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Increase Sales by Building Rapport

It’s no secret that building great rapport with customers will help you close more car deals. When you’re in rapport with a buyer, deals go smoothly and objections can be overcome more easily. It’s also a great way to get ratings and reviews from customers, which will get you more deals in the future. There are a ton of advantages to being in rapport with your customer. This is because rapport is more than just having something you have in common with your buyer. It creates trust in you and your sales process!

However, if a sales professional attempts to build rapport the wrong way, it could be fatal to their deal. Building rapport with most customers is actually fairly straightforward. If your customer is at the dealership, then you already have a guaranteed way to start building rapport with them! In this blog, learn how to properly build rapport with customers in car sales, and sell more cars as a result!

Avoid Hit or Miss Rapport

When building rapport, it’s always best to steer clear of hit or miss topics. This includes things like sports and politics. While it can be tempting, there’s no need to put your deal at risk. When you bring up topics such as this, you’re putting your deal in danger with 50/50 odds. If the customer agrees with you, then that’s great. However, you also run the risk of alienating or aggravating the buyer if they don’t agree with you.

This is a very risky and unnecessary way to build rapport in automotive sales. The only time it’s acceptable to talk about topics such as this is when the customer brings it up first. Even then, it’s best to be careful. If you agree, great! If you don’t, then just aim to move past the topic and keep the deal moving.

Build Rapport on the Best Topic

We know that each customer is a hot deal if they’re at your dealership. So, avoid hit or miss topics and build rapport around the reason why the buyer came to your dealership - to buy a vehicle! The best way to build rapport with a buyer is around the vehicle and the buying experience at your dealership. Impress them with your product knowledge, and make sure they know how easy it is to do business with you.

Build Rapport with Compliments

Compliments are a great way to build rapport with buyers. This makes the greeting a great place to start building rapport around the car deal. If a customer tells you what they are looking for, then an early, sincere compliment is a great way to build rapport. This is something that many car sales professionals miss, but is extremely easy and effective. They’ve most likely spent a lot of time researching online, so this makes them feel heard and appreciated.

After complementing the choice, tell the customer why it’s a great choice, explain why the timing is perfect, and why they came to the best place. Many salespeople forget to do this because they are too focused on getting to the close. Yet, it’s worth it to slow down, pay the compliment, and score points early. We already know that they buyer is interested in a vehicle or they would not be standing in front of you. So, start off with a compliment!

Build Rapport Around Their Trade

The customer’s trade-in is another great area to build rapport around. Similar to the greeting, complement the buyer’s vehicle! Let buyers know that they have a great vehicle, and that they came to the right place if they’re thinking of trading it in. Many car sales professionals use the walkaround as a chance to bring the customer’s trade down, so they can hold gross in the close. However, no one likes to be insulted. So, keep things positive during the walk around. Take mental notes for the close, but keep the deal upbeat.

This also helps because the buyer will be more open to sharing details about their vehicle. When you insult their trade, customers will be more likely to avoid sharing certain issues with their vehicle, or open up about their needs. So, when you stay positive, you may even be able to hold more gross and you will have a much easier time landing them on the perfect car!

Treat Buyers Like Buyers

Your attitude is everything when trying to build rapport with customers. If you approach a deal as if they aren’t serious, then they will start to pick up on these things. No one gets along well with someone who shows them next to no interest. The reality is that we can never know how a customer feels about a deal. However, we know they are committed to buying a car because they’re at the dealership! So, approach every car deal like your customers are serious buyers. This excitement and upbeat attitude will be a major help in building rapport with buyers!

Don’t Make Them Wrong

When a buyer throws something out that is not correct, it doesn’t mean you have to make them wrong. Instead, just roll with it. Aiming to prove customers wrong every time they say something that might not be right will only damage your rapport and car deal. So, if a buyer insists they want your best price because they brought cash, there’s no need to bring them down. Just ensure them that if they’re looking for the best price, then they came to the right place. After that, just simply move on with your sales process!