Train Your Sales Team, How to Build Rapport

This PowerTraining is based on an interview with Dr. Earl Taylor. A 30-year employee and master trainer at Dale Carnegie & Associates, he is a global provider of locally delivered training in leadership, sales and interpersonal and communications skills. The firm’s clients include more than 400 of the Fortune 500 as well as thousands of smaller companies in over 80 countries around the world. Dale Carnegie & Associates Inc. is located at 290 Vanderbilt Motor Parkway, Hauppauge, NY 11788-5102. Phone: 631/415-9300. Web: www.dale-carnegie.com

The rapport between the decision maker and the sales rep lies at the core of a positive customer relationship. When rapport is strong, each sale deepens the quality of the relationship, making successive sales easier. When rapport is weak, selling becomes difficult and awkward, and when rapport is missing, selling becomes an exercise in futility. Therefore, learning how to build and maintain rapport should be at the top of every salesperson’s list of critical skills to master.

The process of building rapport begins at the first customer contact and continues throughout the relationship. However, the process of building rapport changes over time to accommodate the changing requirements of the customer relationship. To understand this clearly, it helps to view the sales process as a five-step process:

1. Creating initial rapport
2. Gathering information
3. Proposing a solution
4. Appealing to the buying motive
5. Obtaining commitment.

Each step builds on the previous step. The first step is critical, because it sets the tone for the rest of the relationship and determines how easy (or difficult) it will be to maintain and build rapport during the lifetime of the relationship. If a sales rep creates a sense of rapport during the first customer meeting, the remaining steps are a natural development of the relationship. If the first meeting is bungled and a strong sense of rapport isn’t established, chances are that the relationship will languish.

While many sales reps have a knack for building rapport, few understand the psychological dynamics that lie behind the rapport-building process. Rapport building takes place during any and all human interactions. For example, whenever people gather together in any social setting, there is always one person who becomes the primary center of attention. People want to be around that person and unconsciously seek his or her approval. This is because that individual is effective at building rapport. This skill may be (and often is) unconscious and even operates among people with limited social skills. At a technical conference, for example, the engineer that is best at creating rapport with fellow engineers will be the center of the discussion group.

While rapport building comes naturally to some, it is a mistake to believe that it’s something that can’t be consciously developed. Rapport building, like all human relationship skills, can be learned and taught. The key to doing this is to draw upon other experiences in your life where building rapport has come naturally.

When you meet any customer for the first time, visualize that customer as an honored guest in your home. If you’re like most people, when you welcome guests into your home, you are typically glad to see them, and you want to make them feel welcome and at ease. While the specifics of what you might say to a customer are different from what you might say to a houseguest, the motivation and attitude behind the words should be the same. Just as you graciously do your best to make your guest comfortable, when you meet with a customer try to find the place inside yourself that is truly grateful that you have this opportunity to meet this individual and to be of service.

Just as when you greet a guest, the first words out of your mouth set the tone of the visit and will determine whether the conversation will proceed to the point where a sale becomes possible. After an initial greeting, open the conversation with a remark that lets the customer know that you have put some thought into and done some research on the customer’s firm. Then follow with a question about the business or the individual that will lead toward a conversation.

For example, you might begin a customer meeting with a technical expert by mentioning that you noticed that the expert had recently presented a paper at a conference and then ask a question that indicates your interest in the customer. “I was on the Web learning more about the widget industry, and I came across the text of a keynote speech that you gave at the last WidgetUSA conference. What kind of response did you get from that speech?” For a different decision maker, like a CEO, you might remark that you noticed from the CEO’s bio that his or her previous firm was in a different industry, and then ask what’s different about being a leader in the current industry.

The specific content of the opening remark is far less important than what the remark shows about you as an individual and (by extension) your firm as a company with whom the customer might want to do business. The hidden message of the opening remark is that you really do care enough about this customer to take some extra effort.

Some salespeople mistakenly believe that it’s best to open the initial conversation with a neutral compliment, such as something about the family photo, the autographed baseball on the desk, the view out the window, etc. The problem with this approach is that it’s incredibly trite. Dozens, perhaps hundreds, of sales reps who have come into that customer’s office have already commented on these obvious conversation-starters. Furthermore, the fact that you’ve opened the conversation with an obvious compliment indicates that you haven’t done any research and that you’re winging it.

Another common error is believing that the opening question and conversation should be about a shared cultural experience, such as a recent sporting event or a world event. While such a conversation can indeed build rapport with the customer, that rapport is not easily redirected towards business and a sales opportunity. By contrast, opening with a business-related remark and question builds immediate momentum towards your goal of making a sale and (just as importantly) towards the customer’s goal of having a problem solved or need fulfilled.

Just as important as the initial remarks is the overall tone of the meeting, because the tone is what the customer will remember long after the intellectual subject matter of the meeting is forgotten. A good way to set this all-important tone is to imagine the customer as a guest in your own home. Because you are in the customer’s own environment, this idea seems a bit odd, but this is a case where a little imagination pays big dividends.

When a person comes into your home, you create a welcoming atmosphere so that he or she feels like a willing guest. To create a similar atmosphere in the customer’s office, think of yourself as “welcoming” the customer into your personal view of the world, where the product and services you sell are desirable and valuable. Just like a host who offers a thirsty guest a drink, you are about to offer a product or service which the customer truly needs.

When calling on a customer, it’s useful to remember that five minutes ago some other sales rep was pitching somebody else’s product. In order to differentiate yourself, you’ll need to be personable, persuasive and informed. Contrast the following two examples:

Customer: I only have a couple of minutes. Sales Rep: OK. I just thought I’d stop by with a brochure. Here’s my business card. Please call us if you ever want some software for inventory control.

Here’s a far more effective approach:

Customer: I only have a couple of minutes. Sales Rep: In that case, I’m truly, truly grateful that you’re willing to take the time to spend even two minutes with me. I’ll bet one of the reasons that you’re so busy is that you’re getting ready for that big merger. I had an idea of how my company might be to help you reduce inventory. When the new management looks at your department, how will they determine whether your inventory is running efficiently?

Regardless of how you handle the initial meeting, you want the customer to perceive you as the kind of person to whom people gravitate. This means exhibiting a genuine interest in the customer. When this is done correctly and casually, it doesn’t seem pushy. And because your opening remark and question is about the customer, not about you and not about selling, it’s very likely to lead to a conversation. The reason behind this is simple: most people enjoy talking about themselves and feel a natural rapport with anyone who is sincerely interested and willing to listen.

Rapport building does not end after the initial conversation, of course. Instead, it continues through the remaining steps of the sales process. While gathering information, for example, rather than antagonizing the customer by playing “20 Questions,” guide the conversation onto subjects that will help you better assess how you can help the customer. Then, as you move from step to step, let your ideas and proposals emerge naturally from the conversation. Rather than just trying to sell something, you’re doing your best to become the customer’s ally in achieving the customer’s goals. Because of your attitude and attention to rapport, the customer will be more inclined to make a commitment. Closing becomes more natural and less mechanical, because the commitment “feels” as if it’s an extension of the relationship and way to deepen the rapport.

Sales Manager’s Training Guide

Below are 12 practical steps to help your sales team build better rapport with their customers. This training session should take from 35 to 55 minutes.

1. Prior to the sales meeting, consider the nature of your customer base and come up with an opening sequence (remark and question) that, based on your experience, would lead toward building rapport with the typical customer.

2. Open the sales meeting by explaining that the team is going to work on rapport building during initial customer meetings. Explain that the team will be asked to do some role-playing and request that everyone participate to the fullest.

3. Review the five-step sales process with the team. Explain how each step builds on the previous step and that the first step is the foundation of the sales process.

4. Ask for a volunteer to act as a “customer.” Approach the “customer” with an opening that you know will be ineffective. Examples: “May I help you?” “I suppose you’re wondering why I’m here.” Be sure to deliver this ineffective opening deadpan, so that the team can clearly see how ineffective it is.

5. Ask the team members whether they felt that this opening was effective. Discuss why it wasn’t.

6. Repeat steps 4 and 5, but this time open with a totally irrelevant compliment. Examples: “Nice tie.” “What a lovely wedding ring.”

7. Repeat steps 4 and 5, but this time use the effective opening sequence that you crafted prior to the meeting.

8. Tell the “customer” that you’re now going to continue the conversation and ask the “customer” to play along. Open with the “effective” sequence and then lead the conversation into the information-gathering phase.

9. Separate the sales team into groups of two. Ask each pair to decide who is going to be “A” and who is going to be “B.” Once they decide, tell them that “B” is the group leader. Have the group leader for each pair decide who is going to be the “customer” and who is going to be the “sales rep.”

10. Explain that the goal of this exercise is to create initial rapport and then move to the information-gathering step. Have the “sales reps” attempt an initial meeting with their “customers.” Move from group to group to check whether the conversations seem natural. Provide feedback when necessary.

11. Repeat step 10, but with reversed roles in each pair.

12. Break the pairs up and form new pairings. Repeat the same process until you feel that the team has learned this important skill.

Quick Tips for Your Training Session

The success of the training session will largely depend upon the time and effort that you put into devising an effective opening sequence.

If your sales team works in a retail environment, the opening sequence will typically be a greeting followed by a canned set of questions.

If your sales team works in a business-to-business environment, then the opening sequence will typically be a sample of a research-based question, which should be open-ended, so that it initiates a real conversation.

The misdirection of the leadership role “A” and “B” in step 9 of the meeting guide is intentional and important. Role playing is more effective after normal group dynamics are disturbed. In most cases, the natural leader of the pairing will designate himself or herself as “A.” Turning the tables tends to jolt both “A” and “B” out of their typical roles.

As you monitor your team, pay special attention to the naturalness of the opening sequence. The purpose of the exercise isn’t to learn a script, but to cultivate the attitude that will make the script seem natural. Note that varying the wording slightly can help keep the opening sequence fresh.

Quick Tips for Your Next Sales Meeting

– Nobody likes to be sold, but everybody likes to buy.

– Selling is a natural extension of rapport building.

– Find out what customers like, want and need, and then show them how to get it.

– Gather information before proposing a solution, or you’re shooting in the dark.

– Information gathering is supposed to be a conversation, not an inquisition.

– Rapport building thrives on mutual trust and credibility.

– Commitment isn’t just a sale, it’s a deepening of rapport.

– When it comes to rapport building, attitude is everything.

FAQ:

Q: What is the most commonly made mistake when building rapport?
A: Trying to be too friendly, too quickly. This makes it seem as if you’re just a phony trying to make a sale. Instead, hold back on the friendliness and increase your level of curiosity. Be interested in the customer as a person and in the customer’s motivations. Then let the friendliness evolve naturally during the conversation.

Q: How can I move gracefully from the initial rapport building to information gathering?
A: Don’t push the process forward too quickly. Instead, let it evolve naturally out of the conversation. First ask permission to ask them further questions. For example: “Do you mind if I ask you a couple of questions so that I can understand your situation better and figure out if there’s any way that I can help you?”

Q: How can I introduce a solution without seeming like I’m suddenly going into “sales mode”?
A: Don’t try to be a hero who swoops in and solves the customer’s problem. Instead, let the customer be the hero by positioning your solution from the customer’s benefit and viewpoint. For example, don’t ask, “What would it mean to you if we could solve that problem?” Instead, ask, “What would it mean to you if you could solve that problem?”