3 Effective Ways to Build Rapport with Clients

If you're in the sales game then you know how important, how vital, building rapport with your clients really is. It makes all the difference displaying some good habits early in the process, to give you the results you desire further down the sales cycle. Even aside of sales it is useful - maybe you are a young entrepreneur trying to develop a comprehensive network, an employee trying to get on the bosses good side with hopes of a promotion, rapport building is what makes or breaks the outcome.

This is a list of our 3 favourite Rapport Building Methods.

Look for a Connection

So you're in their office, you see a picture on the wall of a cocker spaniel - "beautiful dog!" - should be what comes out of your mouth. It could be a dog, it could be a football jumper, a brand of coffee sitting on their shelf, anything you could relate to that person with should be one of the first things that you highlight. If you can do this well, naturally, it will put you in great stead moving into the conversation.

Mirror their Movements

This one is an old, tried and tested approach to rapport building, and it works! The idea is to sit in the same position, move your hands in the same way or talk at the same speed as the person you are speaking with. Unconsciously the person will feel increasingly at ease with you. You will know if you have reached a level of distinguishable rapport with this person when you go for a drink, and they do the same!

The Sneaky Compliment

Some people don't like compliments, it makes them feel uncomfortable, everyone else could be complimented all day long - either way this approach works. You've reached a meaty part of the conversation, the talk has moved onto business matters, you have just made a really inspired point, then you pause - "I really like that shirt" - then back to business talk. Sandwich a compliment within a strong point and it's follow up. The person will be thrown off guard, in a good way. It will give them a confidence boost, which they can relate back to being with you.

Really simple stuff, but effective! We encourage you to give it a try yourself and let us know how it goes by posting on our Facebook Page. We would love to hear from you!

Contact us for a free consultation today! Business Consulting like you've never imagined.

How to be a successful start-up

90% of all start-ups will fail, and it can be for a few different reasons:

• Poor Planning
• Financial
• Under-resourced and over-worked
• Lack of a marketing strategy
• Motivation

The last point mentioned above is all about YOU! Drive is required to be a successful entrepreneur - if you are a driven individual, great - there are a few things you can do to make your start-up succeed.

Plan your journey

Know your industry and more importantly know what you will be offering. Compare that to your competitors and ask yourself what makes your business different to them? This USP (unique selling point) will determine your businesses 'journey'. Use this understanding to plan the 'journey', you can do this in the form of a business plan or keep it simple (and save time) by developing a lean canvas (created by Eric Reis).

Crunch the numbers

Are you selling something physical or are you offering a service, either way there will be costs - write them all down. Worst case scenario is you won't see any money in your account for a while, can you live with your business account being in the red for a while?

Don't do too much

Lean start-ups are smart start-ups. Don't make it complicated and offer every product that all your competitors offer. Do what you do well - the product or service that you are most confident in, start with that and see how potential customers respond. Are they buying? Are they even interested? Instead of wasting time setting up every product or service you want to offer just get information on each one, one at a time, your most basic offering - this is called your MVP (Minimal Viable Product).

Be your Brand

Your brand isn't just your logo, it's everything your customers touch when interacting with you. Your website, your business card, your emails, your voicemail, your speaking tone. Acquire a positive brand image and you'll have every chance of succeeding.

Be part of the 10% - be a successful start-up!

Excellent Company has Start-Up Packages for businesses wanting to give themselves the best chance of succeeding. Your success is our success. Contact us or email josh@excellent.company.