What is Rapport?!

Hello readers. Today I'll be explaining about rapport. Some future techniques that I plan to write about will mention this word...

Rapport occurs when two or more people feel that they are in sync or on the same wavelength because they feel similar or relate well to each other. Rapport can occur naturaly between people, but today we'll be talking about inducing rapport.

The word rapport stems from the old French verb rapporter which means literally to carry something back and, in the sense of how people relate to each other means that what one person sends out the other sends back. For example, they may realize that they share similar values, beliefs, knowledge, or behaviors around politics, music or sports.

There are a number of techniques that are supposed to be beneficial in building rapport such as: matching your body language. maintaining eye contact; and matching breathing rhythm.

Building rapport is one of the most fundamental sales techniques. In sales, rapport is used to build relationships with others quickly and to gain their trust and confidence. It is a very powerful tool that veteran salespeople naturally employ, which allows them to close more deals with less effort.

There are a few methods for building rapport quickly.

1: Mirroring

2: Reciprocity rule

3: Commonality

First let's talk about mirroring. Mirroring is...well mirroring the person's body language. If a person has a relaxed stance( leg's wide open, hands at the side) You must mirror it. By doing so the subconscious mind of the person you're mirroring will say. "Hey, this guy is just like me, i like this guy."

Those are the basics. But you could also use upside down mirroring. Imagine that the person has his arms crossed. You cross your legs. It'll have the same effect, but it wont be so obvious.

Next is reciprocation. Basically reciprocation is receiving something then giving something to the giver. Exchanging gifts for example. The thing is that you can give something and that will make the person feel pressured to give something back. Let me give you an example. At every airport there are people from hare krishna or any other charity organization. Most of the times they come to people and give them a gift, like a flower or something else that's cheap. AND THEN they ask for a donation. I think you see where I'm going with this,

Then there is commonality. Commonality is the technique of deliberately finding something in common with a person or a customer in order to build a sense of camaraderie and trust. This is done through shared interests, dislikes, and situations.