Robin Dreeke is an expert on building rapport. He originally learned these skills as an FBI agent and later taught them to hundreds of others when he was the Director of the FBI’s Behavioral Analysis Program. In a corporate keynote address, he explained the progression individuals go through when they make a commitment to another person. People subconsciously want to know the answers to this series of fundamental questions: Why should I talk to you? Why should I tell you anything? Why would I want to see you again (follow-on appointment)? Why should I take actions for you? Why should I follow you? Working from top to bottom, a person does not progress to the next question until the previous one is adequately answered. It can take weeks of building rapport to work through this list and finally arrive at the place where a competitive agent is willing to follow you. Is it worth it? For the right agent, yes. What’s not worth your time (or anyone else’s time) is attempting to hurry through the list at your pace (and not their pace). You’ll come up empty-handed every time.