18 Keys to Better Customer Relationships
Building a customer relationship is a fundamentally different process from making a sale. Yes, selling may be part of the process but when it's done right, relationship building is about creating a long-term connection, even if it means not making a sale today. Here are some quick rules for relationship building.
BEFORE CONTACTING A PROSPECT:
- #1: Have a sales philosophy that emphasizes relationship building.
- #2: Value the relationship more than making your quota.
- #3: Think end-of-time relationships, not end-of-month totals.
- #4: Don't try to be too friendly too quickly.
- #5: Be interested in the customer as a person.
- #6: Let the friendliness emerge gradually during the conversation.
- #7: Remember that nobody likes to be sold but everyone likes to buy.
- #8: Don't try to be a hero who swoops in to solve the customer's problem.
- #9: Gather information before proposing; don't shoot in the dark.
- #10: Treat information gathering as a conversation, not an inquisition.
- #11: Find out what the customer likes, wants and needs.
- #12: After you find out, show the customer how to get it.
- #13: Don't push the process forward too quickly.
- #14: Listen more than you talk.
- #15: Treat commitment as a way to deepen the relationship.
- #16: Achieve a perfect job of delivering what you promised.
- #17: Provide absolutely impeccable service and followup.
- #18: Point the customer elsewhere if you can't help.
READERS: Any more you'd like to add?
NOTE
: Similar tips and techniques are contained in my soon-to-be-published book How to Say It: Business to Business Selling, now available for pre-sale here.
RELATED POSTS: