7 HABITS OF MASTER
RAPPORT-BUILDERS
Perfect the art of rapport building and close deals remotely with these 7
hacks. Use them to build trust, show empathy, and grow relationships
[and your commission).
HABIT #1
LABELING
Labeling is empathy on steroids. If you’ve accurately labeled their emotion.
you’ll get a rich response AND make buyers feel understood. That’s a
powerful combo.
How to do it:
When you notice your buyer express an emotion. label that emotion by
completing one of these sentences:
“It seems like you ____________”
“It sounds like you ____________”
“It looks like you ____________”
Bonus
This also works great on objections:
“That’s a valid concern. It seems like ____________”
HABIT #2
USE PRONOUNS TACTICALLY
“We” language helps you “sell” your company and build credibility in the
mind of your prospect. But nothing beats “I” for creating rapport.
How to do it:
Transition between “we” to back your claims and “I” to humanize yourself
and cue buyers to let their guard down.
HABIT #3
MAKE IT ABOUT THEM
Get your buyer to self-identify with the problem your product addresses
before you bring up the solution. If your story describes their problem better
than they could describe it themselves they will automatically assume you
have the best solution.
How to do it:
Build your story towards a “That’s when I knew something had to change”
climax. Done right, they’ll ask about your solution before you bring it up.
HABIT #4
MAKE EYE CONTACT
Look at the webcam not your screen. This will create the impression that
you are engaged and paying close attention. It’s the quickest way to build
greater rapport when in-person meetings are off the table.
How to do it:
Get buyers to turn on their video. Our 2020 data shows that it sends win
rates up by 96%. Make a no-pressure ask like:
“Are we having a video call today?”
HABIT #5
FOLLOW UP INDIVIDUALLY
It’s not just about adding a personal touch. Email response rates are highest
at 2 recipients, then decline. Once the group is 3 participants or more,
move to single-threaded emails for follow-up.
How to do it:
After the meeting, move follow-up to 1 new thread per participant. Include
their name in the subject line. Copy-paste the body of your follow-up and
highlight parts of the email that pertain specifically to them.
HABIT #6
GET PERMISSION BEFORE
ADDRESSING AN OBJECTION
Add this to your objection handling toolkit: after you clarify the objection
and before you launch into your explanation, get your buyer’s permission to
introduce a new way of thinking. It neutralizes your buyer’s mind
and makes them receptive to a new way of thinking.
How to do it:
Questions like “Can I make a suggestion?” trigger defensiveness. Your ask
makes YOU the vulnerable person in the interaction, not the buyer. It’s as
simple as asking this:
“Can I bounce a few thoughts off you?”
HABIT #7
USE THESE WORDS THAT SELL
These 5 words that get dropped in everyday chit-chat. But they are secretly
a conversational lock-picking kit: opening up accounts and priming them to
buy from you.
How to do it:
We analyzed over 500,000 sales calls
and uncovered which words and phrases
master conversationalists use to get ahead.
Steal the full list of Words That Sell.
Only If You Want More
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