Building Rapport with Your Clients

Have you ever wondered how certain people just seem more charismatic than everybody else? Their appearance is certainly no competition for Cindy Crawford or Denzel Washington; however, people just seem to gravitate toward them nonetheless. What is their secret? Today, we will discuss a few proven skills that anyone can learn to become more attractive to not only the opposite sex, but to your clients and people in general.
First, the power of a smile is priceless. The next time you are in a large group of strangers, note the number of people who are smiling and cheerful relative to those walking around with a frown. Smiling improves one’s attitude and in turn makes you happy. Happiness is attractive! One of the most influential actions is to simply smile at a prospect. The next time you are leisurely strolling through the mall on a Sunday afternoon, practice smiling at people so that it becomes natural and notice the reactions that you get in return.
Next, building rapport with your clients and potential friends is easier when you assume a positive trait in your prospect. People love, love, love to talk about themselves and to feel as if they have something of value to contribute. In the prospecting game, assuming that your potential client is already well versed in whatever it is you are demonstrating to him or her goes a long way in influencing them in a beneficial way. Phrases such as, “You probably already know. . .” and “People can, you know. . .” allow for the assumption of the obvious. Whether your listener is well versed or not, they are certainly not going to argue with you that they are ignorant to the subject!
Our last skill that you probably already know is the power of courtesy. If you imagine that everyone you meet is your Grandmother’s best friend, you will become more responsive rather than reactive. Whether you are being cut in line at the DMV or experiencing the rudeness of a customer service agent at your local fast food establishment, respond in kind. Not many people can continue to be rude when met with common courtesy. And even if they do, that’s more practice for you in self restraint!
Mastering these skills will help you to establish and maintain rapport with your clients in any setting. Remember that potential clients are always watching your every move and how you respond to adversity. Building your business does not have to be a chore. Mastering the basic skills of relationship building will help you attract more quality leads and secure an endless stream of referrals from happy, trusting clients. Professional marketing skills, or the lack thereof, will hinder the majority of direct sales professionals and online marketers. Success in business is dictated by your level of expertise in personal branding and lead generation. Help is available within a supportive team environment. Find out more on branding yourself and your business at The Jowen Network.

AskWendyWebb is a division of Jowen Enterprises.