(1) Four factors help rapport building：
There are plenty of researches on the salespersons and customers relationships, but there are few models on how to build the rapport. This study does not claim to have built the conceptual domain of rapport structure. However, this study confirmed the earlier sayings from the interview made from various 3M sales representatives that characteristics, experience & knowledge, company culture &
reputation, and training are the key factors that influence rapport.
(2) Warm characteristics help establish rapport：
With warm characteristics, a salesperson is inclined to caring, liking, passion, and positive attitude to customers. Our study supports that the warm characteristics have the extremely help to the rapport building. Salespeople with warm characteristics have interests in people. That helps them apt to get close to people and care the customers.
(3) Integrity is important to build a relationship：
There have been dozens of studies regarding top sellers’ characteristics. Integrity has always showed up and as a high priority attribute. This study supports that the trait is significant to rapport establishing.
(4) Experience contributes to rapport building：
Previous studies propose that rapport building needs to access the customers’
reaction. Selling is an art process. The experience plays a crucial role and expedites the harmonious relationship building. It is not easy to be trained and taught. It comes from the salesperson’s personal experiences.
(5) Enjoyable and humane culture：
This study shows that company culture influences the salesperson’s ability to build rapport. That helps the intensity of customer interaction. The managers should build the enjoyable environment for employee. The intangible asset will shape employee and provide good service to customers.
(6) Company image and reputation play an important role in personal selling：
Nickels (1983) put it on his research that a salesperson should observe nonverbal and verbal patterns to build rapport with customers. Based on the previous studies, company reputation and image provide a prominent motivator to stimulate a better foundation for building customer-seller relationships. That helps the salesperson instantly build the immediacy.
(7) Interaction among employees help facilitate the learning process of rapport building ： Employee interaction offers opportunities to learn from others’
experience. In particular, senior employee could share their knowledge of rapport building with the more inexperience junior staff.
5.2 Research Limitations and Suggestions for Future Research
(1) Rapport as a particular component of relationship between salespersons and customers lacks of specific measure method. Boshoff (1999) pointed out that what does not get measured does not get managed. In the real world, the experimental test is difficult to design to access specific components of relationships. This should limit our understanding of how the rapport influences valuable outcomes of relationship of customers.
(2) The effective rapport mode insufficient：
future research could pay attention to this area.
(3) Enlarge the population：
The result of this study was limited with the only contacts among the sales representatives of 3M Taiwan and should not be generalized as applicable to the general population. It is therefore suggested that this study should be replicated on a larger scale to further test the results obtained.
(4) Extend to other area：
Aside from the personal selling, the rapport concept could be duplicated to other platform of selling, like telephone marketing, e-business, complain handle.
Especially, some industries (banks, supermarkets, fast-foot restaurant, ticket terminals) receive rapport from the clerks may not be an essential condition for retaining customer loyalty. Rapport provides an eminent tool.
(5) Rapport helps for cross-culture：
Rapport help establish the close agreement and understanding for each other. In the international environment, rapport helps bridge the different culture gap.
Campbell (2006) put it on his recent research that rapport increases as Western corporation grow globally and sell across culture. As soon as the rapport is built, the customers from collective culture begin to purchase.
Reference
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2. Anderson, Sweeney and William(2002), Statistics for Business and Economics 8th Edition, Mason: South-Western
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Selling” BASIS International. Retrieved (February 6, 2002) from the internet.
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8. Beth Hall Manning and Vera Marie Reece (1990), Selling Today, A Personal Approach, an Extension of the Marketing Concept, Fourth Edition, Boston: Allyn and Bason.
9. Boshoff, Christo (1999), “RECOVSAT: An Instrument to Measure Satisfaction with Transaction Specific Recovery,” Journal of Service Research, 1(February), 236-49.
11. Campbell Kim Sydow (2003), “Leader-Member Relations as a Function of Rapport Management”, Journal of Business Communication, pp. 170-194.
12. Capon, Noel and John Swasy(1977) , An exploratory study of compliance Gaining Techniques in buyer behavior, in B. Greenberg and D. Bellenger, eds., Contemporary Marketing Thought, 1997 Educators’ Proceedings, Chicago: American Marketing Association.
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14. DeCormier A. Ray and Anita Jackson (1998), “Anatomy of a Good Sales Introduction-Part I”, Industrial and Commercial Training V.30 o.7,1998,pp.255-262 15. DeCormier A. Ray and Anita Jackson (1999), “Anatomy of a Good Sales
Introduction-Part II”, Industrial and Commercial Training V.31 No.1, 1999, pp.24-29.
16. DeCormier, A. Ray and Jobber (1993), “The Counselor selling method: concept and constructs”, Journal of Personal Selling and Sales Management, Vol. XIII No.4, Fall, pp. 39-59.
17. Dell, Sherry A. (1991),” Relational Communication and Organizational Customer Loyalty (Customer Loyalty),” Doctoral Dissertation, University of Denver.
18. Dilts, Robert (1982), “Let NLP Work for You”, Real Estate Today, 15(January), 21-23.
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http://www.stats.gla.ac.uk/steps/glossary/paired_data.html#pairsampt.
20. Edgar H. Schein(1990), “Organizational Culture,” American Psychologist 45, 109-119.
21. Ford, Zabava S. Wendy and Christina Nation Etienne (1994), “Can I Help You? A Framework for Interdisciplinary Research on Customer Service Encounters”
Management Communication Quarterly, 7(May), 413-41.
22. Gitomer, J. (2001), “Specific characteristics are what make top sales people tops”
American City Business Journals. Retrieved March, 16,2006 from http://houston.bcentral.com/houston/storyies/2006/16/03/smallb2.html.
23. Geoff Lancaster(1994), “Selling and sales management”, Retrieved 30,April,2006 from
http://www.da-group.co.uk.geoff_lancaster/sales_handout.doc.
24. Gremler D. Dwayne and Gwinner P. Kevin (2000), “Customer-Employee Rapport in Service Relationships”, Journal of Service Research, V. 3, No.1 (August) 82-104.
25. Grinder, John and Richard Bandler (1976), “The Structure of Magic II”, Palo Alto.
CA: Science and Behavior Books.
26. Harrigan, Jinni A. and Robert Rosenthal(1983) ”Physicians’ Head and Body Positions as Determinants of Perceived Rapport”
27. Harrison M. T. and Janice M. Beyer (1984) “Studying Organizational Cultures through Rites and Ceremonials,” Academy of Management Review 9(1984), 653-669.
28. Huczynski, A. A. & Lewis, J.W.(1980), “An Espirical Study into the Learning Transfer Process in Management Training”, Journal of Management Studies, Vo1.
17.
29. James McGregor(2005), One Billion Customers- Lessons From the Front Lines of Doing Business in China, 1st Edition, N.Y. :Wall Street Journal Book.
30. Johnson L. Kerry(1994), Sales Magic: Revolutionary new techniques that will double your sales volume in 21 days, New York: Morrow.
31. Kaiser H.(1974), “An Index of Factorial Simplicity,” Psychometrika, vol. 39, No.1(March 1974), pp. 31-36.
32. Kim Sydow Campbell(2006), “ The Sociolinguistic Basis of Managing Rapport when Overcoming Buying Objections”, Journal of Business Communication, volume 43, Number 1, (January 2006)
Business“, first edition, London: Nicholas Brealey
34. Kurtz L. David, H. Robert Dodge and Jay E. Klompmaker(1988), Professional Selling, Plano, Tex: Business Publications
35. LaBahn, Douglas W.(1996), “ Advertiser Perceptions of Fair Compensation, and Rapport,” Journal of Advertising Research, 36,(March/April), 28-38
36. Levitt Theodore,(1965), Industrial Purchasing Behavior: A Study in Communication Effects, Boston: Division of Research, Harvard Business School.
37. LONGMAN Dictionary Of Contemporary English(1987), Essex: Longman
38. Matsuo Makoto and Kusumi Takashi(2002), “Salesperson’s Procedural Knowledge Experience and Performance- an Empirical Study in Japan”, European Journal of Marketing, Vol.36 No.7, August, 2002, pp.840-854.
39. Marks, Ronald B. (1994), Personal Selling: An Interactive Approach, Boston: Allyn
& Bacon, 210-17.
40. Moine, Donald J. (1982), “To Trust, Perchance to Buy,” Psychology Today, 18(August), 51-54.
41. Nickles G. William, Everett F. Robert, and Klein Ronald,(1983), “Rapport Building for Salespeople: A Neuro-Linguistic Approach” Journal of Personal Selling and Sales Management, 3(November), 1-7.
42. Noe, R. A., & Schmitt, No. (1986), “The Influence of Trainee Attitudes on Training Effectiveness: Test of a Model”, Personnel Psychology, Vol. 39, pp. 497-523.
43. Peters and Waterman (1981), “In search of excellence”, 1st edition, N.Y: Harper.
44. Philip Kotler (2003),”Marketing Management” 11 Editions, Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Prentice Hall.
45. Ruth Amanda and Wysocki Allen (2002), Top Sellers: Characteristics of a Superior Salesperson, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL. Published April 2002.
46. Stuttard Marie(1997), The Power of Speech, first edition, NY: Barron’s
47. Wu Li-Chen (2004),” An Empirical Study of the Impacts of Internet Experiential Marketing on Experiential Perception, Quality, Value, and Purchasing Intention of
Consumers”, National Cheng Kung University Master thesis.
Chinese reference
1. 3M Taiwan handbook(2006), page1-12
2. 天下編譯(1993)，“追求卓越”， 台北：天下文化 。
3. 邱皓政(2000)，“量化研究與統計分析”， 初版, 五南圖書出版公司。
4. 邱皓政(2005)，“量化研究法: SPSS 中文視窗版操作實務詳析”，初版，台北：
雙葉書廊。
5. 李開復(2005)， “做最好的自己” ，初版, 台北：聯經出版事業股份有限公司。
6. 李樹中(2001)，“業務人員專業職能需求研究—以某辦公家具公司為例”，國立 中央大學人力資源管理研究所碩士論文。
7. 吳明隆(2005)，“問卷分析與應用統計-SPSS”， 第二版，台北：知城數位科技。
8. 張雲景､賴礽仰 譯，SPSS 統計軟體的應用 初版，(2003)，台北：華騰文化股 份有限公司。
9. 野中郁次郎､清澤達夫著，陳秋月譯，向創意挑戰，(1989)，初版，台北：天下 文化。
10.簡振源，關鍵客戶管理對組織績效影響之研究-組織文化與領導風格之干擾效 果,(2004)，淡江大學國際貿易學系國際企業學碩士論文。
11. 羅莎貝斯．摩斯．肯特,郭約翰,孚瑞得．維瑟瑪編著; 蘇怡仲譯(2000)，“創 新高手談創新 : 3M,杜邦,奇異,輝瑞,Rubbermaid自剖其競爭力之源”，台北:
智庫
Appendix：
13 關心客戶，對建立客戶融洽關係 □ □ □ □ □
8 公司走近客戶的文化，對建立客戶融洽關係 □ □ □ □ □ 14 參與公司活動，如sales meeting、family day、 incentive
Trip、outing及社團活動 ，對建立客戶融洽關係 □ □ □ □ □ 15 部門會議或業務會議中所學的技巧、心得，對建立客戶融洽關係 □ □ □ □ □
第三部份：
1．請問您的性別？
□女性 □男性 2．請問您的婚姻狀況？
□已婚 □未婚 3．請問您的年齡？
□30 ? 以下 □30－35 歲 □35—40 ? □40—45 ? □45—50 ? □50—55 ? □60 ? 以上
4．請問您的服務年資？
□3 年以下 □3－6 年 □6—9 年 □9—12 年 □12－15 年□15—18 年□18 年以上
5．請問您目前最高的學歷？
□高中 □大專、大學 □碩士 □博士 6．請問您個人月所得為？
□4 萬元以下 □4-6 萬元 □6-8 萬元 □8-10 萬元
□10-12 萬元□12-15 萬元 □15 萬元以上
本部分是希望瞭解您的個人基本資料，以作為資料統計分析之用，請您在 描述最適當的〝□〞打Ｖ。
Questionnaire 一、preface
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Ladies and Gentlemen：
Sales representatives build the instant rapport which helps the selling process (not for key accounts) efficiently very much.
What factors help build rapport efficiently is the objective of this study? The results will be of reference for the sales representative recruiting, training. Please pay attention to help this questionnaire. It is very important for the study success that has your attention. Thanks for your kindness and supports.
The result is just for education study. We will not open your information. If you are interesting in the result, you could contact us. We love to share with you.
National Sun-Yen-Sheng University (NSYSU) Business Management Department
Dr. Der-Fa Chen Researcher Tsun-Shang Chan TEL：07-3812112 FAX：07-3812113 E-Mail：[email protected]
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二、question
Characteristics
1 Humor sense help rapport building □ □ □ □ □ 2 Aggressive help build rapport □ □ □ □ □ 3 Integrity help rapport building □ □ □ □ □ 4 Good discipline help build rapport □ □ □ □ □ 5 Independent help build rapport □ □ □ □ □ 6 Responsibility help build rapport □ □ □ □ □ 7 Public relationship help rapport building □ □ □ □ □ 8 Open minded help build rapport □ □ □ □ □ 9 Passion to work and customer help build rapport □ □ □ □ □ 10 Positive attitude help build rapport □ □ □ □ □ 11 Empathy help build rapport □ □ □ □ □
Not very importantNot importantOrdinaryImportantVery important
12 Motivation help build rapport □ □ □ □ □ 13 Caring customers help rapport building □ □ □ □ □ 14 Curtness help rapport building □ □ □ □ □ 15 Liking your customers □ □ □ □ □
Experiences（Here means personal experience, not behavior or Acton）
1 Appearance help rapport building □ □ □ □ □ 2 Clear and active pronounce □ □ □ □ □ 3 Smart and flexibility help rapport building □ □ □ □ □ 4 Giving gift, e.g. post-it, scotch-brite, hanger, help rapport
building □ □ □ □ □ 5 Product knowledge help rapport building □ □ □ □ □ 6 Market knowledge help rapport building □ □ □ □ □ 7 The supporting function colleague support help rapport
building □ □ □ □ □ 8 Friendly body language, e.g. smile, handshake help rapport
building □ □ □ □ □
OrdinaryImportantVery important Not very important
Not important
OrdinaryImportantVery important
4 Respect employee help rapport building □ □ □ □ □ 5 Diversified products help rapport building □ □ □ □ □ 6 Authorization help rapport building □ □ □ □ □ 7 Talking about 3M current commercial advertise help
rapport building □ □ □ □ □ 8 Close to customer help rapport building □ □ □ □ □ 10 Present brochure help rapport building □ □ □ □ □ 11 Authorization help rapport building □ □ □ □ □ 12 New products comes to market continuously help rapport
building □ □ □ □ □
2 The management’s behavior and words help the rapport
building □ □ □ □ □
3 Field call with management help the rapport building □ □ □ □ □ 4 Colleague’s behavior and words help the rapport building □ □ □ □ □ 5 braining storming meeting, distributor meeting, product &
application training… conducted by sales department
help rapport building □ □ □ □ □ 6 Time and territory management、Negotiating skill、
Leadership and management、marketing.. and so on sales
managing course help rapport building □ □ □ □ □ 7 access the meeting environment and customer body language
help rapport building □ □ □ □ □ 8 That the technical engineer field call with me help build
rapport □ □ □ □ □ 9 Conduct product and application seminar to customers help
rapport □ □ □ □ □ 10 The international work environment help build up
rapport □ □ □ □ □
Not very important
Not important
OrdinaryImportantVery important
11 Preparing before field call help rapport □ □ □ □ □ 12 Listening and respond for helping rapport □ □ □ □ □ 13 The oversea training , like APEC, help build rapport □ □ □ □ □ 14 Involve the company activities ，e.g. sales meeting、
family day、 incentive trip、outing and sports activity
help rapport building □ □ □ □ □ 15 The skill learning in the Group meeting or division
meeting help the rapport building □ □ □ □ □
PartIII：
1．What is your gender?
□female □male 2．Do you marry？
□married □single 3．How old are you？
□below thirty □thirty—thirty five□thirty five—forty □forty—forty five □forty five—fifty □fifty—fifty five □above sixty
4．How long have you work in 3M？
□below 3 years □3－6 years □6—9 years □9—12 years □12－15 years □15—18 years□above 18 years
5．What is your highest education degree？
□High school □college or university □Master □PHD 6．What is your monthly salary？
□below forty thousands□forty thousands-sixty thousands□sixty thousands-eighty thousands □ eighty thousands-hundred thousands□0.1million-0.12million□0.12-0.15million
□above0.15million
This part wants to know your basic data for the statistics analysis. Please select the proper answer 〝□〞with Ｖ。