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You’ve probably heard the sayings that “People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care,” and “People need to know, like, and trust you before they’ll do business with you.” The truth is: until people know you care, most view you simply as a salesperson trying to make a sale. With that in mind, how do you build trust and rapport rapidly and let people know you have their best interest in mind so you can move toward the sale?

Here are seven ideas to build trust and rapport.

1. Treat Everyone You Meet as if They Are a Close Friend or Family Member

Imagine your best friend needs your product or service. Would your mindset be the same as if you were talking to a prospect you’ve known for a few minutes? It should be. When you’re talking to your best friend you will most likely have their best interest in mind versus being focused on making a sale. People have a sixth sense and they know when you are more interested in making a sale than you are in helping them out. Focus on the other person and what is best for them, as opposed to focusing on you, your company, your product, or the sale.

2. Work on the Relationship and the Connection Before You Focus on the Sale

Most salespeople are so focused on the sales process, the questions they need to ask, possible objections, and the points they need to make, that they forget to make a personal connection before proceeding with the sale. Look, you have to focus on the sales process at some point, just make sure you make a personal connection and build some rapport before moving into the sales portion of the call. When first interacting with someone, I’ve found a good way to make a connection is to think to myself, “I really like this person and really want to help them,” and then focus completely on being positive and pleasant in the first few moments of the interaction.

3. Make a Friend

Your first objective is to be likeable, agreeable, get along, and make a friend. Many times we want to impress people with how much we know and why they need to work with us. This can lead to us subtly, or not so subtly, debating them over what they think they need and what we know they need. This causes a disconnect and usually leads to objections such as: I need to check two other places, talk to someone else, or think about it. Your focus is not on showing the prospect how much you know or how little they know, or in getting in a debate with them. Whatever they think they need or say they want, do your best to agree with them initially. Once you’ve connected with them and built some rapport, then they will be more open to your suggestions. Before you can educate the prospect and have them listen, or lead the prospect and have them follow, you must have a good connection and rapport.

4. Focus Completely on the Person to Whom You’re Speaking

Be present with the person to whom you’re speaking and make sure you are paying close attention, asking good, thoughtful, relevant questions, and listening well. Do not focus on the phone in your pocket, the siren on the fire engine driving by, or the person who just walked in the door, give the person you’re talking to your undivided attention.

5. Treat Each Person as the Most Interesting Person in the World

If you ask people who they are most interested in, the majority will say themselves if they answer honestly; treat them as if they are. Ooze caring, empathy, and understanding while keeping in mind that these feelings must be genuine.

6. Have Friendly, Relaxed Conversations

Going back to that situation where you have a close friend who needs your product or service, imagine what that conversation would be like. Typically, it would be a friendly, relaxed conversation, like most conversations you have with them. This is your goal when speaking with prospects. If you are friendly and relaxed, they will most likely be friendly and relaxed eventually if not initially. People tend to be mirrors and return what you send out. If you are relaxed, open, conversational, and show you care, your prospects will usually follow your lead.

7. Make Sure Everything About You Sends the Right Message

Make sure you are perceived as a consummate professional. Speak professionally and intelligently, in other words, use proper grammar and be knowledgeable about your industry. Dress the part and be well groomed, have a good handshake, make good eye contact, and conduct yourself professionally at all times.

The tips above will help you build trust and rapport rapidly and make a good first impression. Once you’ve made a good first impression, make a good second, third impression, etc., by following up and doing what you say you’ll do when you say you’ll do it.

MANA welcomes your comments on this article. Write to us at [email protected].