THE POWER OF BUILDING RAPPORT IN SALES

Regardless of your expertise in processes, time management, or negotiation, without the ability to build trusted, long-lasting relationships with clients, success can be hard to grasp.

Building rapport goes beyond making quick sales; it's about creating relationships where clients see you as their go-to person and someone they can rely on for expertise and guidance.

We recently wrote a blog called “Mastering Interpersonal Skills As A Salesperson” which will give you tips on how to practically improve, but this blog will help you truly understand the power of rapport and why it should always be at the forefront of your mind.

RAPPORT BUILDS A FOUNDATION OF TRUST

We talk a lot about building long-lasting relationships in sales because everyone knows a long-lasting client equals a paying client. But how do you truly create long-lasting relationships without building trust?

When clients trust you and feel a connection, they are more likely to engage in open and honest conversations, share their business challenges, and value your guidance.

But how do you build trust?

It’s not just about being speedy, efficient, and capable of pitching your product/ service convincingly. It’s about understanding them. It’s about showing up in a way that feels personal and genuine.

This means having conversations and taking time to build a solid foundation rather than rushing straight to the deal. Of course, you build trust by being good at your job, but you build even more trust by going above and beyond all the other salespeople that come across as only looking out for themselves.

RAPPORT BUILDS HUMAN CONNECTION

The old saying "people buy from people" holds true.

In a sea of competitors who are fixated on rushing to the end goal, it's your job to be different. Yes, get to the end goal, but also connect on a personal level in the process.

Everyone needs human connection, even in professional settings. It’s how people build familiarity and trust with those they’re interacting with. A large part of human connection is personality… something sales is largely reliant upon.

Confident and sociable are usually attributes that are associated with good salespeople because they have the ability to connect which makes it easier to persuade and make deals.

But it can be easy to forget the importance of this when there are so many processes to think about along with the pressure of targets to hit.

But by being intentional about showing your personality, getting to know your clients as a person, not just a professional, as well as showing emotional intelligence, and active listening skills, you can build connections with clients that truly help you in the long run.

RAPPORT BUILDS WORK RELATIONSHIPS

Building rapport goes beyond clients. It also matters in helping you foster connections with colleagues and managers because creating an environment of collaboration, support, and innovation will help you in so many other areas of your career.

The relationships you build internally have a significant impact on your external success.

One reason is how you collaborate and progress in innovative thinking… You can’t have this without rapport.

Team members won’t feel comfortable sharing ideas and supporting others if they haven’t built trust or respect for their colleagues. But in sales, collaboration is everything. Salespeople are only lone wolves when they haven’t understood the power that comes with building rapport with their team.

Not only does it help get ideas, but it’s also motivating.

In a job where there are constant ups and downs, with a lot of the outcomes being completely out of your control, you need people who you can relate to on a personal level. Yes, your colleagues are there for professional help, but if you prioritise building real relationships with them, they can be there for you and motivate you to keep pushing.

- Written by Shannon Matthews

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