In our on-line world today, it’s easy to think that relationships aren’t as important as they used to be. I feel strongly that it’s the opposite, actually. Relationships are more important than ever, because most everything else in life has become automated.
The power of the relationship is trust and confidence as well as what that means both short and long-term. With a variety of options in the marketplace, a customer can find anything they want without ever connecting with a salesperson. The reason why this is a problem is because it’s limited to what they already know or what they learn from the internet.
Why Relationships Matter in Sales:
Think about your current customers, past customers and even solid prospects. How many of these people do you also have a great relationship with? I content that there is a direct correlation between the customer’s lifetime value and the relationship between the customer and salesperson.
A relationship is defined as the state of being connected. It looks like each person trusting and confiding in the other person and valuing each other’s opinions. Read that last sentence slowly. Now, go back and look at your list of customers and prospects again. Do you need to draw a line through any of the names?
The objective with each conversation is for you to create trust and confidence. This cannot be done if you’re doing all the talking. This is impossible without listening to your customer. Until you focus on understanding your customer, you will not be in a position to help him/her.
If you’re serious about relationships and their value in sales and business, repeat this exercise with everyone that you work with in your company. Sales is not a solo activity; sales is a team sport, and that means having quality connection with everyone you interact with. Relationships are not an option. They are a requirement.
Copyright 2019, Mark Hunter “The Sales Hunter.” Sales Motivation Blog. Mark Hunter is the author of High-Profit Prospecting: Powerful Strategies to Find the Best Leads and Drive Breakthrough Sales Result
