My boss always says, “The best way to start a business relationship… is to start a business relationship.” He paraphrased what he learned from another radio professional some years ago (which he does a lot), but that specific statement still resonates with me. Business relationships – or customer relationships – are vital to the success and enjoyment of a career in sales.
So often do we find ourselves caught in the monotony of sales. It’s easy to go door-to-door and pitch a package that gives the customer x amount of y for z amount of dollars. Personally, I’ve been in situations where I have only been ten minutes into the first conversation with a prospect, pitched a package, and left feeling embarrassed and discouraged because my “perfect” package was rejected. After that happened a couple dozen times, I finally realized that what I was going for was the quantity, not the quality in my numbers.
I could no longer sell a package; I was offering a solution. Additionally, I was no longer selling products; I was selling services.
When our customers become receptive to the solutions we offer them, it’s safe to say we’ve established customer relationships, and we have reached a consultative approach to selling our services. However, regardless of how big or small a customer’s problems are, you are dedicating a considerable amount of your time to that customer – time that may be better spent on something more productive. If I was going to sell my services, I was also selling my time. I needed to identify my key accounts – the accounts that were worth selling my time to. These accounts needed to meet the following criteria:
- An established, good working relationship with the customer – there is mutual trust, likeability, and familiarity between us
- The services that I have to offer them make sense to solve their solution
- The customer is willing to share the problems with their business with me
- The customer is receptive to the solutions I have to offer
- There is potential to improve the business with the services that I can provide
- I can show them how the services will benefit them in the long run
- My team can support the solutions to that customer
Now that I’ve found my key accounts, my productivity (and my income) have increased exponentially! Your time is valuable – build customer relationships that treat it that way.
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