THE REAL
NUMBER ONE RULE
FOR SALESPEOPLE

As I advise sales professionals on how to succeed in sales, I am in constant search for new tools and frameworks that can improve sales success. I turned to psychology because if there are any tools that can help influence others, it is exactly what a successful salesperson needs.

After going through dozens and dozens of research papers, books and interviews of successful people, I got even more convinced that there is nothing more important for a salesperson than to establish rapport and trust with prospects. These fundamentals allow to achieve maximum results and leave a positive impression with customers.

These rules are explored in great depth by Robert Cialdini in his work, "Pre-Suasion: A Revolutionary Way to Influence and Persuade." Cialdini is most famous for his books on the art of persuasion to achieve success in both business and personal situations. The author's main argument is this: the essential ability any salesperson should have is to be able to establish rapport with another individual.

It all comes down to the understanding that people buy from people they like and trust. In sales, especially in B2B sales, individuals or businesses are hesitant to make purchases, sign contracts or engage in business partnerships with those that seem untrustworthy, unreliable or unlikeable. This is often reflected in non-business situations as well in the personal relationships people have with others.

Fortunately, establishing rapport and likability does not have to be a tedious process; rather, all it takes is understanding three key techniques:

As stated by Cialdini, highlighting similarities that a salesperson has with a customer increases likability and approval. Cialdini references the fact that infants tend to smile more when people match their facial expressions. Besides this, psychological research has delved into why finding similarities with others boosts likability. When an individual realizes they have similarities with another individual, they feel that their own interests and attributes are validated. For instance, if a customer discovers that a salesperson has a similar passion for web design, the customer feels a boost of confidence that their passion is shared valued by others, making them feel good about themselves.

Finding similarities is an easy process during any kind of interaction, including sales. A game that I introduce during my sales training practices with salespeople who find it difficult to connect to others outside of a business conversation is called "me too". The goal is to have a conversation with your counterparty that leads you to say "me too" as many times as possible. For instance, ask a prospect how they like to spend their vacation to get to activities which you also enjoy. The prospect likes sailing? "Me too!". The prospect enjoyed visiting London? "Me too!", etc… Be sure to be genuine and curious and the conversation will take you far enough to establish a bond.

This technique establishes similarity and builds rapport between a salesperson and the customer. Once a customer sees that the salesperson is more like themselves, they will subconsciously begin to like and trust the salesperson.

In his work, Cialdini mentions that salespeople who mirrored the language and verbal style along with non-verbal cues of customers sold more electronic equipment than they recommended. This finding traces back to the concept of highlighting similarity to enhance likability. People tend to trust others who are like themselves, not only with their passions and interests but also by what type of language they use and how they express themselves.

Giving compliments is a key way to make someone else feel good in many areas of the globe. As Cialdini states, compliments, whether they are about one's looks, personality, efforts or intelligence, will always impact individuals emotionally and make them feel closer to the giver. Therefore, a salesperson can never go wrong with giving out a compliment to a potential customer.

At the same time, giving a compliment can be an art in itself, as over-doing or making a non-genuine compliment can actually hurt a salesperson's chances of success. This is especially true in a professional environment, where there is often more at stake and even more during B2B sales where an entire business is to be considered. In that sense, compliments should be given during appropriate moments, particularly when a specific action has been taken or a particular phrase has been said. Individuals take compliments more to heart when they are given in the moment.

In a professional environment, compliments should be timely, appropriate, authentic and specific. Salespeople should opt for compliments that recognize someone and what they did, how they did it, and why it matters. For instance, professional compliments that revolve around a technology business could include: