Building Trust and Rapport with Corporate Clients

When I saw a competitor win a client that I wanted to work with, the old Joe Jackson song ‘Is She Really Going Out With Him?’ came to mind.

It wasn't because I was jealous.

OK, it was.

But, petty jealousy aside, HOW ON EARTH COULD THEY CHOOSE THEM AND NOT ME????

Then I turned off the noise in my head, and tried to logically work out why that just happened. 

Were they more experienced than me? Possibly. 

Were they cheaper? Maybe

Were their strategies and ideas more on-point than mine? Again, maybe.

Did they play golf every Saturday with the prospect’s CMO? Clutching at straws here, but you never know.

There was one thing, and it happened every time I didn’t get the sale.

Without fail.

The other person or people had done a better job of building trust and rapport with the prospect than I did.

According to an Edelman survey, 53% of respondents rated trust as the second most important factor when purchasing a new brand (price was #1 at 64%). 

And 70% said trusting a brand - and often, the brand is YOU - is more important today than it was in the past. 

If you want to land (more) big clients, knowing how to build trust, and its chatty first cousin, rapport, can make a huge difference.

One of the biggest differences trust and rapport can make to your bottom line is that your prospect becomes more confident in your solutions vs. your competitors’. 

According to Gartner, B2B customers are 2.6 times more likely to buy when they have greater confidence in their decision.  

So how can you methodically build trust and rapport with your target whale prospects? 

Well, it’s more than just asking how their weekend was. 

You need to create a genuine human connection with as many personal touch points as you can.

Oh, and don’t stress if your winning personality doesn't work on everyone; you can’t be everyone’s BFF. 

Here are some steps you can take:

1. Active Listening

Demonstrate genuine interest in what your prospects have to say by actively listening to their concerns, needs, and objectives; both professionally and personally.

Many people who are trying to move the buying process along as quickly as possible, zone out when anyone but them is talking. They focus on what they’re about to say, rather than what is being said.

Big mistake.

Apart from being rude, it’s just plain dumb.

You need to pay close attention to both verbal and non-verbal cues, and ask relevant questions to show that you don’t just understand their perspective, you’ve actually been listening to everything they’ve been saying.

2. Empathy and Understanding

Put yourself in the client's shoes. Easier said than done, right, but it’s vital to at least try.

The more empathy you offer - and yes, it can include being genuinely interested in hearing all about the amazing goal their seven year old scored at soccer on the weekend - the more your genuine desire to help them succeed is on display.

Some of the highly personal things that clients and prospects have told me are quite astounding. 

That only happened because they trusted me and knew that I cared about them as individuals, not just the money they could give me.

3. Authenticity

Bring your authentic self to every interaction. 

You’re no phoney; so show it! 

This is why I never use sales scripts on the phone. When was the last time you felt any warmth to someone who was obviously reading a script? 

We’re hard-wired to seek out and want to spend time with people who ‘get’ us. 

4. Find Things in Common

Did you go to the same uni? Or play the same sport? Or wear the same fashion label?

Whatever it is, we’re all rapport seeking beings. And nothing builds trust and rapport quicker than having a shared emotional attachment.

5. Customise How You Communicate

Want to succeed quicker? Make more people feel that you’re just like them. The best way to do that is to adapt your communication style to match your prospect. 

In Neuro-Linguistic Programming, it’s called ‘mirroring and matching’.

I know this may seem to be at odds with being your genuine self, but we prefer to look at it as the best and quickest way to ensure that you can relate to the person you’re talking to.

6. Follow Through on Commitments

If you say you'll do something, do it!

Doesn’t seem like a searing insight, does it?

But as we all know, there are many people who, when they say they’ll do something - e.g. “I’ll call you back in 5 minutes” - it’s 99% certain that they never will. 

You don’t want a reputation for saying you’ll do one thing and then doing – or not doing – something else.

Become known as a person who delivers on your promises and commitments. 

It’s not complicated but, amazingly, it’s not that common either.

And make sure to do so in a timely manner. Reliability and consistency are key to building trust and rapport.

That’s it for now. Have a great week!

If you want to put a process in place that helps you to get bigger clients and bigger budgets, we can help you to achieve that! Book a session with us here

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