How to Improve Engagement with Prospects by Mirroring

If you want to engage your prospect or customer, be more like them

We all like people who are similar to us. There is a large amount of research that confirms this. So it stands to reason that a prospect will get on better with a sales person that they believe is like them.

Here are three strategies that a sales person can use to be more like their prospect. They are all based around the idea of mirroring: observing the behavior of your prospect and carrying out a similar behavior.

Mirror greetings and sign offs

People feel much more comfortable when you begin and end letters and emails in the same way that they do. If someone sends an email that starts Hi Bob and receive a response that says Dear Mr Smith, there is a clear difference in the way that the two people are communicating. I therefore look at how someone has started an email and respond in the same way.

Mirror key phrases and words

We often notice when something isn’t quite right. So we are likely to pick up when someone is using different words and phrases from the ones that we would naturally use. This is really useful for a sales person.

If I see a word or phrase that doesn’t come naturally to me, I will make an effort to use this in my reply to someone. Sometimes it comes down to a person’s personal taste in words. But often they are using an industry word that I may not be familiar with. If I reply using their language, I appear to be more familiar with their industry. That would make a prospect more comfortable with using me. 

Mirror mindset

What is your prospect like? Do they like to ask how you are or talk about the weather when they start an email? Or do they prefer to get straight to the point? Do they focus on all the little details? Or do they prefer to talk about the bigger picture?

Some people are naturally chatty. Others are not. Some like to make quick decisions based on an overview. Others need to know all the ins and outs before they are ready to take the next step. If you can work out how your prospect likes to talk and think, you can mirror this in the content of your email. It will be very effective.

Take the first mirroring step today

Remember, your prospects prefer people who are like them. This is your chance to become a little more like them and improve your engagement.

This is adapted from my new book “Done For You Sales Scripts”

P.S. Find out more ideas on how to engage with today’s buyers: download my free e-book “Ten Common Print Selling Errors and What To Do About Them” right now. You’ll also receive my regular “Views from the print buyer” bulletin, full of ideas on how to sell print effectively. Also, check out my new book “Done For You Sales Scripts” with a full selection of templates so that you are confident in knowing exactly what to say to prospects and customers in all sorts of situations. Here’s the link.