Salespeople recognize that establishing rapport with a prospect is an essential ingredient for developing a meaningful business relationship. There is an abundance of information available about how to develop rapport. The information covers everything from what to say, the tone of voice to use, and the posture and facial expressions to exhibit, to how to recognize and appropriately respond to various personality styles.
While all the rapport-building techniques have some value in shaping your interaction with a prospect, the most important element for developing rapport and a meaningful relationship is not a technique. It's empathy-the ability to perceive the prospect's problem, challenge, or goal from his perspective, to understand what he feels, and to gain a sense of his desires and motivations. It's a state that results from having a sincere desire to understand your prospect and his world, and ultimately, make a contribution to improve it.
Empathetic salespeople are sincere and inquisitive. They take an interest in their prospect on a personal level. When they meet with a CEO or business owner, for instance, they are genuinely curious about how the person came to own the business or become its CEO.
They ask a lot of questions in order to fully understand the prospect's situation. Their first order of business is to understand...not sell. They ask "how," "what," "why," and "when" questions rather than questions designed to manipulate the prospect into one position or another. They recognize that they can't help a prospect solve a problem or accomplish a goal until they fully understand the situation...from the prospect's point of view.
Prospects, like everyone, want to be listened to and understood. They appreciate salespeople who reach them on a personal level. When they interact with salespeople who are sincerely interested, they tend to open up and share information more freely.
When you meet with prospects and customers, be prepared to ask well-crafted questions that focus on them, their situations, and their desires. Learn as much as you can about your prospects before discussing your product or service. When you focus on them first, the sales will follow.
