Tuesdays With Shanti's Dad

Sales Advice Column

He’s my go-to guy.
He knows how to sell (without selling).
Now, I share him with you.

Dear Shanti’s Dad,

Here’s a tough one: How do I quickly get a prospect to feel that I’m “their kind of person” and be confident that I’m someone they could be comfortable working with?

TJ, San Diego, California

Dear TJ,

Sounds like a tall order, indeed. Actually, it’s not. One of my favorite techniques takes a leap of faith, but it’s a simple, sure-fire way to establish rapport. It’s “Mirroring.”

Here’s how it works: “Mirror” everything they do. Period. Sit the way they sit. Scratch your ear when they scratch theirs, smile when they smile, cross your legs when they do, etc. Even match the way they speak: fast, slow, loud, soft, etc.

Here’s where the leap of faith comes in: You think that you are definitely going to “get caught. Right?” Believe me…it won’t happen. Try it on friends and family. You’ll see.

The result of mirroring is that the person being mirrored will think, “I don’t know what it is, but I like this person. We seem to be on the same page.”

Be brave, TJ. It will pay off!