Building Rapport: 9 Tips for Persuasive Selling

If your objective is to really connect with someone and leave them feeling good about your relationship, here are some powerful persuasive selling tips that will help you build rapport.

Remember, your intent is much more important than your technique. In fact, not being too polished is usually interpreted as being genuine. So use your natural personality and incorporate some of these easy skills into your next conversation.

1. Address people by name.

It has been said that hearing one’s own name is the sweetest sound on earth. Get good at remembering people’s names and use them at appropriate times throughout the conversation.

2. Genuinely smile at the person you are addressing.

Smiling is the most powerful thing you can do to make someone feel good about the discussion they are having with you. It is hard to smile when you are feeling stressed, so relax and have confidence that you know what to say and do.

3. Establish trust with a valid business purpose for meeting.

Trust is establishing your character and competence. Bring value in the form of market intelligence. Don’t start selling too early. Talking about your company or products too soon kills rapport. Instead, add real value in the form of market intelligence. It’s NOT about YOUR company or YOUR products, rather it’s documented research about the buyer’s marketplace.

4. Questions are your best conversational tool.

Once you have established trust, you have earned the right to ask questions. Ask questions that help your prospects discover their true challenges and goals. Once these are revealed, don’t attempt to solve their problems. Instead, maintain your role as a think-partner and ask questions that focus on:

• The consequences of continuing to avoid challenges
• The desired results if the problem is resolved or the opportunity is actualized

5. Seek first to understand the person and their perspective.

This is one of Steven Covey’s Seven Habits. When people feel understood, they trust you, want to work with you, and share inside information.

6. Get comfortable with silence.

Don’t rush the conversation when there is dead air. Letting someone talk at their own pace and cadence instills comfort. Silence encourages your prospect to say more about the things that are important to them.

7. Flattery will get you everywhere.

A sincere compliment makes people feel good about themselves. Identify the person’s strength, be specific about when you’ve noticed it, and explain the positive impact it makes on others.

8. Use gestures.

Body language often plays as much of a role in conversations as the actual words themselves. Learn to effectively use your posture, facial expressions, and hand gestures to engage your audience and fully communicate your point.

9. Exit gracefully.

Understand when it’s time to end the conversation. Be smart and don’t wear out your welcome. Use your sales instincts to solidify appropriate next steps and bring the meeting to a close.

Conclusion

By building rapport with prospects, they’ll come to respect and trust you. The more you implement the above nine tips, the better positioned you’ll be to move prospects down the buying funnel and close more deals.