Relationship Selling – Selling in today’s Market

Some sales markets require those in customer contact to develop their business w
ith a combination of skills. They need to start with the fundamentals and then h
andle the contact with the focus on relationship building and management or rela
tionship selling.
By Wikipedia’s definition the term selling means simply to “try and persuade someone
to buy one’s product or service(s)”. To me, the key word in this sentence is “persua
de”.Relationship Selling, however, is quite the opposite and a relatively new appr
oach but one that seems to be catching fire as we move forward in today’s market.
So let’s start with the differences between the “telemarketing” type of sale and Relat
ionship Selling.
Telemarketing
• You solicit them first
• They feel uncomfortable
• There is absolutely no interaction
• You present your product, opportunity, service and then try and persuade them in
to purchasing
• It becomes nothing but a “number” game
• There is no follow-up and no genuine concern on the part of the salesperson
Relationship Selling
• You attract the customer
• They are immediately more comfortable
• You are responding to their request for more information/purchase
• You building a relationship with your customer first
• Creates a win-win for both you and the customer
• It is based on addressing the prospect(s)/customer(s) needs.
• It is solution based – providing a solution for the customer
• Follow-up is a crucial element in this type of selling
Start to open up to the thought of “relationship building” first. Relationship selli
ng requires a whole new way of thinking and different skill set.
1. It requires poise. Most salespeople have poise internally built in as a
personality trait but to truly be successful with relationship selling you must
be very confident and assured that what you are offering is the BEST solution f
or your customer. It’s not about pushing a product/service on this customer but m
ore about providing a solution to a problem.
2. Relationship Building. We’ve covered this and obviously the word “Relations
hip Selling” is self explanatory but it cannot be emphasized enough. You must bui
ld a relationship with your customer first. Build credibility with them as you
move forward in the selling process so they come to know and trust you. This ta
kes down those barriers that are immediately put up when people feel they are be
ing “sold”.
3. Asking Open-Ended Questions. This isn’t about asking your “scripted” question
s to which you simply get a “yes” or “no”. This is about understanding your customer an
d listening to what their problems are and trying to come up with solutions.
4. Which brings us to the next skill – Listening. If you don’t listen to your
customer, how can you provide them a solution? This is such a crucial skill and
so often overlooked in the old methods of selling. One size fits all does not
apply in Relationship Selling.
5. Positioning your Unique Selling Proposition – we won’t get into the entire d
efinition of a USP here. That is another post altogether. But suffice it to sa
y that you need to know what makes your product/service different from the thous
ands out there right now? In other words, why should they buy from you?
6. Sales Objection Resolutions – learning how to overcome objections. This i
s crucial in any sales training but in relationship selling the objection resolu
tion is always focused on the customer’s needs and not your “sale”.
You need to open your mind to the learning process. Relationship Selling definit
ely takes more time and it is not always an immediate sale. But the effort and t
ime it takes to build these relationships are everlasting. Building solid, lasti
ng relationships will create trust, develop credibility, is based on good commun
ication and non-confrontational. It should always create a win-win for both your
self and your customer.
Relationship selling is asales process that guides you in how to sell your produ
ct / service.Relationship selling is powerful sales processes that can help even
the most inexperienced small business owner learn how to sell effectively.
For a sale to happen, you have to form some type of relationship with your prosp
ective customer or target market. If you don t master this sales process, then y
our business will cease to exist, because without sales there is no business.
Steps to a Successful Sale
1. Identify valid prospects. You have to figure out who your potential cust
omers really are... who has a perceived need that you can meet and who can affor
d what you are selling.
2. Know every aspect – or feature – of your product. You have to be able to des
cribe your product/service inside and out. Features include things such as how i
t looks, feels, sounds, tastes, smells. If you don t know what you re selling, y
ou won t be very good at selling it!
3. Describe your product s unique benefits. You MUST be able to tell the pr
ospective customers how the various features of your product will help them. If
they can t see "what s in it for them," they re never going to buy.
4. Get a handle on your target s "buying motivators." There are 4 basic rea
sons that motivate people to buy something. You have to appeal to these reasons:
o Pleasure
o Profit
o Pride
o Pain
5. Learn how to ask the right questions. Relationship selling is founded on
knowing which questions to ask and when. Avoid "closed questions" that can only
be answered with a yes or a no. And strive for open-ended questions that invite
the other person s views and feelings.
6. Learn how to forecast your sales. The success of your relationship selli
ng and sales process are ultimately going to be measured by your ability to make
accurate predictions or estimates of your future sales. This is an important pa
rt of how to sell effectively.
7. Master the nuances of marketing. It takes a plan, which we ve discussed
on previous pages, and effective promotion and advertising.
Ultimately, though, it comes down to you and the customer. So, go out and start
building relationships and soon you re going to see the benefits of your relatio
nship selling-based sales process!
Relationship selling is just that. Using relationships to achieve your goals to
increase sales. How you establish, develop and nurture those relationships must
be directly aligned to a proven sales process.
A proven sales process is a systematic way to move your prospects through your m
arketing and sales funnels. Knowing who your qualified prospects are should be w
ithin your strategic sales plan within your overall strategic business plan. How
ever for a quick review, your qualified prospects have 4 qualities or characteri
stics:
1. Need for your products or services
2. Budget to buy your products or services
3. Authority as the decision maker to make the purchase
4. Sense of urgency to take action
The sales process is a combination of all marketing skills and selling skills ne
cessary to take your qualified prospect from that initial introduction to that f
inal follow so that you can ask for a referral. There are many sales processes o
ut in the market place with a plethora of acronyms. What I have discovered is th
at the following 7 steps do not leave anything out nor do they create unnecessar
y actions.
1. Introduction - Get the attention - Marketing Skill
2. Establish Rapport - Build the relationship - Marketing Skill
3. Discover Wants & Needs - Focus on the prospect - Selling Skill
4. Presenting Consequences & Benefits - Showcases your expertise and unders
tanding of prospect - Selling Skill
5. Gain Commitment - Make the sale - Selling Skill
6. Deliver the Product or Service - Confirm sale is completed - Selling Ski
ll
7. Follow-Up - Confirm customer is happy camper allowing you to ask for ref
erral - Marketing Skill
When you have a proven sales process, your behaviors will follow that process. Y
ou will not jump into selling behaviors when you should still be demonstrating m
arketing behaviors and the respective skills associated with those behaviors. Re
member, relationship selling is all about connecting with your prospects and tru
ly demonstrating that the relationship is important through all of your behavior
s.