Any successful sales pro will tell you that building rapport is the foundation of making a sale. If you don’t (or can’t) establish rapport with the customer, the likelihood that the sale will take place is minimal.
It’s a common misconception among that the initial step of rapport building is an isolated task - something that the rep “does” at the beginning of a customer meeting before going into a sales pitch. This generally takes the form of a “hail-fellow-and-well-met” handshake, followed by some comment about the nearest gimcrack on the prospect’s desk.
However, the effect of such behavior is usually to make the prospect feel that the rep is trying too hard to be too friendly too quickly. The rep comes off as phony, just being friendly in order to make the sale.
The key to rapport building isn’t friendliness but CURIOSITY. During an initial customer meeting, rather than trying to come off like the prospect’s long lost friend, you should become interested in the customer as a person. Your head should be full of question like:
- Why does he do what he does for a living?
- What does she like best about her job?
- What does he want to accomplish?
- What motivates her to want to excel?
This kind of curiosity builds rapport (where false friendliness does not) because:
- It’s entirely appropriate to be curious about somebody you’re meeting for the first time.
- Everybody wants to think they’re interesting, so your curiosity is a natural compliment.
- Curiosity leads to the discovery of commonality, which is the basis of friendship.
- Curiosity about the prospect easily transitions into curiosity about the prospect’s business needs.
In my next few posts, I’ll share how to build rapport not just at the initial meeting, but throughout the entire sales process. The end result? An easier sale and a happier customer. Stay tuned.
By the way, I first learned about the importance of curiosity as a rapport building activity as part of a conversation with Dr. Earl Taylor, a thirty year employee and master trainer at Dale Carnegie & Associates.
