Page 91 - enLIGHTenment Magazine - December 2015

on the Mark

making a connection
Being aware of your appearance, and always be
Customers are entering your store because they smiling.

want to ll a need and you have a product or service Put your ego in time out. Encourage your custom-
that they want and will pay for. No one goes to a ers to talk.

store in search of a new friend or companion.
Develop a keen sense of the obvious.
It is not the customer’s intent – or your rst priority Holding your head up, hands visibly open, and

– to become personal friends at the beginning of the maintaining good posture.

sales process. However, it is your job to be pleasant, Body language; yours and theirs.
interested in the customer’s needs, and to provide Being sincere when asking proper open-ended

a high level of service. Developing rapport is aided questions. Don’t ask boring or too many questions.
when you demonstrate the value that you and your Speak slowly and clearly, fast-talking is identi ed

company bring to the customer by having interest in with insincerity.

them.
Give the client 100% of your a ention —
The professional salesperson starts each day with no phones, and no other distractions when

the goal of creating new relationships. The objective interacting.
is to be friendly, engaging, and interested in the cus- In Steven Covey’s best-selling book Seven Habits

tomer and the solutions they seek. Always position of Highly Successful People, Habit 5 is: “Seek rst

the customer’s needs ahead of yours.
to understand, then be understood.” By this, the
When you are focusing all your a ention on the author is telling us to ip the natural order in which

customer and the outcome they want, a feeling of humans want to communicate. We all want to be
connection and trust builds between you and the cli- “UNDERSTOOD” rst, but if you want to build rap-

ent. That feeling of trust will transfer in words – and port, then that belief won’t work. You must sideline “When

silently in body language – back and forth between that natural feeling to be understood and foster your
you as rapport develops. Some of those customers desire to be interested in another person.
you are

will become friends as the sales process moves for- A simple way to build genuine rapport is the use
ward, and others will not.
of basic thoughtfulness in deeds and words. Allowing focusing

another person the courtesy of speaking to comple- all your
the basic elements of communication
tion without interrupting and listening intently is the
and rapport
act thoughtfulness.
a ention

Rapport building is impacted by the words you use,
delivered in the proper tone and accented with con- first and last impressions
on the

gruent body language and appearance. Being adept When a customer comes in to your parking lot or
customer
at creating rapport means you must master of these store does anyone run out to meet them or hold
basics of communication:
the door open? When exiting the store, does the
and the
Understand and practice active listening while salesperson serving the customer give them a “kiss
maintaining eye contact during the conversation.
goodbye” to establish a continued satisfaction once outcome

the client is gone? A great time to build that bond
they want,
is when you carry out their purchase. These li le
A WINNING COMBINATION
courtesies go a long way in building a relationship
a feeling of
with your customers. Since this is service beyond
the norm, it also generates great word-of-mouth
connection 7%
advertising.

and trust Words
55%
using tonality
38%

Simply put, tonality is the HOW you say of WHAT builds Body
you say. While you are not born with the under- Language
between Tonality
standing of using tonality, you have used it as

soon as you began to talk. Both your internal and you and the
external voice has tonality each time you speak.

A skillful use of tonality will help you excel in sales.
client.”
RAPPORT

DeceMber 2015 | enLIGHTenment Magazine 89