Effective Connecting and Communication Skills with Clients

1. Effective Connecting and
Communication Skills with
Clients

2. CONNECTING SKILLS
The key to a successful buying relationship

3. Connecting is a process that begins
before you first meet a potential client
and continues throughout the entire
salespresentation.
Connecting skills means --

4. Five-Step Process
• Attitude
• Presentation
• Rapport building
• Determining needs
• Time strategy

5. 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.

6. 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

7. Step-Two - Presentation
Presentation is the way you
present yourself to potential clients.

8. 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.

9. 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

10. 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.

11. Step-Three - Rapport
Rapport signals a relationship exemplified by
agreement,
by alignment, or by likeness
and similarity.

12. 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

13. 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.

14. 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

15. 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.

16. • 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

17. 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.

18. Solve Client Problems
Providing solutions to customer
problems is the primary common
ground between you and the
customer … become a solution
provider

19. 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.

20. 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).

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