Sales Relationships aren’t Friendships
I hear a lot of people talk about how important relationships are in sales well, of course, relationships are important they are the only thing but the problem is we often mistake friendship for relationships. Sales relationships aren’t friendships. I know we believe that being a friend is important. It is much less important than a relationship built on trust. Trust comes from a true interest in another and their business, not by telling all about you and your product or service!
So often salespeople say that they try very hard to become friends with their clients. They say they’ll send them personal things, they ask a lot about the pictures they have in their office and any other personal ‘stuff’ so they can become friends with them. That’s not what we mean by relationships. Again- sales relationships aren’t friendships.
People are not going to spend money on you just because they like you and you’re their friend. That may be part of the relationship but this is a mistake to confuse the two.
It doesn’t happen by being their friend
It happens from asking good questions being really upfront with what you truly think and setting them a solution that you truly think is going to help them once they’ve told you what they really need, that’s how relationships are built so please don’t misunderstand friendship for relationship.
Why do we confuse the two?
So often salespeople have chosen to be in sales is because someone along the way said, “Hey, you’ve got a good personality, you should be in sales?”
Oh My goodness this is terrible! No wonder most people that try to work in a sales position fail. Sales are not about being a friend or getting them to like you…it is truly about understanding their issue FULLY by asking good questions and making smart recommendations of a solution that makes sense.
That’s it. That’s all. Once we understand this and sell consultatively, success will follow. It is not rocket science but it is also not about friendship.
Relationships aren’t friendships. Relationships are about trust, at least in business. That happens by asking good questions truly listening to the person because unfortunately, that’s one of those things in human nature, we just don’t get enough so it’s truly listening summarizing what they say, and then when you come back to recommend it’s something that’s right on because that’s what they told you that they wanted and they know that you were listening to that’s where respect comes from that’s where relationships come from it doesn’t come from being there.
