Let’s take a moment to ponder what rapport is really all about. Think of a relationship you have right now with someone you like, respect, appreciate, and trust. It doesn’t matter if it’s a business relationship or personal relationship, as long as it is resilient and you have each other’s best interest at heart – a relationship that amplifies your strengths and makes you a better person.
Do you have one of these relationships in mind?
Imagine what it would feel like if you were able to build one of these mutually beneficial relationships, based on trust and appreciation, with most of your buyers. How awesome would that be?
So how do you go about doing that? If you break it down, it’s really not so difficult. Fulfilling relationships are built from three elements:
- Credibility
- Integrity
- Dependability
Credibility simply means that you’ve earned the right. You build credibility by letting your buyer know you have the experience necessary to do the job exceedingly well.
Integrity means being honest and truthful in all of your interactions. You build integrity by being honest, especially when the truth is not necessarily to your advantage.
Dependability means that you are reliable over an extended period of time. You build dependability by repeatedly doing what you say you’re going to do.
The key to developing all three of these is where rapport comes in. Like I said in the definition above, rapport is the relationship or bond that develops between you and your buyer. It doesn’t matter if you work in retail, where you may only interact with a buyer once, or if you work in financial services, where you develop your relationship over many months or years; building rapport has to happen quickly. The Bullet Selling process allows you to build credibility, integrity, and dependability, whether you sell in an immediate or long-term sales cycle. Building rapport can be achieved through both a long-term process and a one-time meeting.
