Value-Added Selling by Tom Reilly

Author:Tom Reilly
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: McGraw-Hill Education
Published: 2018-08-15T16:00:00+00:00

PRINCIPLES OF RELATIONSHIP BUILDING

There are a number of principles that define solid relationship building with customers.

Trust is the currency of all great relationships. When two people like each other, trust each other, and want to do business with each other, they will work out the details. And price is a detail. We asked sales managers in our BSP research how salespeople built relationships with customers and heard a unanimous chorus of, “They earn it by following up and doing what they say they will do.” Customers know they can depend on these salespeople.

The sale is always about the customer. It’s the customers’ problem, their money, and a solution with which they must live. The sale should be more about the customer. What is the focus of your relationship with your customer? Is it about you or the customer?

Empathy is your internal monitor. You can be as aggressive as you want in pursuing an opportunity if you balance it with an equally strong measure of empathy. In this context, empathy is perceiving your solution as value received, not just as value added. It requires that you first put the spotlight on your customer. The behavioral side of empathy is asking questions and listening to customers. You must be empathic to understand fully the customer’s needs.

Reality is in the eye of the beholder. The only reality that matters in selling is in the customers’ minds. Their perception is your reality. You and your peers may believe that your company delivers great service, and it’s important that you believe this. But it’s imperative that your customers believe this. Your service is great only when your customers say it’s great. Customer satisfaction is a function of how your solution measures up to the customers’ expectations. If you meet customer expectations, you satisfy your customers. If you exceed their expectations, you delight them.

Success is a two-way street. Your success depends on your ability to help other people succeed. This is the boomerang effect. You get back what you throw out. Helping customers achieve whatever they want to achieve is the first step in your achieving what you want to achieve. This evolves into the reality that you will enjoy as much success as you can handle if you help enough other people achieve the success they desire.

People long to belong. Everyone needs to belong to something bigger than himself or herself. This is a simple human relations reality. We all must fit in somewhere. Humans are social creatures. One of our primal needs is to socialize—assimilate into our culture. This is why there are motorcycle gangs, country clubs, and everything in between. Do your customers feel like they are a vital part of your organization? Do they feel like they matter to you? Are they part of the family? Your tapping into this fundamental human need can make the difference between a transaction or a relationship with the customer. Our studies found that two-thirds of customers will abandon a supplier if they feel they are being treated as a number.

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