Can Rapport Building Be Taught?

November 1, 2021 By admin Leave a Comment

Rapport is what we all seek. It can help bring harmony and balance into our daily lives. Rapport is part of the foundation on which we build our success in life and in business.

It is imperative that direct selling business owners and independent consultants build rapport with customers, representatives, and potential recruits. They use rapport to build their businesses and to help others to build theirs.

What exactly is rapport?

rap•port (noun)

Definition: friendly relationship: an emotional bond or friendly relationship between people based on mutual liking, trust, and a sense that they understand and share each other’s concerns.

Successful business owners build rapport with their sales force every day. They realize that rapport is a vital element in their recipe for business success.

Can direct selling companies teach the importance of rapport to their independent representatives?

We believe the answer is YES and we suggest that the following steps are taken:

Ask your reps to take a look at their closest friends. How did they meet them? What did they like about them? What was the rapport-builder? Kids? Work? Hobbies?
Explain to your representatives the importance of rapport, that people buy from people they like and that rapport-building is the process of discovering common interests.
Teach by example.
Emulate the tone of voice, the cadence of speech, the volume, and the pace of the conversation with others.
Seek and find a comfort zone of topics for both you and the potential customer or sponsored representative. Examples are career, hobbies, pets, photography, kids, vacation spots, etc.
Have established representatives share examples of role-playing to encourage new representatives to practice role-playing with others.

Teach Rapport Building

Independent consultants at sales events are in a “party” atmosphere. People are prepared to talk about themselves and have fun. It is anticipated that attendees will be meeting new people who will want to know about them.

Offering a genuine compliment on a guest’s attire or accessory can be a great icebreaker. Ask where she found the beautiful bracelet she is wearing. This could be a great opening for the consultant if she is representing a jewelry company.

Another simple way to get acquainted is to ask how the guest met the hostess. Asking this question does two things. It tells you more about the guest and it tells you more about the hostess. With the details, you will have information on how to build rapport with both of them.

Conclusion

It is imperative that direct selling business owners and independent consultants build rapport with customers, representatives, and potential recruits.

If you are struggling with the methods you are using today to connect with your independent representatives, give me a call. Perhaps some new rapport-building steps are what you need. You may contact me at 503.244.8787 or email me, jay@sylvina.com.

Jay Leisner, the President of Sylvina Consulting, is a top compensation plan and direct selling expert, a trusted adviser to new and established network marketing and party plan companies. For more than 30 years, Jay has enjoyed assessing and improving network marketing, party plan and referral marketing companies across the globe.

Jay Leisner and Victoria Dohr authored the top-rated book for new and young network marketing, referral marketing, and party plan companies, "Start Here: The Guide to Building and Growing Your Direct Selling Company".

Available in English and Spanish. This startup guide contains 250 pages of wisdom that will guide you through the right steps to start and continue on your journey to build a successful direct selling company.

You will save thousands of dollars and hundreds of hours of your time using the information you will read in our book.

In 1986, Jay began his career in direct selling by working for a major direct selling software provider. First as a software developer and later as a project leader and a business analyst, Jay worked closely with new and established network marketing and party direct selling companies to provide them with software solutions to meet their unique requirements.

Jay contributed in many ways to the success of large implementation projects for many companies. Jay also worked with dozens of smaller companies to assist each of them in various capacities to provide them with the systems they needed to help their businesses to grow faster.

Along the way while working with them, he learned the secrets of successful direct selling companies and the challenges faced by them. In true entrepreneurial spirit, Jay’s decision in 1999 to start Sylvina Consulting as a direct selling consulting company was driven by what he saw was a need for answers, advice, and solutions.

In 2004, 2006, 2009, 2014, and 2018, Jay gave presentations on compensation plans, recognition, and field leadership development at conferences held by the US Direct Selling Association.

He traveled to South Africa in 2015, 2016, and 2017 to conduct workshops on compensation plan design and recognition programs for member companies of the South African Direct Selling Association.

In 2017, Jay spoke at the Canadian Direct Sellers Association Meeting on the importance of recognition.

More than just a compensation plan expert, Jay is exceptionally skilled at advising new and established companies on business strategies. Before offering advice or solutions, he asks important questions to understand each client’s specific concerns and goals.

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