- Increase Closing Raitos
- Develop Loyal, Repeat Clients
- Gain Quality Referrals
Have you invested in training but were disappointed with the results? Sales managers who have done sales training seminars often tell us that they see a performance jump shortly after the training program, followed by a decline back to pre-training levels after about 60-90 days. We hear them say that they believe the drop in performance after the training ‘honeymoon’ comes from poor motivation in their sales force. The believe employees are just not working hard enough.
Although this may be true in some cases, this perspective does not fit our experience in working with sales professionals across many countries. We find that most sales professionals are highly motivated. They want to apply what they have learned. They want to sell. They want to make money. They want to achieve success.
Unfortunately, many sales training programs focus on product knowledge, motivational RAH-RAH, canned presentations, projected team goals and a few, slick closing lines. We agree that these skills will lead to some sales. However, we have also found that these alone will not make your team a long-term, mega-bucks, sales success. To increase closing ratios and create loyal, long term, repeat clients who produce quality referrals, a team needs to connect with the client base. Success in sales is about building relationships. The ability to connect with others comes from understanding and recognizing human behavior and communication patterns and applying this information consistently as you build rapport.
Learn how to build rapport using a simple method to empower your sales force. Just read on.
Consider master sales trainer, Zig Ziglar. He teaches people to handle objections, to make good presentations, and to close the sale. He also has a great number of seminars and resource materials targeted at developing personal excellence. Zig teaches skills. He states, “You’ve got to be before you can do. You’ve got to do before you can have.” In other words, you have to develop Rapport Mastery to achieve sales success.
What exactly is Rapport?
Rapport is the deepest level of relationship between two individuals in business, which involves sharing common ground and is established when harmony and accord have been reached between both parties. This does not mean the individuals involved agree on every issue, but that they have attained a mutual respect for each other’s opinions.
From Adversary to Advocate – The Secret of Sales Success
Rapport Mastery involves changing the game from being the adversary of your customer to becoming their greatest advocate. An individual who has acquired Rapport Mastery is no longer functioning in opposition to their customer, but is on the customer’s ‘side’.
Consider this: The normal salesman-customer relationship is an adversarial one. The customer walks onto a lot to purchase a car. He/she assumes the salesperson approaching them with the big toothy grin is out to rip them off, putting them into a car they don’t like at a price they cannot afford. The salesperson on the other hand is preoccupied with his/her own interests. He/she needs the sale to create income and wants to get this done as quickly as possible in order to move on to the next customer. Each assumes they will be dickering over the price, options available, etc.
My best example of Rapport Mastery was an auto salesman, Steve Kone. (Yes, I have a success story about a used car salesman.) Steve was the top producer at his dealership year after year. Steve had created life-time clients who would travel hundreds of miles to purchase from him personally. How did he do this? The deepest desire for Steve was his customer’s satisfaction. A successful sale was not to simply get them into a unit; he wanted to get his customers the best car at an acceptable price. We all knew we could trust Steve to find us a great car. He was a likable individual. We all regarded him as our friend. Steve was looking out for our best interests. He was our advocate.
Reflect on the example of Steve, the car salesman, and his life-time customers. Steve’s ability to develop rapport created a solid client base, which resulted in consistent profitability. Rapport Mastery is the essential key when influencing and leading others.
Is there one method for establishing rapport?
No. Rapport Mastery is not a ‘cookie cutter’ approach to human connection. Because every individual is unique, Rapport Mastery requires an understanding of human behavior. To simplify this process, become aware of two important elements in human interaction: PACE and PRIORITY.
How to Build Rapport. A Simple Method You Can Teach to Your Team.
PACE
Generally speaking, some individuals tend to be more fast-paced while others tend to be more slower-paced. Fast-paced individuals tend to speak, respond and decide quickly as opposed to slower-paced people who tend to be more reflective when they speak and make decisions.
Note: there is no ‘right or wrong’ or ‘better or best’ here.
PRIORITY
As with pace, individuals will have different priorities, which refer to their perspective or their highest priorities as they view their world. Individuals tend to be either Task/Process oriented, which means they are more focused on doing things, or People/Affinity oriented, which means they place higher importance on establishing relationships.
Individuals will make a connection based on pace, they will decide to do business on priority.
Stop a moment and reflect.
Can you identify your PACE? _____________________
Your PRIORITY?_______________________________
Now think of one of your clients.
Can you identify their PACE?______________________
Their PRIOR ITY?_______________________________
How do I begin the process of establishing rapport?
The road to rapport begins at the first contact by matching the other individual’s pace. A positive connection is established by listening and observing their rate of speech and volume and then adapting your communication style to match.
Note: Business is rarely done at this stage.
How do I move the client through the rapport process and begin to do business?
Once a positive connection has been established by matching pace, the road to rapport takes two different paths based on PRIORITY.
Task Oriented: Priorities include plans, procedures, processes, and doing things.
The next step toward rapport when dealing with a task-oriented individual is establishing trust. They will not purchase from you unless they trust you. Because this behavior style views the world from a this perspective, task completion is imperative for constructing trust.
Follow these simple suggestions when interacting with a TASK oriented client:
Trust initiating DO’S
• DO be early for appointments.
• DO return phone calls promptly.
• DO get down to business quickly and focus on logical results.
Trust breaking DON’TS
• DON’T over-promise and under-deliver.
• DON’T interrupt meetings by checking phone messages or taking calls.
• DON’T be emotional or ask them how they ‘feel’.
Remember, rapport is established with all types of individuals when they both trust AND like you. Once trust is established with the task oriented individual they will then move forward into affinity. They will do business once they trust you. Only after they trust you will they like you.
_______________________________________________________________
People Oriented: Priorities include friendship, caring, and interacting with others.
The road to rapport takes a different path with the people-oriented individual. After a positive connection has been made by matching pace, this behavior style must like you in order to do business with you.
Follow these simple suggestions when interacting with a PEOPLE oriented client.
Affinity building DO’S
• DO be kind and patient.
• DO let them talk and tell humorous stories.
• DO smile and be fun.
Affinity breaking DON’TS
• DON’T push for the sale or bully.
• DON’T get right down to business – make it a social call first.
• DON’T be harsh or rude with others while with them.
Business will take place if they like you. Once affinity is established, then they will trust you. Trust and affinity comprise the foundation of Rapport Mastery. This foundation influences every relationship, business or otherwise. Your focus on encouraging and maintaining the trust/affinity balance with all individuals will dictate your success.
Points to Ponder
- List 3 clients and indicate their PACE (fast or slow) and PRIORITY (Task or People):
- How will you adapt your behavior with each client to build rapport?
- Building an impressive sales force is not about finding talent, it’s about providing your team with training that will help them recognize the behavior and communication styles of each client and empower them with the skills to adapt their own behavior and communication styles to effectively build rapport.
Dawn Pici is a sales trainer and business strategist who is a certified master trainer in the DISC model of human behavior. Co-author of the book SELL NAKED ON THE PHONE, Dawn is the intellectual resource behind the Rapport Mastery Sales and Performance management System. Her company, Pici & Pici Inc provides on-site training in sales and performance management. For FREE on-line sales training based on the DISC model go to http://www.PiciandPici.com/membership/ For more information on our customized training programs visit http://www.PiciandPici.com or call 407-947-2590.
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