Here’s a powerful law of persuasion for you…
People like and trust people that are most like themselves.
We naturally migrate towards people that are similar to us.
In your marketing funnel you can engineer powerful rapport with prospects thereby driving higher conversions and building rock solid, long term relationships with your buyers.
When selling one on one, salespeople try to create rapport by talking about similar interests:
“You like the Pittsburgh Steelers? I like the Pittsburgh Steelers.”
“You grew up in New Jersey? I grew up in New Jersey.”
“You hung out at the Jersey Shore? I hung out at the Jersey Shore.”
And all of those things (if legitimate) play a factor in building rapport.
However, that’s extremely difficult to duplicate when you’re not selling one on one, when you’re talking to a marketplace…
Luckily, the science of persuasion and influence shows us that if your feelings and beliefs are the same as your prospects, that it has the same rapport building impact!
First, it’s absolutely critical to include statements that reveal to prospects that you do share similar beliefs, interests, and feelings…
When you demonstrate the common emotions, concerns, and beliefs specific to the marketplace, their specific problems, and the solutions they’re after… the more rapport you establish.
And remember…
Copywriting legend Eugene Schwartz always said the most important thing to generate rapport is to start off by generating agreement.
You want your prospect nodding their head, saying “yes” early on.
The safest way to do that is by starting with things that they already believe and the emotions they already feel.
And so, you take the internal dialogue that they’re already having with themselves because it creates rapport, making it easier for them to agree with the things that you introduced later on in your marketing funnel.
Don’t merely acknowledge the emotions, feelings, and beliefs of your prospect…
Demonstrate that you share common feelings and emotions…
Express them in your writing in the same way they might talk about it…
Use their words.
Empathize by showing that THEIR emotions are also YOUR emotions.
Prospects want to know that you have the same feelings and emotions, not just that you understand them on an intellectual level.
When you do this, you actually give them an emotional outlet.
They say:
“Finally somebody is saying what I’ve been thinking, feeling, and repeating to myself all this time!”
THAT is the reaction that you want them to have. That is how you begin engineering a powerful rapport with prospects.
Third, reveal a weakness or frustration that you share in common with your prospects…
As long as it’s not a deal breaker, and as long as it’s not something that if you revealed it, they wouldn’t trust you, share it.
You can also reveal weaknesses and frustrations that you have had in the past that are in common with what they’re currently experiencing.
Listen, so many novice marketers want to SKIP this part and rush to making the sale…
That’s a huge mistake.
Invest time in this process to bond your prospects to you, generating rapport, likability, and trust.
Check those three boxes to build a rock solid rapport with your prospects and you’ll see much higher conversions in the near and long-term.
Enjoy,
-Todd