Before Sales Comes Rapport

Customer Experience

Before Sales Comes Rapport

Posted 15 Feb 2012

Rapport is a familiar concept, used in everyday conversation to describe interactions with people. Psychologists try to develop rapport with their clients; sales representatives use rapport to deepen their relationship with customers and increase sales; and new acquaintances gauge the presence of rapport to infer the future of their relationships.

Indeed, many people in varying contexts frequently use the concept of rapport. It has been acknowledged that most people can identify when rapport is present in a relationship, yet find it difficult to provide a precise definition (Gremler & Gwinner, 2000).

More recently, the concept of rapport has been clearly defined, measured and recognised as important to business relationships. It appears that rapport has significant implications for the conduct of business. Gremler & Gwinner, (2000) established a two-tier model of rapport for business, with a minimum, basic level relating to mutually enjoyable interaction, and a higher level involving a connection with customers.