7 Tested Ways To Build Rapport With Clients
Rapport Building Tactics For Realtors
To find long-lasting success in real estate, you must work on creating your network, or sphere of influence, which will allow you to convert current leads into long-term clients.
The prerequisite for this conversion is a relationship of trust between you and your clients.
When prospects trust you and you have a rapport going with them, they stick around.
Why You Need To Build Your Own Real Estate Sphere of Influence!
Most people are convinced real estate agents give precedence over their interests versus the interests of homeowners or potential homeowners.
To make a successful sale, you must convince them otherwise. By establishing a relationship of trust with your network, be it friends and family or current or past clients, you are effectively ensuring that your business will grow organically.
So do you want to know how the best real estate agents establish rapport with their clients?
Luckily for you, we've put together tips you can use to establish rapport with potential buyers, sellers, or anyone.
7 Tips on Building Trust, Rapport & Relationship As A New Realtor
Curiosity & Empathy
Focusing on curiosity and empathy is the first step of a two-step process.
Rapport will automatically develop if you are genuinely interested in the individual you're working with, their reasons for moving, and the factors that drew them to this particular neighborhood.
So how do you foster your natural curiosity and empathy?
The key is to be prepared and have questions ready to go.
Avoid making assumptions and focus on finding out more about your prospect.
Using Questions
Understanding that this will be a difficult transaction and that many things are running through a prospect's mind can help you empathize with the prospect.
Remind yourself to stay open-minded, sympathetic, and to listen more. Ensure that the client understands you’re on their team.
The Two Things Required To Be Likeable
You must tick off a few things to win the other side over. For example, Learn and use their name frequently, and ask many important questions. A bond will naturally follow.
So, what questions should you ask?
A good place to start is with the question, "What made you get in touch with us today?"
This question is excellent for building rapport. However, it has one drawback—the prospect will probably offer us a cursory response.
They'll say something like, "Well, it was time to move, it was time for our family to get into a bigger house, etc." or something along those lines.
If that happens, you must dig further, and for that, you follow the same protocol— ask another (follow-up) question.
Two questions that can come in handy are:
"Tell me more," they may talk about wanting to move into a larger home and being ready for one. When you ask for more information, they continue.
"Can you elaborate on that for me?" so you can learn more. They may answer, "I want to be near XYZ. For me, this is an important area." Ask again, "Could you elaborate on that?" Rinse and repeat.
By doing this, we're encouraging them to venture deeper than the surface, and that's where rapport is developed—beyond the obvious.
Word to the wise: many times, when we start asking questions, we tend to assume that's all we need to do, so we start bombarding the prospect with questions.
This won't foster a sense of rapport; rather, it will feel like an interrogation. So make sure you're not asking questions for the sake of asking questions; instead of asking the right questions that reveal vital information about the prospect, which can be useful later.
Gong Data
Gong, a software program that records sales calls, studied how much the sales representative should be talking when conversing with the prospect.
Interestingly, the top sales representatives only speak 40% of the time, leaving room for the prospect to speak 60% of the time.
This is fascinating because it implies that sales reps probe further and attempt to understand the reasons behind their concerns rather than simply asking them a bunch of questions and then sitting back.
Who Speaks The Most
A general rule of thumb to remember is that, in a sales conversation, the one who speaks the most is likely to feel that the conversation went well.
If you enter a listing presentation and speak the entire time, you will feel like you've nailed the presentation. Conversely, the prospect won't think the meeting went so well.
The ideal dynamic is where both parties feel they had their fair share of talking time, and the prospect feels heard.
Location
You are in a particularly advantageous position as a realtor because you have conversational weapons, one of which is location. You are aware of their house or potential purchase location.
What exactly do we mean by that? Picture this: a seller contacts you, and you inquire about their property. Asking them about the neighborhood is a simple technique to establish rapport.
When familiar with the locality, you can ask, "Hey, do you spend a lot of time at the park? Because I am familiar with the parks, the stores, and the landmarks. Are you familiar with XYZ coffee shop?"
And doing this makes it a fantastic approach to establishing rapport.
Construction & Design
These can be two excellent strategies to establish rapport once you're inside their house.
You can connect because you share a basic understanding of construction and design, and you can talk about how much you adore their hardwood floors and think their appliance brands are top-notch, etc.
Repeat and Rephrase
The way this strategy works is that somebody will explain something to you, and you will then repeat it differently.
When interacting with customers, this truly works brilliantly. For instance, the buyer can specify that they're searching for a square foot home with four bedrooms in a specific neighborhood close to a particular school and want to live in a green area.
Although you shouldn't repeat what they said directly, instead say something similar but slightly paraphrased.
This will indicate to them that you heard what they said or how it sounds from your understanding. As a result, an instant link is created.
Real estate users generally believe that agents are looking out for their interests. In reality, you're on their team, which you must convince them of. By adopting the repeat and rephrase technique, you may connect with them and make sure they feel heard.
Vocal Tonality
Another trick is to keep up with their vocal tonality. If they're a fast talker, you're now a fast talker; if they're slow and quiet, that's the hat you'll have to put on too.
To do this, picture the person as a friend. When you think of them as your friend, you will naturally start to match their rhythm.
Another upside of this strategy is that you'll instinctively become more empathetic and curious.
Vulnerability & Courage
Finally, we have bravery and vulnerability. You must participate in the conversation rather than just listen.
How then do you approach that?
Find Mutual Ground
You must also have perspective and be prepared to act honestly.
You can include a personal experience or a connection you have if you're talking about the park across the street or a school.
Go a step further by displaying some vulnerability. Let's imagine that the seller we're speaking to is facing some difficulties that worry them when they consider selling their house. You may say that you sold your home two years ago, and you can walk them through the challenges you faced.
This is how you can create a mutual ground.
Don't Feel Inhibited
One form of pushback we frequently encounter is the claim that "it's difficult for me to establish common ground because I don't think I'm interesting."
The moment we hear that, we immediately challenge it.
Usually, you're merely mentally restrained because you think your perspective isn’t justified, or you’re worried about how you’ll come across.
Most of us are too hesitant. Connection grows was we lower our guard and inner critic.
Ensure That You're Experiencing The World You Live In
Most people have interesting lives, but if you insist that yours is boring because you all partake in the same mundane activities everyone else does, we urge you to start trying new things.
Go out with friends more often. Become invested in a new show. Read stuff that intrigues and fascinates you. Discover a podcast that makes for the perfect companion. Take the road less traveled.
The wider your worldview, the more likely you will develop bonds and relationships with individuals around shared interests.
Conclusion
Building rapport with the prospective client is a more or less surefire way of closing a sale, but it also ensures that your sphere of influence in real estate grows and you retain clients for the long run.
Ultimately, this is one of the major deciding factors of where your next lead will come from.