The foundation stone of every relationship is trust. Sometimes it is worthwhile to reflect on the word ‘trust’ and what it means in the target driven business world of today. In defining trust, it can help to look at the converse — what it is not. If you trust somebody you do not expect them to be any of the following: unreliable, disrespectful, selfish, untruthful, manipulative, opportunistic, incompetent or uncaring. The person you trust must be honest, dependable and competent.
“I am not upset that you lied to me, I’m upset that from now on I can’t believe you.”
(Friedrich Nietzsche)
For you, the sales professional, it is essential that you never fail a customer in the areas of truth and respect. Your word is your bond and your competitive edge. The customer is there to be pleased beyond their expectations. From the very first meeting with you, the customer feels a rapport and intuitively knows that you are ‘in sync’ with them. Even those who are not necessarily of your own psychological makeup sense that you will be the chief influencer as to whether they will proceed to do business with you or not. They — the customer — are never a means to your end, ‘another sale at all costs’. You are there for the long haul of repeat business and lucrative referrals. You and your product can be trusted.
So how do you build trust and rapport?
Be genuine. Be yourself.
Be warm and friendly. Cold people get chilly reactions.
Show interest. People like people who like them.
Don’t seem too needy or pushy. Don’t try too hard — it seems desperate.
Give genuine compliments. Sycophants get nowhere, but an genuine compliment can go a long way towards building rapport.
Calibrate the rapport to ‘just right’. Read the customer and find the right amount of time, conversation and attention.
Read the culture. Always be yourself, but make sure your approach meshes with the other person and company.
Have a good month and the parting word from the Business Accelerant is believe in yourself and be trustworthy in all your dealings.
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