Selling Skills Training | Building Trust and Rapport with Customers

All things being equal most people will buy strictly on the best price. The salesperson’s job is to help the customer see that things are unequal. We do this by asking the right questions at the right time and presenting the right solutions in the right way.

We’ve identified the opportunity. We’ve done pre-approach. And our initial communication got the prospect’s attention. At this point, we are exactly where we want to be: in direct contact with our potential customer.

Remember, the first three elements in the sales process are focused on improving the odds that the prospect will spend time with us. But now that we’ve been successful at scheduling a meeting, we need to improve the odds that the time together is pleasant and productive for everyone.

Contrary to common practice, we should not attempt to sell a specific solution during the first interview. Why? Because most salespeople do.

Unfortunately, many of us find it challenging to change that mindset. In most cases, we feel so fortunate to get a few minutes with people that we try too hard to impress them. We feel rushed. We feel compelled to share as much information as possible about our products and services in hopes that the prospect likes what he hears and wants to spend more time with us. And even though we think we’ve come prepared to ask questions and learn more about his situation, the questions typically represent surface-level information. As a result, we never dig deep enough to get valuable information that may give us an advantage over our competitors in the sales process.

For those reasons, among others, talking in detail about our products and services at the first meeting is not the best approach. That’s not to say it’s impossible to gain a buying commitment when we talk about our companies and ourselves. In some selling situations, we can. But in many of today’s sophisticated selling applications, top sales performers have a different approach: They build rapport and gather information in a way that places the focus on the customer.