Relationship Selling

Couldn’t sell snow to an eskimo right?   Simply don’t have the time or the desire to learn how to sell? Well that is the dilemma facing many small local business owners today.  They need and want customers in order for their business to thrive, yet they have absolutely no idea how to sell or what steps to take to even start getting customers coming to them. Business sales training is for those big-wigs in corporate America right?  WRONG.  Everyone needs a little bit of background in sales if they are even contemplating starting up a new business.

Now it doesn’t mean you have to go to a 12 to 18 month training program on learning how to sell your way out of a paper bag.  But what it does mean is it is important to learn the essentials of what it takes to secure and retain new customers for your business to succeed.

Here is the key:  You do  not need a college degree or years of experience in marketing in order to learn the essentials.  Relationship selling is really mostly about building relationships with the purpose of solving your prospect’s problems or “pain” and piggybacking off of those relationships for more sales, referrals, repeat business and new customers.

Sounds rather simplistic and of course, it is not that simple but the basic idea of business sales training using relationship selling principles is built around that premise.  Learning the basics of this type of selling doesn’t take long.  It is the practice that makes perfect in this instance.

So if you are really looking to move your business forward in a way that is focused on making profits (and who isn’t?) then focusing on relationship building first with a “solutions provider” mentality is what will drive your prospect to you as they search for solutions to their problems.

It certainly isn’t rocket science but building relationships requires a few basic elements.  The first being trust and credibility. To build an effective and lasting relationship with your client base, you MUST have credibility.  If you don’t have it yet, “borrow” it from someone who does until you build your own but don’t lean on borrowed credibility for long as it should only last a short time.

Actions speak louder than words so if you are looking for a win-win with your clients, then commit to providing them every opportunity to show them that they can trust and depend on you.  Once you learn this basic skill of relationship selling then it will become second nature to you and your sales results will be the proof as well as your potential cash flow.

Remember that every relationship has a give-take.  Treat this as if you are just beginning to date someone: putting your best foot forward, building trust and credibility before you try to move onto to the next phase.  In business, it is very much the same.

Selling in today’s  market is much different than years ago as people have become very wary of everything and everyone around them.   It is a rapidly changing marketplace and people are constantly looking for new answers and solutions.  When selling is an extension of your passion (your business or trade) then it won’t feel like selling to you if done correctly.

Business sales training is not a scary word.  If you want your business to succeed and you want to see a cash flow that will continue, don’t skip this most important step in starting up your small local business.

Learn the very basics of relationship building with relationship selling and the rest will fall into place.

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