Why Is It Important?
Your ability to work successfully with people or sell your services to them will be influenced greatly by the level of rapport you are able to build. The more rapport you have, the easier it will be to build good business relationships. When you think back to your own experiences of doing business, have you ever chosen to do business with someone that you didn’t have any rapport with? Have you ever chosen to work with someone because you felt they liked and understood you?
Rapport is the oil that lubricates all good human relationships. Without its presence it can be hard work – with it, everything can be so much easier.
Your Challenge
You may meet a lot of people in a typical month in your business. You won’t be able to create the same level of rapport with all of them. There will be people you come across who are so different from you that you may struggle to build a connection. Your challenge will be to become interested in those people who are different to you and find some common ground. This common ground is the bedrock that supports rapport.
How To Build Instant Rapport With The People You Want To Sell Your Services To
- Start conversations by finding some common ground.
- Share something appropriate about yourself as a person.
- Put yourself in their shoes. Consider what their outcomes are.
- Really get to know them as a person, get interested in their life, challenges and goals.
- Be open-minded and decide to find something to like about each person you meet.
- Really, genuinely care about helping them to succeed.
- Be aware of how they are responding to you.
- Find out exactly how they need you to help them. Find out what they want.
- Make the person feel important and show that you care.
- Pace and match body language and voice tone.
- Laugh together and create a positive state.
How Good Are Your Rapport Building Skills? – Special Response Checklist
- What does having a good rapport mean to you?
- How do you know when you have rapport with someone?
- How do you know when you don’t have rapport?
- Which of your clients do you have the best rapport with?
- What kind of people do you find it harder to build rapport with?
- What do you do to ensure you build rapport with new prospects?
- Would a better rapport help you to do more business?
- What could you do to improve your rapport-building skills?
How To Use This Information
People who are good rapport builders usually attract new business much more quickly and easily than people who aren’t. It is worth considering your own rapport-building skills and what you can do to fine tune them.
67 The Art And Power Of Listening
What Is Listening?
Being listened to is very important to most people. It is a sign of respect and genuine interest. True listening happens when a total focus on the speaker exists. What they are saying and feeling is heard and understood. There are no distractions nor any misunderstandings based on the listener’s own interpretation or perception. Those who are skilled listeners will hear more than just the words. They will hear the speaker’s
- reality
- concerns
- opinions and perceptions
- beliefs
- feelings and emotions
- desires
- needs.
They will also be aware of the non-verbal communication of body language and voice tone and pace. Good listeners are able to get to the core of what matters most to the person they are in contact with.
Why Is It Important?
Really listening to your clients will enable you to find out not just what they might need, but what they really value and who they are as people. Everyone likes to be recognised for who they are, as well as being paid individual attention. This is what the best relationships are made of. Being an excellent listener is a rare skill and, of course, is one of the greatest rapport moves.
Can you remember the last time you were really listened to? As you remember that time, can you recall how it felt to have someone’s total focus and attention and know that listening to you was really important to them?