Building Rapport With Customers In Sales

How do you take your sales and business to the next level? One important way is by building rapport with customers in sales.

Having rapport with a customer enables you to build a connection and trust. When the proper rapport is built, your clients will feel comfortable with you and will be more inclined to listen and take any advice you offer.

Building rapport is one of the most important things you can do to close more sales.

What Is Rapport?

Rapport is the core of a relationship. It’s the foundation that you build with someone that allows further communication. Rapport is built on trust, mutual understanding, and commonality.

Rapport can be looked at in two ways:

You can have a rapport with people you know well and have a rapport with strangers. The key to building rapport is to find common ground with the other person.

This can be done by sharing information about yourself, listening actively, and making an effort to understand the other person’s point of view.

Building rapport is essential in sales because it allows you to create a connection with your customers. This connection will make it more likely that your customers will listen to your sales pitch and be open to your ideas and products.

Disadvantages Of Not Building Rapport With Customers In Sales

If you don’t build rapport with customers, you’ll still be able to make sales and do business. The problem is you will stunt yourself from getting bigger and better business, whether it be making larger sales from a client or easily getting more sales referrals. 

Not building rapport is a missed opportunity. It’s like leaving money on the table because you didn’t try to establish a deeper relationship with the person you were doing business with.

When you have a good rapport with someone, they are more likely to be a long-term customer, give you referrals, and be an advocate for your business.

Benefits Of Building Rapport With Customers In Sales

Building rapport with customers has many benefits to help you close more sales and grow your business to astronomical heights.

Some benefits of building rapport are:

• Increased likelihood of making a sale.
• More referrals.
• Long-term customers.
• Greater customer satisfaction.
• Improved communication.
• Easier with upselling and cross-selling.
• More likely to listen to your sales presentation.
• More likely to trust your advice.
• More likely to remember you after not speaking for a while.

What Causes Bad Rapport?

Many things can lead to lousy rapport. The most common reason is a lack of communication. If you’re not communicating with your customers, which you should be, you’re not going to be able to build the proper relationships to take your sales and business to the next level.

Other causes of bad rapport are:

• Not listening to your customers.
• Not being genuine.
• Butting heads with your customers.
• Being too pushy/sales-y.
• Worrying about only making a sale.
• Trying to be someone you’re not.

Twenty-Five Ways To Instantly Build Rapport With Customers In Sales

Building rapport is essential if you want to close more sales and grow your business. Luckily, there are many things you can do to build rapport with customers.

Some of the best ways to build rapport are:

Be yourself.

When you’re yourself, regardless if you’re introverted, extroverted, or whatever it is, your customers will appreciate that they’re dealing with an authentic person who can communicate and give the proper advice they’re seeking.

Talk less, listen more.

Put yourself in your customer’s shoes. If all your sales rep did was talk non-stop and not allow you to put in your two senses, you’d think that person was obnoxious, and you probably wouldn’t enjoy dealing with them. The same concept applies. When you talk less and listen more, your customer will feel valued and understood.

Ask personal questions.

Asking questions about how many kids/grandchildren they have, how long you have been married, where you grew up, etc., shows that you’re interested in them as a person and not just a sales number.

Compliment them.

Everyone loves being told they’re doing a good job or that they look nice. A simple compliment goes a long way in building rapport with customers.

Call them by their name.

Using a person’s name is one of the oldest tricks in the book for building rapport. But beware not to overuse it like many salespeople. Act as if you’re talking to a friend in this regard.

Smile.

Smiling is contagious. When you smile, your customer will likely smile back. Smiling is contagious. Your customers will begin to associate you in a positive and happy light. Almost as if every time you speak with them, they know you’re delivering great news.

Asking questions about their interests.

People love talking about themselves and their interests. When you ask these questions, they’ll open up to you and feel more comfortable speaking with you.

Find common ground.

We all have things in common with other people. It could be that you both have the same dog, or you both grew up in the same town. When you do this, it’ll be easier to connect with them on a personal level.

Finding mutual experiences or friends.

Whether it’s a friendly rivalry with a sports team, realizing you share the same favorite hobby, or finding out you know the same people, it will make connecting with your customers much easier.

Use body language.

Your body language can say a lot about how you’re feeling. Be engaged by making eye contact, nodding your head, and having an open posture. Show that you’re interested and not just there for a quick sale.

Make them feel special.

Make your customers feel as if they’re the only ones that matter at that very moment. It would help if you also told them you appreciate their business.

Sharing stories and experiences.

When you share stories, it helps build rapport and trust. Your customers will be more likely to open up to you if they feel like you’re being open and honest with them.

Breaking the ice.

Breaking the ice can be as simple as making a joke or mentioning the weather. It’ll help your customer feel more comfortable talking with you.

Don’t bring up business right away.

Unless it’s urgent news or if they’re busy, ask how their day is going or how their weekend was. This will typically start a quick conversation before talking about business.

Mirroring and matching.

Mirroring and matching is when you mimic the other person’s actions and words. For example, if they’re leaning forward, you lean forward. Or, if they’re using a lot of hand gestures, you use hand gestures. This subconsciously makes the other person feel more comfortable with you.

Ask follow-up questions.

Follow-up questions show that you’re interested in what they’re saying and that you care about their answer. It also shows that you were paying attention to the conversation.

Be Empathetic.

Empathy is showing you understand and care for their situations. When you’re empathetic, you’ll come across as caring, understanding, and reliable.

Always be honest and tell the truth.

This is a given in any relationship, but it’s especially important in business. Your customers need to be able to trust you. Delivering uncomfortable news is a good thing because it shows you will always tell the truth.

Give them your undivided attention.

In today’s world, it’s easy to get distracted by our phones, email, or other things going on around us. But when you’re talking with a customer, it’s important to give them your undivided attention. Let them know they’re the only thing that matters at that moment.

Be Invested.

Whatever their situation is, make it your situation until it’s resolved. Show a genuine interest in what they’re saying, what they’re working on, and what they need.

Remembering things about them.

Remembering small things about your customers shows that you care about them as a person, not just a customer.

Don’t rush.

When you’re talking with a customer, don’t rush them. Let them take their time in answering questions or making decisions. Rushing them will only make them feel uncomfortable and that you’re not interested in what they have to say.

Don’t be too pushy.

Being pushy is a sure way to lose a customer. There are creative ways to show urgency without coming across as being pushy. If the customer feels as if things are on their pace, they will open up to trust you.

Let them know you understand them before you impose your opinions.

Acknowledge what they’re saying, even if you disagree. Then you can move forward with your opinions. This prevents customers from feeling as if you’re not listening and avoids confrontations.

Encourage them.

Encouragement goes a long way. It can help people feel more confident and appreciated. A simple “good job” or “you’re doing great” can go a long way.

Don’t be a know-it-all.

No one likes a know-it-all. It’s important to be confident in what you’re saying, but don’t act like you know everything. This will only make the customer feel as if you’re not interested in hearing their input.

Conclusion

Building rapport with customers is essential in any business relationship. By following these tips, you’ll be on your way to developing strong relationships with your customers, and you’ll begin to notice your sales volume and business explode to the next level.