This is a key skill in our industry in fact probably one of the most important. When we meet prospects who could become clients it's really important that we build rapport in a short space of time so that we connect with a potential client, and they see us as an ally and someone they feel they can work with.
There are some key tips and tricks which I want to share so that you can use these to help build rapport on an ongoing basis have more success in landing prospects as clients and have a bigger business as a result of more clients.
Here are some areas to take note of when building rapport. These can be abbreviated to G.E.E.V.S.
General Posture gestures:
There are some key tips and tricks which I want to share so that you can use these to help build rapport on an ongoing basis have more success in landing prospects as clients and have a bigger business as a result of more clients.
Here are some areas to take note of when building rapport. These can be abbreviated to G.E.E.V.S.
General Posture gestures:
- facial expression
- body position/form
- gestures/movements
- movements
- blinking
- connecting/disconnecting
- rate of breathing
- amount of breathing (depth)
- pauses
- location in body
- speed
- volume
- tone
- timbre
- words used
- other sounds
- muscle tone
- pulse
Options for building rapport...
| Matching: same position as the other person (e.g. cross right leg over left). Less intense makes you seem similar so they can decide separate from you e.g. in sales to avoid buyer’s remorse a decision points in at decision points in counseling. | Mirroring: mirror image position EG your left leg crossed over right there right crossed over there left. More intense; makes you seem like a “reflection” of their own experience. |
| Simultaneous: match action as the person does it e.g. body posture, crossing uncrossing arms/legs | Sequential: match action after they do it e.g. speech/gestures |
| Direct: match behavior with the same behaviors of yours (e.g. breathe in time with them) | Crossover: match behavior with a different behavior of yours (e.g. your foot moves in time to their breathing). use when direct matching is unsafe for your body e.g. asthma |
| Individual: match/mirror pace one person | Group: a) identify the report leader the person others unconsciously copy and match them b) build rapport with previous group leaders who had report c) ask the group to do something, and do it with them |
Start learning these, start looking at them in your friends and family and start using them with potential clients if you're not already instinctively doing some of these things, you probably are, but there's always things to improve upon.
Go get ‘em….!
Go get ‘em….!
