6 Ways To Build Rapport From One Of The Greatest Sales Books Of All Time

If you want to learn how to build rapport, read Dale Carnegie’s How to Win Friends and Influence People. This is the bible on getting people to like you.

If you want to save some time, you can click here to read a summary of the book. 

One section of the book is titled “Six Ways to Make People Like You.” And those six ways are as follows, including brief notes on how each one applies to phone sales:

1. Become genuinely interested in other people.

You must be genuinely interested in other people in order to have a successful career in sales. No more needs to be said on this point, but it is worth taking some time to think about on your own.

2. Smile.

Well, you can’t smile through the phone, but you can on video calls. 🙂

When you’re on the phone, do your best to smile with the tone of your voice. In fact, just by smiling when you’re talking, your voice will sound happier. Even if the person on the other end of the phone can’t see you smiling, they’ll hear it in the tone of your voice.

3. Remember that a person’s name is, to that person, the sweetest and most important sound in any language.

Once you learn your prospect’s name, don’t forget it. Write it down if you need help remembering. If you’re not sure how to pronounce their name, ask right away, and write down the phonetic pronunciation in parentheses next to the correct spelling.

And then use their name often, especially when you mean to speak sincerely or want to get their attention. For example, if your prospect is rambling on, just saying their name is enough to get them to stop in their tracks.

4. Be a good listener. Encourage others to talk about themselves.

It’s a weird thing how the more people talk to you, the more they like you. Even if you don’t say anything yourself. If you just sit there and nod your head to show that you’re listening (or occasionally make the “mhm” noise if you’re on the phone), somehow that human relationship is deepening and strengthening.

5. Talk in terms of the other person’s interests.

There’s at least one thing that all people are interested in: themselves. If you’re calling a prospect for the first time and you’re not yet sure what they’re interested in, you can start by talking about them and how they’re doing and how their day has been going.

6. Make the other person feel important – and do it sincerely.

You’re actually already doing this with #4 and #5. If you want to take it one step further, you can try giving sincere compliments. For example, if you’re talking to a business owner, compliment their reputation or their past work. Remember, it must be sincere. Flattery is easy to detect and will hurt your ability to build rapport.

Summary

1. Become genuinely interested in other people.
2. Smile.
3. Remember that a person’s name is, to that person, the sweetest and most important sound in any language.
4. Be a good listener. Encourage others to talk about themselves.
5. Talk in terms of the other person’s interests.
6. Make the other person feel important – and do it sincerely.

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