Chapter 4: Creating Value with a Relationship Strategy

Relationships Add Value

Salespeople who feel a professional responsibility to create as much value for customers as
possible exhibit:
 more energy,
 a stronger work ethic, and
 a greater eagerness to ask customers for decisions
In this information age the key to success in selling is the manner in which salespeople:
establish
build, and
manage relationships
Daniel Pink, author of A Whole New Mind suggests a major player will be the empathizer –
someone who has the ability to imagine themselves in someone else’s position and understand
what that person is feeling
 Customers perceive that value is added when they feel comfortable with the relationship they
have with a salesperson
The salesperson who is honest, accountable, and sincerely concerned about the customer’s
welfare adds value to the sale
 Competitive advantage

Partnering—The Highest-Quality Selling Relationship

Building relationships with clients:
 Finding something in common
 Complements
 Remembering names brought up before

Partnering—The Highest-Quality Selling Relationship

Keys to a partnering relationship:
1) The relationship is built on shared values
2) Everyone needs to clearly understand the purpose of the partnership and be committed to the
vision
3) The role of the salesperson must move from selling to supporting

An effective relationship strategy helps high performing sales people build and maintain win-
win relationships with a wide range of key groups such as Customers, Secondary decision
makers, company support staff, management personnel.

Adapting the Relationship Strategy

Tailored to the type of buyer:
 Transactional – relationship strategy is secondary to price, convenience, and delivery
 Consultative – need identification through effective communication, and a relationship built
on mutual trust and respect
 Strategic alliance – building relationships with several representatives in the seller’s and
buyer’s organization; most challenging
Through Processes That Enhance Your Relationship Strategy
 Experience acquired during the age of information has taught us that many factors determine
sales success
 Key factors are a positive self-image and the ability to relate to others in effective and
productive ways

Transactional Relationship: food/groceries, cleaning supplies, uniforms, underwear,

 something you don’t need to think about before the purchase,
 a motivator would be a need of the product, or a special occasion, colour and trends,
seasonality, fit, price
 easier to sell and sales person spends less time with customer
 brand loyalty

Consultative
 questions and conversation is needed between a sales person
 get to know the customer, up selling, and build a relationship with customer and get to
know the customer
 finding out what the problem is

Strategic Alliances
 beyond client and buyer relationship
 both work together to solve their issues and create a win-win

Self-Concept—And Important Dimension of the Relationship Strategy

 Self-concept – is the bundle of facts, opinions, beliefs, and perceptions about yourself that are
present in your life every moment of every day
 Consciously aware of some things
 Many are processed unconsciously

Practical approaches to develop a positive self-concept:

1) Focus on the future and stop being overly concerned with past mistakes and failures
2) Develop expertise in selected areas
3) Learn to develop a positive mental attitude

The Win-Win
 Both buyer and seller come out of the sale understanding their respective best interests have
been served – they’ve both won
Empathy and Ego Drive
A salesperson simply cannot sell well without the invaluable ability to get critical feedback from
the client through empathy
 “empathizer”
 can be learned
 Ego Drive – inner force that makes the salesperson want and need to make the sale

Verbal and Nonverbal Strategies

impressions are formed in the first few minutes (seconds) that will either facilitate or detract
from the sales call
 The image you project is the sum total of verbal and nonverbal factors

 Nonverbal message – form of communication that has been defined as “message without
words” or “silent messages”
 Facial expressions
 Eye contact
 Voice tone
 Gestures
 Appearance (clothing)
 Posture, etc.

 Spoken nonverbal messages (how) convey much more impact than verbal messages (what)
 via tone, volume, and speed of delivery
 When there is a discrepancy between verbal and nonverbal messages, you are less apt to be
trusted

Entrance and Carriage

Making a successful entrance is simply believing, and projecting, that you have a reason to be
there and have something important to offer the client
 Strong stride  Good posture  Friendly smile

Influence of Shaking Hands

Factors that affect the message:
1) Eye contact 2) Firmness 3) Depth of interlock 4) Duration of grip 5) Dryness of hands
 Best time to present your name is when you extend your hand

Facial Expressions:
 Capable of accurately signaling emotion in a split second
 Largely universal
 People trust a smiling face; sincere
 Eye Contact:
 Says “I’m listening”
 Shows respect, understanding and leads to trust
 Prolonged contact is threatening

Impact of Appearance of Relationships

 Customers all have certain views, or unconscious expectations, concerning appropriate dress
that can influence credibility and likeability
 General guidelines are:  Simplicity  Appropriate  Quality  Visual Integrity

Effect of voice Quality

 Especially critical on the phone
 Cannot change one’s voice but can make it more pleasing:
1) Do not speak too quickly or too slowly
2) Avoid a speech pattern that is dull and colourless
3) Avoid bad speech habits “teen speak”, poor grammar, casual language

Effect of Etiquette
Passport to positive relationships and respect:
1) Wait for an invitation to address a new prospect by their first name
2) Avoid possibly offensive comments or stories
3) Recognize the importance of punctuality
4) When you invite a customer to lunch, do not discuss business before the meal is ordered
unless the client initiates the subject
5) Leave a clear, concise voice mail message
6) Avoid cellular phone contempt

Social Media and Relationships

Not all posts to social media are noteworthy or require comment
 However, monitoring these sites may provide valuable information about your clients
interests, hobbies, or other experiences
 Similarly, your responses and your own posts should add value to the relationship with
relevant and useful information

Conversational Strategies
 Take customer’s lead on length of discussion
 Genuine interest in others
  Good Listener; encourage others to talk about themselves
 Comments on here and now observations
  Compliments  sincere  Search for mutual acquaintances or interests

Self-Improvement Strategies
 Set Goals
 Use visualization
 Use positive self-talk
 Reward your progress

Summary
Establishing, building, and maintaining an effective relationship strategy adds value and is
critical to selling success
 Understanding the psychology of human behaviour can enhance your strategy
 The non-verbal interaction can be more important than what is said – know what kind of
image you present
 Good conversational strategies are crucial