At the heart of successful sales is building and maintaining strong relationships. Investing time in getting to know your customers, prospects, and colleagues is one of the most effective ways to build lasting relationships. However, this process can be both challenging and time-consuming. The following actionable steps will help you make the most of your time and create meaningful connections.
Face-to-Face 1:1 Meetings
Meeting someone face-to-face is one of the best ways to get to know them. It allows you to see their body language, learn about their interests, understand what motivates them, and discover areas where you can help them. Face-to-face meetings are critical in building strong business relationships because they enable you to establish a deeper connection with your customers, prospects, and colleagues.
If you cannot meet in person, using video conferencing tools like Skype, Zoom, or Microsoft Teams can allow you to have virtual 1:1 meetings with people who are based in different cities than you. Video conferencing is an effective way to communicate and get to know someone when you cannot meet in person.
Get Personal
To build strong relationships with people, you must take the time to get personal. Ask questions about their hobbies and interests outside work, such as favorite sports teams or movies. This will help you form a connection on a deeper level and show them that you care about things beyond just business matters.
Taking a personal interest in someone’s life can help you establish a bond that extends beyond the business relationship. Personal connections can be the foundation for long-lasting relationships, which can help you in your sales efforts in the future.
Be Interested in Their Work
Express interest in their work life by asking questions about their day-to-day activities and any projects they may be working on. This way, they feel like they can trust you and that you understand what they do daily. Additionally, it will provide insight into who they are professionally so that when it comes time for a sale or negotiation, you will have all the information necessary for success.
Learning about someone’s work life can also help you identify ways to help them in the future. By understanding their projects and responsibilities, you can identify areas where you can add value and support.
Invest Time in Building Relationships
The most significant investment when it comes to building relationships is TIME. Investing more time in understanding others will pay off in spades as you build strong relationships lasting for years. Therefore, consider how much of an impact investing quality time into your network has on growing your business! Taking the extra effort to meet people face-to-face (or virtually), getting personal with them, and showing genuine interest in their work will go a long way towards strengthening those relationships—and ultimately helping your sales efforts succeed!
Building strong business relationships is a critical component of successful sales. By following these actionable steps, you can invest more time in getting to know your customers, prospects, and colleagues better. By taking a personal interest in their lives, showing genuine interest in their work, and investing quality time, you will establish strong relationships to help you succeed in your sales efforts. So, take the first step and start building those relationships today!
Sean O’Shaughnessey
Committed to our customer's long-term success, New Sales Expert LLC delivers revenue growth by creating and implementing sales strategy, process, and sustained execution. We are accomplished sales experts dedicated to bringing superior focus and top results to businesses in need of sales leadership. We create the right sales strategy, implement a repeatable sales process, hire and develop the best people, and institute sustained sales execution. Take Sean's 10-Question Sales Agility Assessment
