What’s your Frequency? Building rapport depends on Tuning into your Prospects!
Every try and explain something to someone and they just don’t understand? Wonder why sometimes things that seem obvious to you are just met with blank stares? Don’t comprehend why intelligent people just don’t seem to get a “no-brainer”? In real life, not being able to explain yourself is frustrating. In business, lack of understanding costs money, relationships, and possibly the long term success of your enterprise.
In business, we all try to build rapport with our clients and prospects. It is the foundation of building a long-term relationship. Some people can do it with ease, and some people expend multiple times the energy with limited success. The magic really happens when you find a common ground, a common language, a common “frequency”! Just like if two people try to communicate on hand-held radios – if the radios are set to different channels (different frequencies) no matter how intelligent, excited, empathetic, or motivated the speaker is on one end, the receiver hears nothing.
What’s your Frequency? Building rapport depends on Tuning into your Prospects!
So, what do we mean by Frequency? It is one’s “level”. It may be a level of income, a level of experience, a level of fitness, level of income etc. Regardless of how passionate you may be, teaching calculus to a four year old will only frustrate both parties. From a business standpoint, speaking of making millions will not register with someone who is struggling making $30k per year, as making an additional $1000 per year will not motivate a millionaire. You have to speak to them at their level – their frequency. In most cases in business, you will know much more about your topic than your audience; your objective is not to wow them with your knowledge, or bulldoze them with your expertise. You must come to their level, build rapport, a foundation for growth, and then work together to solve their problems. If you never find a common frequency, you may never build that foundation, and never find that future success. For some, this comes naturally, however, like any skill, it can be learned and improved, and comes with less effort and better results. Use common language, and less jargon, use simple to understand examples that help make your point, and try pace your conversation to your audience. It may seem obvious, but we are all programmed to tell people all we know and try to impress them. That’s natural. Say less, and find the common frequency.
This concept does not just apply to business. Whether you apply it to fitness, business, investing, the environment, sports, the principles are universal. Seek to find that common frequency, and you will find a great relationship. Seek to be the expert, and you may find frustration, and the only person listening to you, is the one in the mirror.
Hope this helps. If you found value, please Comment, Like, and Share below. And as always, if there is anything I can do to help, let me know.
Mike Hisem
I don’t guarantee everyone success, but I guarantee everyone a shot!!