Maya Angelou said, “People will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” Despite all the advances in technology and automation, at the end of the day, we are doing business with people, so it all comes down to interpersonal relationships and to establish a real connection with your customer.
First Impression
The problem with a first impression is that you only have one go at it.
The first impression is usually the first step in building rapport and laying the foundation for a future relationship. For this reason, we must always be ready to present ourselves in the best possible way to create that great first impression.
Here follow a few tips:
- Friendliness: Smile, relax and have a trust-inspiring image (Be approachable).
- Names: Remembering people’s names will make them feel important to you, which leads to a greater connection between parties.
- Posture: Try to maintain a good and proud posture.
- Listen: Focus on what the person is saying and never interrupt the other person.
- Timing: Do not overstay your welcome.
- Interest: Show genuine interest, put down your phone.
Once you have nailed the first impression we have to start the next step in building the relationship.
Establish Rapport
Look for something that you have in common by asking about the person’s background, interests and past successes – but don’t be mechanical.
We want to capitalise on the foundation that we have laid in the first impression. Remember we are trying to build a relationship, so be open and sincere.
Put yourself in their shoes, this will help you to understand their perspective, to recognise their emotions and anticipate possible questions.
Communication
The key to building rapport with somebody is good communication.
The better and more effectively we communicate, the better our relationship will be. Research suggests that language and body language is a vital part of communication, so if we very subtly mirror or match the other person language and body language, we emphasise familiarity between the parties.
This is something we subconsciously do with family and close friends.
Conclusion
SEESA Skills Training empowers learners with the basics of building instant rapport, with the very popular courses, Junior Management and Supervisor Development as well as How to Sell. These courses are presented nationwide, and you can visit our online schedule ((https://training.seesa.co.za) to book a course.