Rapport building during retail encounters with embarrassed clients

Abstract

In this paper we use qualitative data to identify how pharmacy frontline sales employees try to build rapport toward embarrassed clients using nonverbal interpersonal communication (NVIC). Upon doing so, we build on a conceptual framework where NIVC can create rapport in embarrassing situations, with the client usually preferring the salesperson who, through expressive similarity, connects himself/herself with the client’s emotion and behaves discreetly, preserving the client from unnecessary exposure. Four methods were triangulated, including the critical incident technique. Results show that rapport building on the part of these salespeople by means of NIVC toward embarrassed clients is eminently amateurish, as these employees do not receive any prior training to perform in a more professional way. A relevant academic contribution comes from challenging the preconception that the categories of rapport are mutually exclusive and exhaustive, allowing the initial conceptual framework to be reconfigured as a new category of rapport is included. In practical terms, this research is also distinctive, since it suggests that, as a peculiar locus for embarrassment, pharmacies take these clients’ emotion in a more serious way, searching for ways to mitigate it through better training of salespeople, as this effort may translate into higher customer satisfaction and loyalty.

Keywords:

• embarrassment
• retail encounters
• nonverbal interpersonal communication
• rapport
• critical incident technique