Pace customers

- When I watch my daughter and her friends together they tend to talk alike, using the same words and expressions and similar body language. What they're doing without even realizing it is called pacing. Basically pacing is when you mirror the body language or verbal expression of another person as a way to build agreement and rapport. Research shows that pacing helps people foster rapport. Close friends do this instinctively.

Here are three things you can do to pace your customers. Use your customer's words. Pace your customer's language by using the words they use. If a customer calls the device she's returning a thumb drive when your company has the product listed as a flash drive you could pace the customer by saying thumb drive. Pacing the customer's words helps you speak like the customer and this similarity fosters rapport.

Don't correct customers unless absolutely necessary. I was in New York in an Italian restaurant. I ordered the gnocchi only I mispronounced the dish. So bad I'm not even going to tell you how I said it. The server said to me, you mean gnocchi? Yes. I mispronounced gnocchi. But the correction made me feel not so smart and it ruined any chances of the employee having rapport with me.

Pace your customers by letting little mistakes pass and you'll be seen as friendlier and you'll have a better shot at creating rapport. Pace the level of detail. You'll have customers that want an incredible amount of detail. They'll want you to start at A, and then want you to go through B, C, D, all the way to Z. Pacing this customer means you don't just jump to the point, you give them the backstory, the full explanation.

If you go right to the bottom line with this customer they'll be frustrated because what they wanted was the details. So here pacing is knowing just what level of detail to give your customer. But you'll also have customers who are in a hurry or impatient and they just need you to answer one question quickly. Pacing the customer who wants a quick answer means you go straight to what they need. A word of caution. Make sure you only pace positive things.

We don't mirror frustration or profanity. And don't over pace. You'll come across at best as obvious and at worst as insincere and that'll ruin any chance at rapport.