People still buy from people

PEOPLE

STILL BUY

FROM PEOPLE ROBERT SPENCE discusses the fundamental importance of building relationships when selling

Ican 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.

BACK TO THE FUTURE Relationship selling is nothing new. The top sales professionals in the world swear by the importance of relationship building in a sales process, and yet it is sometimes overlooked in favour of hardcore closing techniques and gentle manipulation tactics. But one thing’s for sure: we are more likely to buy from those who show an interest in us. Take a second to think back to a sale you took pleasure in. Perhaps it was the sale that won you the most recognition among your peers, or earned you the most commission, or the one you worked the hardest for. Think back to what got you that sale. What was the one key element of the process that brought you that business? I am willing to bet my house that it was the relationship you built with your prospect. A relationship trumps price. A relationship trumps competition. A relationship will turn a no into a yes. And not only that, a relationship will turn your one-time client into a repeat customer. Better still, that repeat customer will recommend you to others, providing you with a steady stream of new, warm prospects. Put yourself in a buyer’s mindset for a moment. I’m sure you can think of individuals you’ve come across in your life whom you trust and who have really helped you. I’m sure you have a car mechanic you always “Full marks to the ISM for taking a lead turn to, or a builder or other tradespeople whom you can always rely on. Relationship selling is this in stamping out bad simple. Pleasant, trustworthy sales practice and people get repeat business. changing negative We all know that people hate to perceptions of salespeople” be “sold”. But they love to buy. Every sales professional I have ever looked up to and learned from knew the importance of this and worked tirelessly to ensure their business relationships were just as robust as their personal relationships. I can guarantee that if you are working in sales just to make a quick commission cheque then your career will not last long. A bad salesperson may close a sale, but they will also close the customer relationship with it. CHANGING PERCEPTIONS Let’s be honest here, there are those out there among the general public who view sales professionals as snakes, and as experts in the art of misleading customers, willing to say anything to get a contract signed and a deal closed. Of course, I’m sure this sort of poor practice is still going on in our industry and there are those out there who are giving the rest of us professionals a bad name. So, full marks to the ISM for taking a lead in stamping out bad sales practice and changing the negative perceptions of salespeople. WE ARE ALL SALESPEOPLE No matter what line of work you are in, you are a salesperson. Every single day you will need to convince others you deserve to be listened to and treated better. Whether you are going for a job interview, asking for a pay rise from your boss, or going on a romantic date, you must sell yourself. Relationship Selling is a straight-talking guide on how to become a better salesperson – how to increase your sales, how to build and develop strong business and personal relationships, and how to get more from each and every day. The book describes the most profitable sales techniques used by millions of sales professionals around the globe, giving you the chance to learn what it takes to increase your commission cheque month after month.

And changing they are. I’m seeing a definite improvement in attitude towards salespeople. The rise of consultative selling, in which a salesperson will act more as a guide and adviser to a prospect or client, as opposed to a hardnosed dealmaker, is becoming increasingly popular and is at the forefront of changing perceptions of the sales industry as a whole.

That’s why I remember Neil now, ten whole years after buying my first car from him. He developed a relationship with me. He listened. He advised. He cared. He took the time to ensure that I was getting exactly what I needed in the transaction – so much so that I’m proud to say that the car Neil sold me still sits on my driveway to this day.

Over the next two editions of Winning Edge, I’ll be looking in much more detail at the mechanics of relationship selling and how strong customer and client relationships will remain the most important element in every single sales process. In the next feature I will be focusing specifically on how we can develop and maintain strong business ROBERT SPENCE is a sales manager, coach, mentor and author. His relationships, and see our recently published book prospect pipeline grow Relationship Selling is available on Amazon. Visit from strength to strength. relationshipselling.co.uk