How
to Build Rapport With
Your Bank Manager
If you are looking for a Bank
to support your new business or help expand your existing business then it’s
very likely that you have had to deal with a Bank Manager. Depending on how
well the Manager knows you very often you will have to attend an interview.
Everything you do and say in
the interview will have a bearing on whether you are assessed as a good or
bad risk. Building rapport between you and the Manager is part of this
process.
Let’s look at just some of
the tools you can use to build rapport with your Manager.
Speak With Confidence
There's no getting away from
it, human nature is such that we naturally feel more comfortable with people
who are confident and can express their ideas and thoughts with conviction.
Your voice has to convey your inner strength. It has to say to the listener,
"I'm going to make a success of this business" or "I know that the
additional money I'm asking for will help me increase sales turnover by
100%".
Your voice is an expression
of the strong belief you have in yourself. People are drawn to those who are
confident. Portraying confidence will help create rapport.
Make Plenty of Eye Contact
Stare him straight in the
eyes when you want to put across a particularly powerful point; this
demonstrates confidence. Avoiding eye contact gives the impression you are
so uncomfortable with what you're saying that you can't look him in the eye.
Your discomfort could give the Manager the feeling that you either lack
confidence or are lying.
Not looking him the eye,
especially during crucial statements, will lead to him asking himself
questions such as, "He's trying to hide something. What is it?"; " He
doesn't seem very comfortable with what he just said. Has he got a problem
with that area?"
Your eyes can give away so
much about your thoughts. Make sure they say you are confident, not afraid
of the task ahead and worthy of support.
Smile!
A miserable person is not
going to endear themselves to anyone. It's a fact that we gravitate to
people who are happy and smiling. They appear to be having a ball in life
and we want to be part of it! If you walked into a department store and you
had the choice of two assistants, one who was smiling and welcoming and one
who was down-in-the-mouth, who would you choose to go to?
A smile has the power to melt
away any opposition or ill feeling. It's another aspect of our body
language, which shouts out confidence and helps builds rapport
Watch His Body Language
You will be able to gauge his
initial reactions by observing his body language and reacting to that. If
you learn to read body language then misunderstandings can be rectified
early on and you'll get an important insight into what the other person is
thinking.
Here are some of the things
to look out for:
-
If you see him leaning back in his chair, it's almost
as if he's trying to get as far away from you as possible. The hidden
meaning could be that he's trying to distance himself from what you are
proposing; in other words he doesn't like your idea. If you see this, you
need to immediately find out what is on his mind, so ask a question. Ask
if he has any comments on what you've said so far and this will give you
the chance to get him back on your side. If he has misunderstood something
which has led him to switching off, then it's important you clarify the
problem, correct it and move on
-
If he has started supporting his head with his hands,
it may be that he has lost interest in what you're saying. If you see this
"loss-of-interest" signal, again ask a question such as "Do you have any
queries so far?" Asking questions of someone who looks bored or left out,
brings them back into the conversation and again gives you an opportunity
to check their understanding of what you have covered
-
If he is maintaining a very "open" position i.e. arms
apart, nodding in agreement, he is indicating that he's keen to know more
about your project and so giving you the green light to carry on with your
presentation
If you see evidence of
negative body language, ask questions to get him to express his feelings or
thoughts. Such questions would be: "What do you think about what I've
covered so far?"; "From what you've heard so far, what are your
impressions?"; "Have I made myself clear?"
Learn To Use Success-Based
Words
As a successful or
potentially successful businessman, you do not want to be using the same
dull words as the general masses. In line with your strong belief and
confident talking style, you need to use words, which propel you above the
average person and backup the belief you have in your success.
Your words have to shout out
that here is a successful person who knows what he wants! The words you use
have to convey your enthusiasm and energy - these are success-based words -
all of which is necessary to run a successful business. Success-based words
are ‘can do’, ‘will do’ phrases. Changing your vocabulary to a
"success-based" one will take some practice and constant vigilance on your
part.
Try and think of the words
you use on a daily basis. Do they convey what you really want to say? Are
they non success-based or success-based? Can you change them to ones that
are?
When you use success-based
words, remember what we said about the use of emphasis. Success-based words
are the ideal ones to emphasis. Properly emphasised they do convey power,
success, confidence and a strong belief.
We have looked at some of the
tools you can use to help build rapport with your Bank Manager. All of them
will help you get ahead of the game, so study them and practice their use.
Robert Warlow
©
Small Business Success
More information on
dealing with banks can be obtained from Rob’s latest e-book ‘The Secrets of
Getting Your Bank Manager to Say Yes!’ at
http://www.smallbusinessloansecrets.com
Small Business
Success is a resource dedicated to helping small business owners be more
successful. If you are looking for a regular flow of ideas and tips then
subscribe to Small Business Success a free newsletter, which
provides you with quick tips, ideas and articles.
For more information visit
http://www.smallbusinesssuccess.biz
|
