What is the difference between Relationship Selling and traditional selling?

Relationship selling begins with changing the old model of "Gotta sell to meet quota no matter what" to "Approach prospects as potential new friends."

The problem most people face is they make the sales process too complicated. By so doing, they place barriers between themselves and their prospects. The prospective buyer can almost see dollar signs floating out of the business person’s eyes. Once this is sensed, the sale dies.

However, once you make the sales attitude switch, the rest is relatively easy. It actually becomes fun to meet new people, exchange ideas and have a lively conversation to find if there is a potential match to do business.

Let’s take a step-by-step look at how we make friends and translate the strategy to selling: 1. Take an active interest in the other person. When we initially meet people, we like to know their background, if they are single or married; if married, how many years. We ask what type of work they are in, how they got there, how long they have been in that position. We may ask them what it’s like to work at their company.

If the other person works out of their home, we will ask how long they lived in their home, where they lived previously, and if they have a family. If they have children, we will ask their ages, where the child’s interests lie, and possibly where they might go to college.

There is absolutely no difference when you approach your prospects. Use the exact same process! You will be amazed how well your new prospect takes to you. You will have set yourself apart from your competition, and people will begin to describe you as a breath of fresh air.

Once you take an active interest in your new friends or prospects, they will reciprocate with a keen interest in you. The likelihood of conducting business will increase dramatically.

2. Pursue the relationship. Once we believe we like the new person that we have just met, we invite them to coffee, a walk, or possibly a movie. In other words, we set the next step for getting to know the other a little bit better.

Likewise, the first business appointment is to learn about each other to see if you want to pursue doing business together. You will have asked each other questions to gain information. Usually in this phase, requests are made of one another to gain insight as to how the other operates and further determine if you are indeed a good match. The next appointment is set to pursue the relationship.  

3. Follow-up promptly to keep your new friends. You may say to your new friend, "I’ll call you on Saturday." If you don’t call, your new friend will begin to question whether or not you are trustworthy. The exact same thing is true of business relationships.

This is the step where most businesspeople fall down. They feel it’s not worth their time. Contrary to this belief, follow-up is the most critical element for making or breaking a sale.

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