Hard to Build Rapport While Multi-Tasking

Posted by Deborah Chaddock Brown on February 1, 2010 under Customer Moments | Be the First to Comment

Are you a multi-tasker?  I am the Queen of doing seven things at once and inevitably doing none of them well.  That’s why one of the feature articles in the recent Manta Sales newsletter caught my eye.  The article is entitled 6 Ways to Build Rapport but it starts with a story in which the author, Larry Prevost fails to build rapport because he is trying to do too many things at once.

As he reviews the details of the conversation, which didn’t go well for either party, he realizes something:

“…I could easily see that I had failed to establish rapport at the top of the call. Both of us were preoccupied with other tasks and wanted to complete the sales process so we could check it off our to-do list.

One of the most important elements in the sales process is establishing and building rapport with your prospect or client. When you have rapport, the sales process moves forward easily. When you don’t have it, every step becomes a struggle.”

Building rapport or as I like to call it, building customer relationships, does start from the first hello.  (Remember Jerry Maguire?)

If we are conversing online or over the phone – the desire to multi-task while we talk can be overwhelming, but if you read Larry’s article you can hear just how wrong that decision was.  As he goes on to discuss the 6 ways to build rapport, they involve in person interaction or at the very least the ability to talk over the phone and hear their vocal cues. 

But what if you are trying to build a relationship via email or through an online customer instant message?

I didn’t find a lot on the Internet to answer that question – sure would love your thoughts – but I did find an old article by Darren Rowse on Problogger offering IM Etiquette tips.  Most involve contacting a blogger of which you are a fan but some can translate to building relationships with customers over the computer:

1.  Introduce yourself.  Make sure you take a few sentences to briefly identify who you are, your role within the company and then turn the tables and ask the same of the customer.  It helps to add a little personal touch to the conversation before jumping into the question or issue at hand.

2.  Keep your conversations on task – brief and to the point. Rather than try to communicate multiple thoughts in a single message – talk through one item before moving on to the next.  This helps to ensure the customer thoroughly understands what you’ve said before tackling another issue.

3.  Avoid jargon.  We can get wrapped up in our industry and forget that most normal people don’t live and breathe our world and as such – probably aren’t familiar with our abbreviations or jargon.  Keep that in mind – don’t assume they know what you are talking about.

4.  Some things don’t convey well in writing.  Oh man am I ever guilty of this.  Humor and sarcasm do not translate well.  Keep it to the facts – questions and answers. 

5.  End the conversation well.  The pleasantries we learned in Kindergarten still work well.  Please and Thank you are very appropriate. 

But the biggest thing to remember is STAY FOCUSED ON THE CUSTOMER.  If you are conversing on line or over the phone – put aside distractions.  They can hear them in your voice and in the background and it sends a message loud and clear that there is something else you’d rather be doing than building rapport.

Hard lesson.  I am so guilty.  How about you?  Any stories like Larry’s in which your multi-tasking efforts have sacrificed a customer relationship?