Building rapport is important, but don’t forget that your goal is to sell a great service to someone who really needs it.

Have you ever met with a client and “clicked” instantly – and before you know it, you are having a great, wide-ranging conversation, and you are on a voyage of personal discovery? You both know Jim from Acme Corp, grew up in neighbouring towns, and vacation just 3 kilometres from each other every summer… Wow!! Who knew!! This is just – a-maz-ing!!

This is when your sales call can become a visit instead of an opportunity to do business. If you love connecting with people (guilty, your honour!), then perhaps you just made a friend, but lost the chance to do business together.

Instead, wrap up the icebreaker, use the personal connection to establish credibility then stop. Move to the business of seeing if you can help your client by learning where they are with your services.

  • Do they use your type of product or service already?
  • Are they happy with it?
  • Who is the incumbent supplier?
  • Where would they like to see an improvement?

Let them tell their story and see if they want your help. Then respond to that story by telling them how you can help them save money and solve the problems they just told you about by using your services and products.

Building rapport is important to building a long-term business relationship where you both benefit, but don’t forget that your goal in that meeting is to sell a great service to someone who really needs it, not swapping life stories. Save the visiting for after the deal is done!

Happy selling!!

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Gary Pitcher

Web Developer

Gary has forgotten more about technology than most of us will ever know. He’s worked in dozens of industries in a wide variety of roles and solves difficult problems recreationally. By the time you’ve formulated your question, Gary already has an answer, which would be annoying except he’s so darned nice about it.

Adrian Proctor

Web Developer

When you put Adrian behind a keyboard, magic happens. On stage, that means he’s making music. At work, he’s bringing website designs to life. Adrian is probably the quietest member of the Unrivald Digital team, but when he speaks, we all listen because we know he’s got something important to say.

Shaheen Bhimani

Director

Shaheen is the guy you want in your corner when you’ve got a complex problem to solve in the next 15 minutes. He’s part MacGyver, part Tony Stark and part while still being the nicest guy in the room, hands down. His soft-spoken, down-to-earth vibe and ability to deliver makes him a client favourite.

Blair Shunk

Founder

Whether leading a meeting, riding his motorcycle, or running in the Banff Jasper Relay (for which he was Race Director for many years), Blair connects with the world around him. He inspires his team to work hard while never forgetting the value of the relationships he builds with clients.