M3 Today Magazine M3 Today Magazine Fall 2017 | Page 14

RELATIONSHIP SELLING
RELATIONSHIP SELLING
A sales professional is someone who:
1. Gets business from a prospect who is
already committed to someone else
2. Helps his or her business sources to
reach their full potential
3. Constantly upgrades his or her
clientele
And there in lies a problem. How do you gain
the attention of these attractive prospects?
How do you overcome their commitment to
another supplier? How do you combat their
indifference to wanting to see you?
A core theme of the Relationship Selling
system is that if two people want to work
together, the details won’t stand in their way.
Another key idea is that success with a client
comes by giving “value-added” service. You
accomplish this by delivering more than your
client expected when he or she decided to
try your service.
You become someone’s business partner
because they discover it is in their best
interest to work with you. Another way to
say this is that a sales professional helps his
or her clients be more successful.
Building a relationship starts by
overcoming their indifference toward you
even before your first meeting together. You
shouldn’t call on a probable prospect unless
you have “pre-marketed” yourself.
A good approach campaign, in which
you pre-market yourself, changes the
acceptance rating considerably. Create a
positive image in your prospect’s minds
by sending them helpful ideas and general
market information. The greater the positive
image you build, the greater your success will
be.
Path To Success Professionals never recommend an action
until they have fully determined the problem,
opportunity, or need in the relationship. How
would you feel towards a physician who
prescribed a medicine prior to conducting a
thorough physical?
Sales success begins at the bottom.
Our first objective is to define the highest
value needs of the prospect. To do this we
must conduct a meaningful interview in a
favorable environment.
When calling prospects for an
appointment, or just before reconfirming
the time and place, ask if they would reserve
their conference room for your meeting. Tell When you call on someone, do you “show
up