Good Morning Detectives,
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.
Successful salespeople understand that making the sale has
much more to do with developing trust and rapport than it does with issues of
lowest price, highest quality or the largest company.
Unfortunately, far too many salespeople unintentionally
sabotage their chances of making a sale by skipping the "small talk"
and getting right down to business. On the surface, this approach might appear
to be an effective use of time, but it's a huge mistake that will cost tons of
money over the long haul!
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 are 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.
Here are six proven tips to help you build rapport and
quickly warm up your next prospect:
- Look for common ground and points of mutual interest. Good topics include children's activities, sporting events, hobbies, vacation plans and the old standby, the weather. Obviously, you want to stay away from any topics that might be controversial or polarizing such as politics or religion.
- Pay attention and listen like a homicide detective. Take notes and ask open-ended questions to gain information and get your prospect talking.
- Use open body language, smile frequently and maintain good eye contact.
- Listen more than you talk. Keep the focus of attention on your prospect and not on yourself.
- Avoid the temptation of interrupting your prospect when he or she is speaking.
- Match your prospect's rate of speech and voice tone. If you speak quickly and your prospect speaks slowly, it's up to you to make the adjustment.
Dan Thompson
Floors By Tomorrow
Auth Rep of Empire Today
Sales Trainer
720-371-2000
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