Hone Your Rapport Building Skills

Building rapport with customers is essential for B2B sales. This is critical to establishing trust and forming a relationship with your prospects. People buy other people before whatever they sell, and for that to happen, people must know, like, and trust you.

According to HubSpot, only 3% of buyers trust salespeople. Buyers are wary of salespeople. There is a genuine perception among buyers that salespeople are only interested in getting a commission rather than caring about their needs and working in their best interests.

This perception is the direct result of “the sales pitch.”  Remember when everyone had a 30-second elevator pitch based on the belief that every business had similar problems, and anyone who heard it couldn’t help but see the value and how it fits their needs? I mean, how couldn’t they? We identified them as an ideal customer. It was a no-brainer, right?

Any good doctor will say that prescription before diagnosis is malpractice. That’s precisely what “the pitch” was, malpractice. It focused solely on introducing a product and you to a potential buyer to get a meeting. It had nothing to do with them, established no trust, and had no real correlation to actual problems they may be experiencing. It also meant that salespeople regarded building rapport as something you did after the prospect was interested in the product.

Today the most successful salespeople invite prospects to have a sales conversation.

A sales conversation is a collaboration and sharing of knowledge designed to show expertise and understanding of the prospect’s business and what specific issues they may be facing, thus clarifying their problems and building rapport and enough trust to earn you the opportunity to present your product or solution.

Building excellent rapport will help you make more sales because:

You can quickly learn about your customer’s needs and interests to effectively tailor your pitch.

It allows you to demonstrate your knowledge of their industry and position yourself as an expert. This helps the buyer feel they can trust you and your company, which is a massive part of a sale.

Building solid relationships with your prospects makes them more likely to refer you to their friends and colleagues. Referrals are a blessing for B2B salespeople as they are easier to close and usually generate more revenue than new leads.

Here are six steps to building rapport.

Don’t Skip the Small Talk 

Small talk is your best friend when overcoming the initial awkwardness, making it easier to know your potential customer.

Small talk is about building trust and getting comfortable with each other.

Good small talk also requires being able to listen well. Active listening allows you to ask thought-provoking questions that will help draw out more information from them (and make them feel valued).

Share Stories

Sharing stories with prospects is one of the most potent ways to build rapport with them, and it helps you connect emotionally.

It’s a great way to build credibility by understanding their problems or challenges.

Ask Open-Ended Questions 

Questions that can’t be answered with a simple “yes” or “no.” They require more than one sentence to answer and often start with who, what, when, why, or how. These questions help you get more information from your leads to understand their needs better.

You can ask questions about their business, product needs, and more. Remember that it’s not always easy for customers to answer these questions, so try not to rush them too much.

Be Honest

Being honest is one of the best ways to start a sales conversation. Make your intentions clear from the beginning without sounding too eager.

If someone asks what you’re selling or why they should be interested in what you have to offer, tell them. Please don’t make them guess; it makes things more difficult for both parties.

Know What to Say, Know When to Listen

To make the conversation flow smoothly, do your homework before the call so you can talk about what they’re working on and their challenges. Be sure to understand and speak from their point of view.

Listen carefully, ask follow-up questions, and paraphrase what they told you to verify that you understand them correctly.

Use Empathy Statements

Empathy statements are a great way to establish common ground and can be used anytime during sales.

Here are some examples of empathy statements:

• “That must have been frustrating.”
• “Sounds like you’ve been putting in a lot of hours lately.”
• “I can imagine how difficult this must be for you.”
• “I’m sure you’re overwhelmed by all the changes.”

Hone Your Sales Conversation Skills to Perfection

Once you have built rapport with your prospect, it will be easier for them to trust you and feel comfortable sharing information about their business goals and objectives.

Chad is an award-winning senior sales leader, public speaker, and author with 25 years of experience managing client accounts in the digital technology, SaaS, automotive, advertising, and telecommunications industries. He has served in large multi-national public companies and smaller privately held organizations, modeling, building, and scaling high-performance sales teams throughout the U.S.

In 2022, Chad founded Best Life Ventures, LLC, utilizing his career experience to advise, train, develop, coach, and mentor sales leaders and their teams through fractional leadership and consulting. He also provides one-on-one coaching for sales leaders.

email: chadjohnson856@gmail.com

LinkedIn: LinkedIn.com/in/Chad-Johnson

Header Image Credit: Sora Shimazaki. Find it here.