The blog this week is dedicated to the amazing Damian Purves.

"Un forte abbraccio" for Damiano "e un grande benvenuto" to all the new folks from DLL who are just joining us here on Weekly Thought. I had a great time with you all last week and appreciate how welcoming you all are. You make me feel like part of the family.

When I go to see my doctor, the great Dr. Jen, I tell her what's wrong and trust that she will have some good ideas about how to cure my ills.

I certainly ask questions about her solutions to be sure I agree with whatever she prescribes, but it is her expertise I seek when I set the appointment. I trust that she is knowledgeable, experienced, and that she cares about me and the outcome. I never feel rushed, unheard, or that she is offering me a particular treatment because that treatment is somehow more beneficial to her practice.

This is where I want to be as a salesperson, consultant, or manager. I want my clients, internal and external, to come to me the same way I go to Dr. Jen. I want to act in a way that dispels doubt and inspires trust.

Dr. Jen has a good bit of the trust factor built in. After all, she is a medical doctor, and we have a tacit agreement that she lives by the hypocritic oath. Still, there are plenty of doctors who manage to kill that built-in trust with poor, unpracticed, rapport skills, and dubious advice.

For us, it's the opposite. Many people mistrust another businessperson when she comes to them with a proposal. Many team members distrust a leader or partner when he comes to them with advice or a suggestion. We don't get to start in a place of trust as Dr. Jen does; we have to earn it over time.

There are so many factors that add up to gaining rapport and eventual trust, but here are my top three. Give these your focus and see a difference in your business relationships.

• Listen more than you speak

• Pause between thought and speech. This cannot be overemphasized

• Be present in the conversation with no distractions.

Of course, there are many more components to building rapport and eventual trust but give these three a shot this week and let me know how it goes for you.

Own your sales gene…