Sales Training on Relationships 

A relationship is type of connection.  It is through a connection where bonds can be created and trust and mutual respect between people can be established.  From a sales training perspective, for a bond and level of trust to develop, the customer needs to like you and you need to like the customer.  People will buy from other people they like and trust.  You don’t need to become buddies and invite each other for dinner.  But a special “sales person-to-customer” friendship is needed.  How you create this professional friendship has a lot to do with your personality and the ability to get along with a wide variety of people, as per Brian Tracy.   

Ask many questions and become a good listener.  This was one of the first and most valuable lessons I learned in my sales career.  Using your ears and mouth proportionately is the first step toward creating valuable relationships.  What if you're dealing with a customer that really isn’t interested in answering your questions, doesn’t talk much, or appears angry that you’re even there?   First: don’t be offended.  Be professional and courteous.  The more professional and polite you are to the customer, the better response you will get.  People can’t stay quiet or mean when you are being polite and professional. 

In my experience with in-home sales, after leaving the customer alone while working on some calculations or writing up the proposal, he or she will seek me out and will ask me questions, some questions that have nothing to do with what I’m selling.  It’s the customer’s way of making amends for the way I’ve been treated.  In my company, there have been customers that no other sales people wanted to deal with because of the treatment that was expected.  I take those customers.  After a little professionalism and a lot of patience, without fail, they come around.   

Customers are people.  They’re human, so you have to go a little deeper sometimes to get to the good.  It’s there, you just can’t give up.  It’s worth it to be patient and courteous.  Once you’ve established a friendly relationship with a customer, they’ll be a customer of yours for life.