Establishing and maintaining rapport is perhaps the most important ingredient in sales and marketing.

Establishing and maintaining rapport is perhaps the most important ingredient in sales and marketing.

It has always been, and will always be, says Daniel Levis of Selling to Human Nature.

But how does one go about creating that rapport?

Try by all means to be a person in your marketing communication. Many businesses make the mistake of coming off as too corporate and boring, thinking they are professional.

Your business can be professional and still be interesting. You need to be interesting for other people to be interested in you.

If possible, you need to deliver your message in person. While a letter can be a perfect vehicle if you can't meet your prospects in person, you need to show some rapport-building persona in every kind of direct response advertising you do.

Another important thing is communicating with your prospects in their own words or language. Language in this case refers to their business terminology. Ensure that you know your client's business language.

Another effective way of building rapport is ensuring that you give your clients more than they expect.

You need to show real concern for the outcome of using your service. Teach yourself how to make your customers feel you are more than just a service provider, but a friend of theirs.

It is imperative that one builds trust between him and the clients. You always have to deliver on your promises and that will give you credibility.

Romanus Wolter says trust is an intangible asset than the unusual characteristic of being granted upfront and tested afterwards. This starts with the message that you send to the prospect. It must be believable and genuine.

lWolter is a success coach of Entrepreneur magazine and also the author of Kick Start Your Success and Kick Start Your Dream Business