7 Ways to Build Rapport with Anyone

by Dave Kahle

Building rapport with customers is a fundamental sales skill.  Yet, few salespeople have been trained in the specific tactics to facilitate this. Here are seven ways to build rapport with anyone.  

       Think of it like squirting oil into gears.  Imagine some gears grinding together.  When you squirt lubricating oil into the gears, you reduce the friction and make everything work smoother.

        So it is when two people interact with each other.  Rapport, like lubricating oil, reduces the friction and makes the interaction work smoother.  For a sales person, creating rapport with any human being is an essential step that enables the customer to feel comfortable, and leads to a much more effective sales interaction.  The best sales people create rapport with everyone.

       Here’s the dictionary definition:

Rapport:  An emotional bond or friendly relationship between people based on mutual liking, trust and a sense that they understand and share each other’s concerns.

       Fortunately, creating that sense of understanding and mutual trust is a skill which has been studied through the ages.  Here are seven proven ways to build rapport with anyone.

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     1. Pay attention to your appearance to build rapport

       People will form an impression of you, based on how you look, before they even say hello to you.  Your appearance, then, should be designed to help you look confident and competent – whatever that means in your market.  At a minimum, that means clothes clean and pressed, shoes shined and hair cut.

      Your attire should help you connect with the customer — not separate you from him.  For example, if you are calling on production supervisors, you shouldn’t wear a suit and tie, as that will separate you from them and generate a bit of discomfort in them.

       The best rule I’ve seen is this:  Dress like your customer, only a little better.  On several occasions, I have worked with sales forces who sold to farmers.  Blue jeans and flannel shirts are OK, as long as they are clean and pressed blue jeans, and a better quality flannel shirt.

       But what if you call on several different types of customers in the same day?  One sales person shared his approach to this problem.  He wore gray slacks, a blue button-down collar shirt, and a navy blazer.  When he called on managers and executives, he dressed it up by putting on a tie.  And, when he called on people who weren’t in the executive suite, he dressed it down by removing the blazer and the tie.

2. Try an occasional bit of disarming honesty to build rapport

       In routine interchanges, say something that the customer is not expecting...CLICK HERE TO READ FULL ARTICLE.