Rapport and the Bullhorn

Rapport is the real first step in any sales cycle. It's your customers ability to connect with YOU on a human level. It's not about how much they like you. It's about how much they believe you care about them, are advocating for them and will take care of them after you sell them your product or service.

Salespeople often believe that rapport is established by asking a bunch of benign, silly questions about family, education or hobbies. That's certainly important later in maintaining a relationship, but it will only take you half-way to first base in an initial sales meeting.

Rapport is three things: 1. Passion for your product 2. Conviction with words 3. Genuine concern for your potential customer.

Think of George Bush with the bullhorn in his hand, right after 9/11. (This must really be a good example or I wouldn't be drudging up his name!) George Bush stood very tall with authority and said: "I can hear you! I can hear you! The rest of the world hears you! And the people -- and the people who knocked these buildings down will hear all of us soon!" The crowds went nuts.

What did he do in that one terrible moment of time? He connected with his audience and he did it with passion and conviction. He established rapport on the grandest of scales. He said I care, I'm one of you and I have something that can fix your problem. And at that moment, we bought everything he had to sell. (And wow, talk about a guy who could sell something for a really high price.) As a salesperson, you must be able to connect in the same heart felt way George Bush did that day. Although, I'm not suggesting a bullhorn or standing on a firetruck.

Three years ago we decided we were going to build a pool in our backyard. We called three or four companies to provide us a bid and show us some designs. I wanted the best pool for the cheapest price - sound familiar? Actually, we had owned a pool in a previous home and the pool had cracked. Even though we had a warranty, it became a nightmare getting the company to repair it for us. So my real concern was care and maintenance AFTER the pool was built.

After interviewing three sales people, we decided on none of the pools. It wasn't because the designs weren't great or even that we thought the prices were to high on any of the pools. For me, none of the salespeople with their pretty pebble tech brochures seem to care at all about what they were selling. They certainly didn't seem to connect with us. I might as well have been asking them to dig a hole in my backyard for a family burial plot. Just fill it up with water and we'll float on to the next life. If they weren't able to demonstrate concern for me now, they certainly wouldn't be caring about me later. (By the way, I'm actually an easy sell!)

Today consumers are nervous and they demand salespeople they can trust and depend on. They want a company that cares about them and is willing to demonstrate that. Be trustworthy, passionate and have conviction about what you are selling. That's how you establish rapport in today's economy. That's the first step in winning.

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