties.

Greg

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