By Aaron S. Robertson
A while back, I saw the 2013 film The Wolf of Wall Street, in which Leonardo DiCaprio portrays Jordan Belfort, a Wall Street stockbroker who engaged in, and was later convicted of and imprisoned for, securities fraud and other related charges. During his time on Wall Street, as we see from the film, he and just about everyone at his firm led a pretty wild lifestyle, as well, to say the very least on that.
These days, Jordan is a motivational speaker, corporate trainer, and business coach.
Whatever your thoughts are on the film, or the man, or what he did, I found a couple of great videos on YouTube I thought were worth sharing. In them, Jordan discusses the importance of building rapport during sales discussions.
Now, building rapport may seem like a no-brainer to seasoned and successful sales professionals, but all too often, I've come across salespeople who haven't mastered that skill yet. And as an everyday consumer and business professional myself, I have to say: it is an instant turnoff. It really is a deal breaker for me.
What exactly is meant by "building rapport"? Well, it's about expressing a genuine interest in the person you're attempting to sell to - essentially, relating to that person. Hey, we're all human. We're all trying to make a living. We're all faced with obstacles, whatever those may be, and we're in search of solutions. It's about engaging in a two-way conversation - asking questions and knowing when to be quiet and listen. It's about building trust.
Check out these videos and feel free to share your thoughts and insights in the Comments section below.
Everyone I do business with earned my business and trust because of the rapport factor. I've enjoyed many long-term, fruitful business relationships over the years because of rapport.
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