Building Rapport
Everyone can make a sale here and there, but a good Real Estate Advisor knows that the first step to selling is to build rapport. Discussing square footage, the number of needed bedrooms or demonstrating a home does not build rapport.
Building rapport could be talking about the Kansas City Chiefs, discussing hobbies, family members, favorite vacations or muscle cars; it is whatever gets the potential buyer to open up, remove their guard and to build trust with the advisor.
You build rapport when there’s open sharing between yourself and the potential buyer. You are connecting with an individual — a real person and an emotional being. Typically, if an advisor is not connecting with the potential buyer at an emotional level they could be focused on other things, the presentation, the product or they could not be fully committed to being present in the moment, too many distractions, the buyers children running around, other traffic, etc.
You will need to block out everything except for the person you are focused on connecting with. Some advisors can do this in their sleep, and for others it takes practice. I promise you if you start with the goal of connecting (and no other agenda) you will make it happen. And once the connection is made you can then start getting to the bottom of their real estate goals. Don’t push with too many real estate questions before you feel the connection happening.
Building rapport can happen in minutes depending on the potential buyer, their mindset and the situation. Regardless of how much time it takes the advisor to build rapport, it’s important that this authentic connection be made. Whether an extrovert, an introvert, an expressive communications style, or the quiet - authority type; the advisor must show honest appreciation for the potential buyer.
Building an understanding and empathy with the potential buyer supports easier and more effective future communication.
Does this mean the advisor should be every potential buyer's biggest confidante within minutes, no. That would not be authentic and a buyer would see right through that type of advisor. There are many with whom the advisor will have to work hard to build a connection with. Instead of the advisor jumping to conclusions and making assumptions about that potential buyer, the advisor should look for a positive aspect — and stay focused on relating.
The thing to remember is:
You are building rapport with a human. Interacting with a person who is likely more emotional in their thought process than logical. Someone who has a lot on their plate, many concerns and decisions to be thought through or considered.
5 skill sets important for building rapport quickly:
Active Listening - Being able to really listen to a person and understand their needs, feelings and concerns is essential for building rapport quickly.
Empathy - Having the ability to step into someone else's shoes and understand their perspective will help create an immediate bond.
Respect - Treating people with respect and showing them they are valued will go a long way in building rapport.
Genuineness - Being authentic and not trying to be someone you are not will make it easier to establish trust with the other person.
Humor - Having a sense of humor and being able to make light of situations can help break down barriers and create a more relaxed atmosphere.
Sometimes, a good starting strategy is if you act like you already have a good rapport. Talking as if the other person were a close friend with mutual trust sends subconscious signals to the other person to view you in the same way. And no, I don’t mean in a creepy way. Try being fun, lighthearted and witty when you first encounter a potential buyer.
Rapport builds the foundation of a relationship. While relating is the overall manner in which advisors interact with a buyer to make both personal and business connections. It doesn’t pay to be casual or indifferent about making connections with clients because people have a natural preference for doing business with those they know, like, and trust. Can you try too hard to build rapport? I personally don’t believe so. I think it is more damaging to come across as indifferent than to come across as genuinely engaged and empathetic.
Building rapport seems intuitive, but it can be a challenging skill to practice because of its personal nature. Advisors can easily miss rapport-building opportunities when they take the situation for granted, are nervous, in a hurry, or are acting from their own agenda.
Attempts at building rapport have to be both genuine to the advisor and appropriate for the client’s style and culture. There doesn’t need to be a long, drawn-out process to establish and build rapport. By paying close attention to how the other person reacts and responds, it should be easy to gauge how much time to spend on this relationship-building stage. The advisor who excels at building rapport is an advisor that cares about people, an advisor that can help manage client expectations and an advisor any buyer would enjoy working with.
Maybe you think this is common sense? But have you ever seen an advisor in action that had no care whatsoever for creating rapport? It is kind of painful to watch. And we have probably all been there at sometime (late for another appointment, was supposed to pick the kids up an hour ago) but take notice of how you connect? What are you good at? Build on these skills? Become the best rapport building advisor in all of Kansas City!
