CONNECTING

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.

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 Altitude

Begin 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 Impressions

You 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.

7th Habit: 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 & Leading

Pacing

Pacing means meeting your customer where he or she is, or

matching some part of your customer’s experience

Leading

Leading is doing something different

than your client.

Most selling situations involve a continual process of pacing and leading, back

and forth until a satisfactory outcome is

achieved.

Body Pacing

Static and gesture matching

Verbal Pacing

People have a dominant mode of communication. When you meet a new client they will probably be

thinking and speaking in one of three representational systems: visual, auditory or

kinesthetic.

You can discover which representational system your customers are using by listening to the words they choose to communicate with.

Example:•Visual – I see what you mean.•Auditory - Tell me again what you mean.•Kinesthetic – That idea just feels right to me.

Minimal Cues

Minimal cues are small movements that your customer makes that let you know that something

in their experience has changed.

Examples of Minimal Cues

• Stepping back away from you.• Voice rate shift.• Eye brow raising.• Leaning back away from you.• Facial color change.• Voice tone shift.• Voice volume shift

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.

Discovery

The 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.

Open-Ended Questions• 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.

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 Listening

A 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 Strategy

How 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).

Summary• Step-One: Attitude

• Step-Two: Presentation

• Step-Three: Rapport

• Step-Four: Determine Needs

• Step-Five: Time Strategy

Practice Makes Perfect• Don’t commit to integrating a new idea into your

daily sales process until you fully understand why it’s important to implement.

• Practice the idea for at least 21 days straight.• Give full attention to each idea you are practicing.

Don’t just practice to practice. Have a specific intent.• Evaluate only the sales skill you are practicing at the

time. Stay focused!• Make learning enjoyable.