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Those with Professional Relationships Win More Sales

Sam Manfer Sales Mastery

Article: Relationship Selling

Networking

Relationship Selling is your future for selling. The Internet and our Flat World has made buying very different than in the past. Buyers explore to find companies, services or merchandise along with price comparisons, and there’s no pressure. Think of yourself. How do you buy? If you’re like most, you talk to people and get ideas of where to buy or which websites to visit. This is the back end of Relationship Selling - telling people where to find what they want. The front end is asking people where to find what you want.

Relationship Selling has been around forever, but many sellers stopped using Relationship Selling as the bid mentally and purchasing agent era was in vogue. Now it’s all about networking because the analytics of a purchasing agent can be replaced by internet browsing. Additionally the services that companies and people buy can be found on Craig’s List, E-bay or by hiring well educated service providers in India, China or the former Soviet Republic countries at a tenth of the cost.

Buyers are always skeptical of sellers trying to sell them. Most like to buy from sellers or sites they trust that have in the past delivered positive professional results. This is the basis of a professional relationship and Relationship Selling.

Relationship Selling means using your professional relationships to introduce you to potential buyers. Even the Internet is using Relationship Selling with services suck as Linked-In, Squidoo, and other professional relationship and networking sites, as well as affiliate programs (automatic commissions for recommendations). So here is the simplicity of Relationship Selling.

You know people (professional relationships) that know people who can get you in the door or network your throughout your existing clients' organizations. Some you know really well. I call these your Golden Network. Others you don’t know as well, but that’s OK. They will still help you - if asked correctly. So when prospecting or trying to get an introduction to high level buyers, phone or email someone you know, rather than someone you don’t. Get an introduction and you’ll get all you need and want.

You’ll have to do some brainstorming and creative thinking however, to come up with all your list of professional relationships. But once you do, phone the someone that best fits and just ask for help. When asked, people will usually rally to your aid if asked appropriately. There is never a question if it is a good professional relationship. Ask and you’ll get help. Don’t ask and you won’t.

Be careful though, you’ll have to frame your question correctly or else you’ll get a lot of random information that can lead nowhere and cause problems with your contact. My book Take Me To Your Leader$ and my C-Level Selling Reference Manual explain how to ask and what to ask that will get you right to where you want to be.

Now when it comes to getting to key decision makers (you know, the ones with serious titles) you definitely have to Network Sell. 95% of the executives I’ve interviewed tell me they will openly receive sales people that their staff or someone creditable recommends. These same senior managers said, a sales person would be hard pressed getting a meeting without that introduction.

The sooner you start actively Relationship Selling the sooner you’ll reap the benefits. However, you have to have a plan. You won’t be very successful if you just pick up the phone and call someone. Put together a list of who to call, for what reason, what you will say, and when the calls will be completed? This will make it efficient and make you accountable to yourself. Begin where you’re comfortable and once you see what works and what doesn’t, rethink and redo.

Your network can make entry smooth and welcomed. Once you’re in, keep the Relationship Selling engine going. Continue to ask for introductions to more and higher level people. Relationship Selling along and Investigative Selling are now the way to sell.

Check Your Relationship Selling Score:

Score:   4=Always; 3=Most Times; 2=Usually; 1=Sometimes; 0=Never.

When you prospect for more sales opportunities or business, do you cold call people you’ve never met? ____

When you want to get into a target account, do look for someone to introduce you? ____

Scoring:      2   -    1   = ??

Positive is good;

Negative means you need to change if you want to sell more. See my C-Level Selling Reference Manual