Building and maintaining high levels of rapport with your customers is paramount in your ultimate success in the sales profession. When rapport exists in a relationship it is characterized by "harmonious mutual understanding".

Mutual trust, interest, and understanding are the core values and foundation upon which rapport is build and maintained..


Rapport is developed over time; it is usually long-term and enduring.


When a customer resists or objects to your products or ideas during a sales conversation, this puts pressure on whatever rapport that exists between you and the customer.


To keep the sales conversation alive with customers who are not "buying in", rapport must be kept at the highest possible level. This is done through the use of conversational rapport skills.


Conversational rapport differes from the more common, long-term rapport in that it is a condition or feeling, that exists at any moment in time, during a sales presentation. This feeling of resistance, or objection, exists regardless of your long-term rapport level. Here we will be discussing the very things that resisting customers need: to be heard, to be understood, and to know that their feelings (point of view) are respected.

Listening

Listening means giving 100% of your attention to what the buyer is saying and how he or she is saying it.

When you listen, maintain eye contact, and focus on what he or she is saying, not on what you are going to say next.

Responding

Respond in a way that shows the customer you're listening and paying attention.

Some things you can do to show the customer you're listening include nodding, smiling, saying "uh huh," "I see" and so on...

Demonstrate Understanding

• Prove to the buyer that you:
• Have hard him / her
• Understand his / her problems and concerns
• Care about his / her business

Reflecting Phrases


Saying "I Understand" is often not enough to build rapport, because it doesn't prove to the customer that you really do understand.   To provide evidence that you understand someone, reproduce the general sense of what they've said.  A few words are usually enough.


Being able to paraphrase or restate key issues is a very useful skill.  It demonstrates that you've been paying attention.  When combined with appropriate questions, it shows that you are interested enough to want more details.

Rapport Breakers and Better Responses

• INVALIDATION:  "You're wrong to think / feel that way."

SHOW RESPECT AND ACCEPTANCE:  "That's an important consideration.  On the other hand...."

• ANALYZING:  "What you really mean / feel is...."

PARAPHRASING:  "It sounds as if you're concerned with ..."

A reflecting phrase proves that you've been listening, and that you understand, without commenting on the other person's attitude or emotions.

• "It seems like it might be too large..."
• "It sounds like you're pretty happy with what you're using."
• "So you feel that it's too much to purchase now..."
• "It looks like it hasn't sold through as you'd hoped."
• "It feels like now isn't the right time."

Or, you can make a statement that agrees with the customer:

• "Cash flow can really be a problem."
• "A cold summer can really put a dent in sales."

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The impact of our messages -- the degree to which they will be received by the customer -- is linked not only to what we say, but also to how we say it.


The what of a message is the words that you use to say it.  The how is all the other elements that determine the effectiveness of our communication style: voice tone, gestures, and other body language.

Replying to [Rizzob]:Dear Rizzob,
I am waiting for your thoughts on this topic eagerly.I am assigned training Sales personnel for a service oriented company, whhere they have to project non-tangible offer and buyer rapport plays important role
Sixer

Replying to [Rizzob]:How soon robby, Still Waiting

Replying to [Rizzob]:Great article...!!
I've gone thru.a small 11/12 years sales career.
As a matter of fact selling/rapport building is the crux of our day to day life..we all sell everyday something or the other.... ideas --products--views--philosophy--lies--threats--etc..etc..
Rapport: What I found during these years was that while building a good/close rapport..there is a likely hood of either of one to take undue advantage of the situation.
Please, when you finally do get the time to reply/post do touch on this point as well..

Thanks.

Replying to [Rizzob]:Really nice efforts, I have added it in my watch list.

Replying to [Rizzob]:It's very right,but when we do it ,the moment when we maybe forget how to do properly.

Replying to [Rizzob]: Hi, Rizzob, it's a very good arctile!
Thanks for sharing!

Replying to [Rizzob]:

This is my first post in the forum and I just wanted to say thanks to you all.
The articles and info that I found here has been very helpful to me over the past few months.

For people starting out in b2b, like myself, a forum like this is priceless.

So once again.... thanks

Replying to [Rizzob]: A good reputed buyer (customer) will not only have maney benifit from supplier.but also look the benifit of both buyer and seller

Replying to [Rizzob]:

Great article.

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