A guest post by Jack Kasel, Sales Development Expert, Anthony Cole Training Group
Rapport can be the fertilizer to help develop relationships quicker and with deeper roots. However, most salespeople confuse rapport with having things in common. Hello, everyone, this is Jack Kasel bringing you the latest Anthony Cole Training Sales Brew—Developing Rapport.
Most salespeople, upon entering a prospect’s office for the first time, become Robo-Salesperson – scanning the room for something to make a witty and insightful comment about. When they hone in on a picture on the desk, they ask, “Is that your family?” The prospect may answer differently, but is thinking “No, that’s the family of the person who had this office before me. I liked his family better, so I kept the picture.” (Pause) “Of course, it’s my family, Captain Obvious.”
Don’t get me wrong; making those observations are helpful, but needing to be mentioned at the right time and mentioning it “right off the bat” isn’t the right time. Why? Because 10 out of the 12 previous salespeople who called on your prospect did the same thing. You don’t want to be like all the other sales people; be different, be memorable.
Our definition of building rapport is this: Prove you belong at the table. You prove you belong at the table by the way you conduct yourself, the questions you ask and how you manage the interaction with the prospect. That includes how you open the call.
We suggest two things when opening the call:
- Don’t thank them for the meeting
- Ask a great opening question
The opening statement could sound something like this: “I’m glad we could coordinate our schedules; I’m looking forward to our conversation.” If we give the impression we are just a lowly salesperson, it doesn’t create “Equal Business Stature.” They are professionals, we are professionals; we are going to have a professional business discussion. IF we give the impression we are so grateful they could fit us in to their busy schedule, that doesn’t get the conversation started correctly. Remember: our time is just as valuable as theirs, so act like it.
Asking a great opening question may sound like this, “Mr./Ms. Prospect, What do we need to discuss over the next 40-45 minutes that would make you say, ‘I’m glad we scheduled this meeting’ OR ‘This was a good use of my time today’? That forces them to talk about things important to them and gets the meeting started correctly.
As I mentioned earlier, discussing things on a personal level (sports, interests, hobbies, etc.) is best saved for when you are closing up the meeting. That can bring a personal touch to the conversation; just make sure it’s done at the proper time – which is the end of the meeting, not the beginning.
Additional Resources:
4 Steps for Creating a Dazzling Client Experience by Walt Gerano
