10 Ways to Build Customer Rapport

Rapport between decision-maker and sales pro is the core of a positive customer relationship. When rapport is strong, each sale deepens the quality of the relationship, making successive sales easier. When rapport is weak, selling becomes difficult and awkward. When rapport is missing, selling becomes an exercise in futility. Here are 10 ways to help you build and maintain rapport:

1. Nobody likes to be sold, but everybody likes to buy.
2. Find out what the customer likes, wants and needs.
3. After you find out, show the customer how to get it.
4. Gather information before proposing; don't shoot in the dark.
5. Treat information gathering as a conversation, not an inquisition.
6. Commitment isn't just a sale, it's a deepening of rapport.
7. Don't try to be too friendly too quickly.
8. Be interested in the customer as a person.
9. Let the friendliness evolve naturally during the conversation.
10. Don't push the process forward too quickly.

READERS: Any more you'd like to add?