The Art Of Rapport

Famed hypnotherapist Milton Erickson once said, ‘With rapport, everything is possible. Without it, nothing is possible.’

Over my years in home business I’ve noticed some interesting phenomenon on this topic.

On more than one occasion, I’ve invested time listening to a prospect for 30 minutes or so (on random topics not even relating to business) when suddenly I’ll hear, “Ok, I’m ready to get started.”

No invite? No closing skills? Does this person even know what business they’re joining?

Weird right?

And magical auto joining aside, with rapport, all your invitations seem to be accepted with gratitude and excitement.

Without it – rejected with irritation and disdain.

I’ve also noticed that Rapport seems to be both an art and a science.

A science, because there are specific principles that go into building rapport.

An art, because the when and how of applying these principles can happen in countless different ways that are all up to you and the flow of the moment.

Aside from the specific words you say & questions you ask from the script (which are important), it’s also essential to engage in the artful magic of building rapport throughout the process.

Here are some things I’ve noticed that seem to be helpful.

• Listening
• Expressing interest
• Expressing goodwill
• Honest & sincere compliments
• Relating
• Laughter

We can dig into each of these a bit more over the next few posts.