FEATURE | RELATIONSHIP SELLING
PEOPLE STILL BUY FROM PEOPLE ROBERT SPENCE discusses the fundamental importance of building relationships when selling
I
can still remember the salesman called Neil who sold me my first car. I was a nervous 18 year-old, and Neil spent a lot of time with me running through all of my available options. He took even more care explaining finance packages to me, at a time in my life when I cared more for chasing girls than worrying about the latest interest rates. Eventually, with Neil’s guidance, I chose a car and a finance option that suited me perfectly. RELATIONSHIPS MATTER That was ten years ago, and yet I still remember Neil very clearly as the man who sold me my first car. Why is this? It is because of an aspect of sales that is often overlooked, a strong link that holds the whole process together. Whether your sales cycle is months long, years long or simply hours long, it is this one thing that can help you to start the process, give it momentum and hold it together. It’s the thing that can help you begin a conversation, build rapport and overcome objections as the cycle runs its course. And that thing is, of course, the relationship between you the salesperson and the prospect. We come in to contact with dozens of people every single day. We interact with so many people and yet there are always those that make an impact on our lives – and it is they who stick in our memories. The majority of these people are remembered for one thing – the relationship they build with us. I am not talking about a long-term spouse or the best friend you’ve known since primary school. I am talking about all those brief interactions: the dog walker who will take minutes out of their day to ask you about your family, or the checkout lady at your local store who takes an active interest in your life every time you buy a pint of milk. It is these people and these short encounters that stick with us, and it is developing this type of simple relationship that can make us great sales professionals.
14 WINNING EDGE
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ISMPROFESSIONAL.COM
23/07/2017 17:50
