Effective Connecting and Communication

Skills with Clients

CONNECTING SKILLS

The key to a successful buying relationship

Connecting is a process that begins before you first meet a potential client and continues

throughout the entire sales presentation.

Connecting skills means --

Five-Step Process

• Attitude• Presentation• Rapport building• Determining needs• Time strategy

A manner, disposition, feeling, position, etc., with regard to a person or thing; tendency or orientation, especially of

the mind.

Step One - ATTITUDE

Attitude Determines AltitudeBegin with self-motivation

•Control what you can … let go what you cannot.•Concentrate on the now… do not concern or frustrate yourself about tomorrow or yesterday.•Love the one you’re with.

Don’t be afraid to fail• Be aware that your client has a buying process just like

you have a selling process.• Part of your client’s buying process is to eliminate you.• Recognize elimination as part of the your client’s buying

process and not indifference to you personally.

Maintain a Positive Self Image

•It is true that you achieve what you expect to achieve. •Inventory your strengths and weaknesses.•Spend time daily strengthening both, but most of your time should be used to build your strengths

Gain an appreciation for the client

Step-Two - Presentation

Presentation is the way you present yourself to potential clients.

First ImpressionsYou never get a second chance to

make a first impression.

First Impression Tips• The greatest way to make a positive first impression is

to demonstrate immediately that the other person--not you--is the center of action and conversation.

• Use the name of a new acquaintance frequently.• Follow Dr. Wayne Dyer's advice, offered in his

wonderful book "Real Magic," by "giving up the need to be right."

• Appearance counts.

Build confidence in your selling skills

Clients want you to care about their needs, and they want you to be competent enough to help

them. New clients want to do business with competent professionals.

Sharpen the Saw

Inspect You

If you want people to listen to you with

confidence, dress and carry yourself in the manner which gives

you the right to speak with authority.

Maintain Your Product

Your product serves as a showcase. It is a tangible

representation of what the client is buying.

Step-Three - Rapport

Rapport signals a relationship exemplified by agreement,

by alignment, or by likeness and similarity.

Pacing

Pacing means meeting your customer where he

or she is, or matching some part of your

customer’s experience

Leading is doing something different

than your client.

Leading

Step-Four – Determining Needs

The benefit of determining needs is that it builds a bridge between your desire to lead the selling process and your customer’s desire to lead it.

Greeting

How may I be of service, to you, today?

This is an ideal greeting - it is non-threatening - it does not lead your client in any specific direction. With service, clients become receptive to questions

DiscoveryThe subject of needs is one you can approach

directly. Clients want to know immediately that your focus is on providing for their needs, and

not simply to sell them a home for the sake of a commission.

• Cannot be answered by a simple yes or no.• They usually begin with what, how and why.• They do not lead the client in any specific direction.• They help the client discover things.• They create a situation in which the client will reveal

behavioral style.

Open-Ended Questions

Close-Ended Questions• They extract simple and specific facts.• They are useful in gaining commitments.• They are useful in gaining feedback during the

conversation.• They can be used to direct the conversation.• They can be used to secure affirmative answers.• They usually begin with who, where, and when?

Transitional ListeningA client’s response to any question provides you with a

transition into a brief discussion of something you need to know.

Solve Client Problems

Providing solutions to customer problems is the primary common

ground between you and the customer … become a solution

provider

Step Five - Time StrategyHow much time do you have to

spend with me today?

When your client provides you with an answer to the question “How much time do you have to spend, with me, today?” you must follow your client’s response

with your reason for asking the question.

The reason I asked about time is that I want to focus on what is important to you. I can show or tell you about …

What would you like to accomplish today?

Reason

What Have You Accomplished?You have demonstrated a respect for time; what is important and have established a

reason for a second appointment (if required).

• Quicker problem solving• Better decision making• Steady work flow• Strong business relations• Better professional image