You know that feeling when you just click with someone? This kind of rapport is essential when you work in sales. You should be able to establish a comfortable connection with prospects so they can begin to know you and trust you.
Aja Frost, HubSpot’s head of content SEO, says building rapport helps your interactions feel more authentic and can put your prospects at ease. Sometimes, though, rapport-building efforts don’t go as intended. They may come across as sleazy, cunning or just plain weird.
Frost has put together a list of some of the most common mistakes salespeople make when trying to build rapport. Keep reading this issue of PromoPro Daily for her tips on what to avoid.
You’re not properly researching prospects. Take some time to read blog posts your prospect has written, or browse their LinkedIn profile to look for professional achievements or conferences they’ve attended. In a digital age, you can find a wealth of information online that can give you some conversation starters. And since most people like talking about things that matter to them, Frost says this can help build rapport.
You go overboard on details. It can be creepy if you become too familiar with your prospects. You don’t want to appear like you’re stalking them on social media. Frost recommends sticking to safe rapport-building topics, like a recent presentation or link they shared. If the prospect feels comfortable talking about themselves, she says you can venture into more personal territory on later calls.
You’re forcing the small talk. Establishing rapport should happen naturally. If you insist on asking get-to-know-you questions your prospect just doesn’t want to answer, you could do more harm than good. Instead of continuing with awkward chatter, try bringing up a business-focused topic. The prospect might feel more comfortable talking about that than answering more personal questions.
You’re asking generic questions. When you want to build rapport, it’s easy to talk about the weather or the local sports team. But Frost says these topics usually lead to superficial conversations, which result in superficial connections. Instead, look for uncommon commonalities.
You’re just not into it. If you’re not interested in what prospects are saying, they’ll know it. It’s easy to tell when someone isn’t engaged, Frost says, and if prospects suspect you’re making small talk just to check a box, they probably won’t want to continue the conversation.
You’re spending too much time on small talk. It’s fine to get the conversation rolling, but don’t spend an unreasonable amount of time shooting the breeze. Your prospects are busy, and you should get to the heart of the conversation.
You’re not practicing. Building rapport is a skill. Like other skills, the more you practice, the better you’ll become. Frost suggests looking for situations outside of work where you can fine-tune your rapport-building skills.
When you become better at building rapport, you can boost your chances of closing more deals. Just pay attention to the mistakes above. When you do, you can be sure you’re approaching relationship-building the right way.
Compiled by Audrey Sellers
