How to create “Rapport” with your Customers

The secret of a successful business relationship is to make your customer trust you. The more they trust you, the more comfortable they will be about working with you. When you have that subconscious understanding or having an atmosphere of understanding between two or more individuals you can have “rapport”; dictionary.com tells the meaning as a relation or connection especially a harmonious or sympathetic relationship. One of the benefits of rapport is that it allows you to communicate much more quickly at an unconscious level. This happens because when people feel comfortable, there are less doubts and questions from the conscious mind. To have rapport, you need to create a situation where your audience (whether it's one person or a large group) will see you as being like them in some way and so will find it easier to develop an atmosphere of trust. It is easier for them to trust you if they feel you are like them in some way. This also means there is more chance they will like you. Clearly, if they like you and trust you, they are more likely to do business with you. Here are some ways in which you can create rapport quickly: Talk on their level By knowing what kind of words or phrases your customer is using and using that to our advantage, you can make your customers create a certain understanding. Look out for their mannerisms By discreetly analyzing their posture, gestures and movement and integrating them in your behavior, your customer could say to themselves that you are like them. Match their own style of speaking They would feel comfortable if you would take on the same pace with them; if possible try to speak using articles like, “actually”, “anyhow”, you know”, etc. Know if both of you are on the same page. There are some kinds of people who are detail oriented and there persons who only sees the big picture. You should use the right kind of presentation of the product to the right kind of person, if you would use a shorthanded explanation to a big-picture person he/she would just yawn. Find a common or shared experience. What if your customer came from your hometown or you studied on the same university or you have the same kind of interest? It is much easier to create a rapport if both of you have the same This process will work out if you are true to yourself and personality. Pretension is a no-no and will build mistrust between you and your customers. Here’s a tip, if your conversation with your customer is not going somewhere, you should increase your rapport.