“Did you see that game last night?”
“How about all this rain we’ve been getting?”
“That’s a nice bowling trophy. I love bowling!”
Ever use one of those questions? Thought so. Who are you kidding with that crap? In the words of Jeffrey Gitomer, “All things being equal, people buy from friends. All things NOT being equal, people buy from friends.”
If people buy from people they like, one of your first goals should be to get your prospects to like you.
For a salesperson, this can be tough. People have a hard time trusting salespeople with their time, money and business. Most people don’t even want to talk to you.
Welcome to reality: your prospects are busy and may feel that speaking with you is a complete waste of time. Many of your prospects may not even see a need for your product, or may be content with the version they already have.
Point being, if you want to successfully establish rapport with your prospects, you’ll have to do it quickly, before they get the chance to assume you’re just like every other salesperson. Fortunately, there are 5 keys to help you get this friendship off to a quick start!
1. RelaxHave Fun!
It is your job to create an environment that is conducive to buying. Pointless, scripted, ice-breaking questions only create a cold selling environment. So relax and have a little bit of fun!
As soon as you meet your prospective customer, you will be evaluated. That evaluation will be determined not just by how you feel, but also how you make your prospect feel. The only way to put your prospect at ease is to be at ease yourself. If you’re uptight and contrived, your prospect will remain guarded and cold. If you are having fun, chances are your prospect will, too!
After all, people buy from people, and your job as a professional communicator (a.k.a. salesperson) is to make your customer comfortable enough to grab a Coke from your refrigerator.
2. Lighten Up, Laugh It Up
Nothing is more powerful than humor when it comes to building rapport quickly with your customer. Laughter is the spark that ignites interest and cordiality between you and your prospect; it’s hard to laugh with a person and not feel comfortable around them.
Some salespeople take their job too seriously, and are so focused on the sale that they forget to think about the customer. So, lighten up! If you make them laugh, they may buy from you!
3. Get to the Point
You got them on the phone, you secured an appointment, and you got them in your store now get to the point! State your objective and why they should care. Be careful not to use clich