How to Build Rapport with a Potential Customer

Building rapport is especially important when you are working on bringing new customers to your company. Rapport is an understanding or a trust between two people - you and your customer. If you don't present yourself well, you may run the risk of losing that potential customer. By presenting yourself properly, you will gain trust with those you want to develop a business relationship.

Instructions

1. Present yourself professionally to your potential customer. You have probably heard the saying "dress for success". That certainly rings true here, and you want to dress professionally, appear self-confident, and be informed about the product or products you are selling.

2. While you are trying to ultimately sell your product to the potential customer, don't overdo it. Resist the urge to promote your product. When you do this, you run the risk of sounding like an infomercial, which is simply annoying and you sound like a robot feeding out spam.

3. Although you will want to take each situation on a case-by-case situation, greet each potential customer using a friendly and personable greeting. Something such as "Hello Mr. Jones. It's such a pleasure to finally meet you in person." This is a perfect mix between being too professional and not being professional enough.

4. Open up to the person and empathize with where they may be coming from. Let them realize you are a real person as well, and you actually care about them, even if they don't decide to purchase your product. The business relationship you will develop even if they don't end up purchasing your services will be more worth it than trying to shove your products down their throat.