Strategic Rapport

Most salespeople know they should build rapport.

The problem is, they often confuse rapport with small talk.

“How was your weekend?”

“Did you catch the game?”

“How’s the weather over there?”

There’s nothing wrong with those questions. But there’s a difference between being friendly and actually building a relationship.

I call it Strategic Rapport.

Strategic rapport is being genuinely curious about the person in front of you.

Not because you’re trying to manipulate them.

Because you actually want to know them.

Ask questions that take the conversation somewhere.

“How did you get into this business?”

“What do you enjoy most about what you do?”

“How long have you been here?”

“What brought you to this part of the country?”

And then, when they give you an answer, don’t immediately jump to your next question.

Stay there.

Ask another question.

Double-click.

“What was that like?”

“What made you decide to do that?”

“What do you mean by that?”

That’s where relationships start to form.

One of the biggest mistakes I see salespeople make is rushing through rapport because they want to get to the “business” part of the conversation.

But rapport is part of the business.

People buy from people.

And the better you know someone, the easier it becomes to understand them, communicate with them and ultimately help them.

So next time you’re talking to a prospect or customer, don’t just make small talk.

Get curious.

Learn something about them you didn’t know before.

That’s strategic rapport.