Sell by Caring

In sales, relationships are a bit like friends and family. We get to choose our friends and create a relationship to our liking. With family we are thrown together not because of a want or desire and we build a relationship with what we have, like it or not.

I’ve had relationships with clients that turned into friendships and were pleasing and beneficial to both of us. It is a joy to receive a communication from them and I look forward to seeing them. We are in sync and I understand them and their organization. We can talk about most anything and I learn about frustrations and concerns of their business. This gives me insight that enables me to go deeper in the relationship and offer solutions in areas I would not have known existed without the close connection to my client.

With these clients I get to know them and aspects of their personal life. The picture is broader and fuller. I understand how they fit into the organization and where they want to go – career aspirations. How they blend their personal life in with their professional – if there is balance and if there is not.

These are extraordinary relationships and remarkable when there is a warm and close connection with a client. It goes beyond business to a real caring. When they happen, I know I am blessed and count myself very lucky.

There are also professional friendships. Here the relationship is very positive and pleasing for both of us yet stays within the confines of work or business. We might meet for lunch or a drink and talk about things beyond work but not far afield. There is a very good connection and I glean more about the organization’s challenges and goals which builds the relationship and bond.

Then there is family.

Many clients and prospects are in a territory, on a list or assigned for whatever reason. We don’t get to choose them and in some cases if I could, I wouldn’t.

Building a relationship here may not feel as natural. It can be work and I need to be alert to their wants, needs, desires and idiosyncrasies. The core of our connection is a solution supported by my product or service. If I am not feeling a bond then they most likely don’t either. It is my responsibility to create rapport and develop a relationship that may be purely professional but serves both of us and the situation.

I don’t mean to make it sound painful. As in real life families, there are people we connect with and enjoy being around and some family members that are not as easy or simple to bond with.

It would be easy to walk away and concentrate effort on another prospect rather than going through the work of developing a relationship with someone who is not a quick bond. For me, this is where the skill of sales comes in.

• Learning to read and understand the prospect/client
• Adjusting my communications and presentation to their style
• Being attentive and supportive to help them solve a business challenge
• Staying connected and nurturing a relationship

In many cases it is worth the time and energy devoted to building the relationship, sometimes family even turns into friends.

Don’t give up too soon if there isn’t a “click” with a prospect early on. If there is value to you and your organization in turning them into a client – use your skill to build the relationship.

What kind of relationships do you have with your clients and prospects?

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