Rapport: It Only Takes a Minute
You may have read a book first published in early 1970′s, written by a popular psychologist, Eric Berne, entitled, “What Do You Say After You Say Hello?” In the book, Dr. Berne wrote about human interaction, and how we relate to each other.sales training course
One of the topics he addressed in the book was the importance of the first few minutes after you meet someone. Quickly, the tone is set for how well you’ll communicate with a person, even if it’s strictly business (remember, we usually do business with people we’re comfortable with.)
For example, haven’t you been part of this conversation?
“Can I help you?” “Oh, no, I’m just looking.” “Well, let me know if I can be of help.”
Isn’t that how the dialogue often goes when you’re shopping? Who knows how many sales are lost because the conversation didn’t get off to a good start!
Have you ever gone to buy a car and found after 10 minutes that the salesman didn’t know your name, or what you wanted, but he was pushing a product at you?
The first step in any sales process should be about building rapport. It’s the essence of good communication.
