How to Build Trust and Rapport Quickly
If you're working hard, but aren't consistently generating
enough sales and getting referrals, chances are it's a matter of
trust. One of the most critically important and yet frequently
overlooked aspects of selling is creating a solid foundation of
trust and rapport.
Suppose you could incorporate a few simple, yet highly effective
ideas into your selling process and substantially increase your
bottom line?
Successful salespeople have a knack for making people feel
important. They understand the value of building trust and
rapport early on in the selling process. For you see, it really
doesn't matter how knowledgeable you are about your product line
or how many closing techniques you have mastered, unless you
earn your prospect's trust and confidence you're not going to
make the sale period.
Once you have established trust and rapport with your prospect,
you actually have the hard part behind you and can anticipate
making the sale. While there's no system that will work 100
percent of the time with every prospect, fortunately there are
fundamentals you can use that will help you build trust and
rapport quickly.
Gain the Competitive Edge Whether you like it or not, people
form impressions about you based on such factors as appearance
and attitude. When it comes to building trust and rapport, there
is nothing more important than making a favorable first
impression.
It's important to remember that in most cases, your prospect's
first impression of you will be made over the phone or from a
voice message you leave.
Here are some suggestions to help you create a favorable first
impression:
1. Show up on time and be well prepared.
2. Maintain a well-groomed appearance and dress appropriately
for your market.
3. Be upbeat and personable without becoming overly familiar.
Adjust to Your Prospect's Temperament Style Research indicates
people are born into one of four primary temperament styles:
Aggressive, Expressive, Passive or Analytical.
Each of these four primary temperament styles requires a unique
approach and selling strategy. For example, if you're selling to
the impatient, aggressive style, they want a short warm up and
expect a quick, bottom line presentation. While at the other
extreme, the cautious, analytical style requires a longer warm
up period and is interested in every detail.
Each of these four behavioral styles can be easily identified by
observing their body language patterns. Once you learn how to
identify each of the styles, you'll be able to close more sales
in less time by adjusting to your prospect's preferred buying
style.
Understand Body Language Body language is a mixture of movement,
posture, and tone of voice. Research indicates that in a
face-to-face conversation, more than 70 percent of our
communication is nonverbal.
Our body language reveals our deepest feelings and hidden
thoughts to total strangers. In addition, nonverbal
communication has a much greater impact and reliability than the
spoken word. Therefore, if your prospect's words are incongruent
with his or her body language gestures, you would be wise to
rely on the body language as a more accurate reflection of their
true feelings.
Be mindful of your own body language gestures and remember to
keep them positive by unfolding your arms, uncrossing your legs
and smiling frequently.
Create harmony by "matching and mirroring" your prospect's body
language gestures. Matching and mirroring is an unconscious body
language mimicry by which one person tells another they are in
agreement.
The next time you are at a social event, notice how many people
are subconsciously matching one another. Likewise, when people
disagree, they subconsciously mismatch their body language
gestures.
An effective way to begin matching your prospect is to subtly
nod your head in agreement whenever your prospect nods their
head, or cross your legs when they cross their legs etc.
By understanding the meaning behind your prospect's body
language, you will minimize perceived sales pressure and know
when it's appropriate to close the sale.
Use Active Listening Skills Successful salespeople take notes,
listen attentively and avoid the temptation to interrupt,
criticize or argue with their prospects. It's a good idea to
occasionally repeat your prospect's words verbatim. By
occasionally restating your prospect's key words or phrases you
not only clarify communication, but also build rapport.
During the first fifteen minutes or so of the appointment, you
should listen more than you talk. Keep your attention focused on
what your prospect is saying and avoid the temptation to
interrupt or dominate the conversation. The quickest way to
destroy trust and rapport is to interrupt another person. If you
do interrupt, minimize the damage by apologizing and asking them
to please continue.
Establish Your Credentials It's important for you to establish
your credentials as an expert in your industry early on during
your initial appointment. Hand out your business card and or
company brochure, then mention two or three reasons why you like
working in your industry and for your company.
Make sure your marketing materials look professional and are
kept up-to-date. If you conduct appointments in your office, I
recommend you display your awards and certificates of
accomplishment.
Look for Common Ground Before you begin your sales presentation
or demonstration, you must first "warm up" your prospect and
make them feel comfortable. A great way to establish common
ground during the warm up is to discuss the weather, sports or a
local news story.
If you're meeting your prospect in his or home or office, look
at personal items on display such as pictures or awards. People
enjoy talking about their hobbies and past accomplishments. For
example, if you notice a picture of your prospect holding a big
fish in his or her arms, ask them about it and watch them beam
with pride.
In today's highly competitive marketplace, your prospects have
many options and are looking for a salesperson that they know
they can trust to work in their best interest.
Salespeople who fail to put an emphasis on developing trust and
rapport actually do a disservice to their customers and in
effect, leave the backdoor open to their competition. In
addition to generating new sales, developing strong
relationships will keep competitors at arms length and your
business on the books!