Why sellers often misunderstand and overvalue the meaning of "relationship selling"
It is true that many people buy from people that they like. But is that all that sales professionals need to be a good “relationship seller”?
Earlier this year, I interviewed an experienced and successful salesperson, one of the better producers for a manufacturer of complex industrial equipment. He told me proudly, “I’m a good salesperson because people like me. It’s all about the quality of relationship – and I’ve always been an outstanding relationship seller”.
He was friendly, pleasant and affable. It was difficult not to take a liking to him immediately. He had been working in his industry for over twenty years, and he exuded confidence. I could see how customers would develop a strong rapport with him.
He possessed a very respectable sales record. Indeed, this seller had surpassed his assigned quota each year for more than a decade. In his mind, his ability to leverage his personal likeability into strong interpersonal relationships with buyers was the principal reason for his sales success.
But is this true?
Organizational vs. individual relationships
When we discussed this salesperson’s accounts, I discovered a disturbing trend: in almost every account, he was working with only one customer contact – and those people generally were either operational-level managers or in the purchasing department. He had virtually no contact with executive-level buyers.
I asked him: “What would you do if one of your contacts left their company?” He admitted that he’d have to start over in that account, and until he could build rapport with that new buyer, he’d be vulnerable.
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