Business leaders are recognizing the significance of building relationships with customers making the development of stronger client relations a priority with their companies. It is not easy for an organization to establish that connection. If you are not careful, it is easy to appear disingenuous.
That is why it is essential to pay attention to who the client is and what they need, essentially establishing a rapport with the consumer. You can learn more about how to do that by visiting https://www.teamly.com/blog/rapport-building-activities/, a method for developing and maintaining a client’s trust.
That involves ensuring that you understand your client and can communicate with them authentically. Trust is the foundation for turning a one-time consumer into a loyal, repeat client. The indication from most consumers is that the authentic, sincere brand is the one they will continue to buy from.
How Can a Business Build Rapport with The Consumer Base
Nowadays, many consumers feel businesses consider the client secondary, with customer support lacking in many industries. To connect with the consumer, a company needs to gradually build rapport.
This indicates to the audience that the brand cares. Rapport equates to trust and will lead to repeat business giving you an edge over the competition.
When consumers feel like they have a voice and the brand cares about what they have to say, they will buy, and return based on that positive customer experience. The client’s satisfaction will ultimately lead to more significant sales and an “increase in loyalty to the brand.”
To establish rapport, a business leader needs to develop strong communication with their audience, empathize with the group and show the consumer an authentic brand. A few tips to be successful in developing rapport include:
● Paying attention to the consumer’s voice
Generally, when someone speaks, the other person is planning what they want to say in response instead of really hearing what is being expressed. A customer support team with this sort of approach will appear disingenuous to the client.
The consumer wants their voice to be heard and have a representative respond with empathy and interest.
That requires active listening skills in which you pay sincere attention to fully comprehend the issue being presented to you. In person, the response will acknowledge understanding in both body language and verbally.
An essential element of rapport is not just listening to the customer’s feedback but making an effort to react to the insight. This will help to resolve consumer issues before these become significant problems, affect retention, or reduce revenue.
● Smiling is undoubtedly a priority in every scenario
When a customer is upset or feeling annoyed by any circumstance, a smile to assure them the situation can be worked through can help calm the client and bring positive energy to the conversation.
Even if the consumer is not upset, the smile will bring good vibes to their day and make them associate the brand with positivity. A smile is a non-verbal form of communication that speaks to others that you are accommodating.
When looking at someone with a brilliant smile on their face, it speaks that you are happy to see those around you. It is genuine and one of the simplest ways to build rapport.
You can even make a smile evident when speaking with a consumer on the phone, allowing the conversation to be upbeat and the consumer to stay in a positive mood.
If you are in a foul mood, remember you do not want to ruin other people’s days. Try to think of something that would typically bring joy and a smile to your face so you cannot help but be in good spirits throughout your day.
● Speak on the client’s level and at a consistent pace
When speaking with a client and trying to establish rapport, it is critical not to use “shop” talk. Instead, use terms the average person will be familiar with, plus speak in a conversational tone, friendly, not too casual, but not robotic.
The idea is to establish a connection so the consumer feels they can open up about the problem they are having, feel heard, and believe the issue will be handled adequately. You should avoid speaking over the top of the customer or rushing through the conversation.
In many organizations, the policy is to handle as many clients’ calls as possible within a specific period, quantity over quality, when, in fact, the opposite should be true.
That does not mean you should spend an extended period on the line with one person, but sufficient time to let the person know their issue takes precedence.
● Remain professional but establish a bond
While you want to remain within the bounds of professionalism, it is vital to establish a bond with each client. That means asking open-ended questions to show interest in the client.
The indication is to follow what references as the “Ford platform,” which will include topics relating to the consumer’s “family, occupation, recreation, and dreams.”
Doing so helps a business establish a connection with the client, developing a level of trust and rapport. A person will automatically feel positive energy with another individual when an interest is shown in learning more about the person.
If consumers feel that someone is speaking to them in a friendly manner with no ulterior motives, they will remember those details in the future.
It is crucial whatever details a client shares, whether their birthday, a special anniversary, or anything personal, try to remember these events to reference when having future conversations. In this way, the client will find you to be authentic. Click here for guidance on building rapport with clients.
Final Thought
Establishing rapport with a consumer is not that different from developing friendships. It might feel a bit awkward, maybe somewhat uncomfortable, when attempting to build these relationships initially.
The priority is to attempt to understand the clients you come in contact with, get to know their interests, what they want, and who they are, and make a connection.
In a sense, you are partnering with the consumer in a relationship where you supply what they need, and they provide you with business. The least you can hope for is rapport, hopefully, trust, maybe even friendship on this journey.
