How to Build Strong Relationships with Your Customers in Sales
Some of my clients wonder if an expedition to Mars might be easier than attempting to learn how to sell. I always reassure them that actually selling is really easy.
In fact, I point out that despite their fears, they’re actually already really good at selling.
Right now, you’re probably wondering how I can declare sales to be so easy, especially if you’re struggling to make sales in your business right now.
During my 15 years in Sales, I’ve seen so many people turn sales into something it’s not. I’ve seen them overcomplicate it, talk about it like a dark art and conclude that they just aren’t made for selling.
I’ve been called a natural born salesperson, but I’m quick to dispel these rumors that somehow some people are born with a gene that makes them incredibly good at selling.
I’d like to make it clear, right here and now, that nobody on this Earth, including myself, popped out of the womb able to close a sale!
Sales is a skill and just like any skill, it’s one that needs to be studied, practiced and refined. It’s a skill that anyone and everyone can perfect!
Nobody is born able to sell, but everyone is way better at selling than they give themselves credit for.
Selling by definition is simply persuading someone to take a specific action that you would like them to take. We all sell, pretty much every day.
When you were born, you were able to persuade your parents to jump out of bed in the middle of the night and give you milk. You screamed until your nappy was changed, you received a cuddle or they jumped around in a bid to make you laugh.
You might not have been born able to close a sale, but you were born with an inbuilt set of persuasion skills.
Your sales skills have continued to develop as time’s gone by.
Like the time when you had to sell your teacher on the idea that your homework was eaten by the dog.
When you convinced your parents that uni wasn’t for you and a year in Peru was.
Or when you went for that job interview. A whole process where you used your sales skills to sell yourself as being the perfect candidate for the job.
Married? Life is one big selling job. Convincing your other half that you really need those new shoes. It’s all selling!
Selling yourself, an idea, persuading people to take action.
You’ve had a lifetime of experience.
You’re way better at selling than you give yourself credit for.
But of course, to be really great at selling, we need to have more than our natural survival instinct in our sales tool bag.
Sales is simply a process.
If you follow that process you’ll make money.
Inject your personality into that process and you'll make good money.
But there’s a secret to making great money!
There’s a simple sales strategy that will mean you can make as many sales as possible.
The good news is, it’s already a skill you have!
The truth about sales is that people don’t really buy products or services, they buy people.
Yeah, you need a good product or service, but ultimately the person buys because they like you!
Ever walked into a shop, seen something you like only to be met with a rude shop assistant?
Yeah, I walked out the door empty handed as well!
If you want to be awesome at selling, then it all starts with building relationships.
If you’ve convinced yourself that you’re no good at sales, ask yourself this.
Do you have friends?
I don’t care how many, but do you have at least one friend?
Great, then you have the ability to be great at selling.
The amount of sales you make, depends on the relationships you create.
If you don’t develop strong, meaningful relationships with your clients, then you’ll have inconsistent sales. Some months you will make money, other’s you won’t.
Without relationships, people will buy from you out of necessity, not because they want to.
Create relationships, look after those people and nurture those relationships, those people will buy because they want the product or service, but mostly because they like you.
Which means they will come back and buy again. They’ll go away and tell all their friends to buy from you, who will go and tell all their friends to stop by and check you out.
Building relationships is the best form of marketing and most certainly the way to make sales, because you’ve a whole army out there promoting you and your business. It’s the best form of marketing and it’s completely free!
It doesn’t matter if you’re just starting out or you’ve been in business for a while, if you want to generate more sales, it all starts with relationships.
Now, I should caveat this. If you;re looking for a quick buck, a quick sale, then this relationship strategy will disappoint you.
Because relationships take time to build, they don’t happen overnight.
They need time, work and careful nurturing. They need genuine connection, you can’t fake relationships just to make sales, your potential clients will see right through you and go running for the hills (or your nearest competitor)
Relationship sales is a skill I teach my clients because it’s a strategy that builds long term consistent sales. It’s the building blocks that any successful business is built on. It’s an art form that you can learn, practice and finesse.
Here’s 3 things you can do to build strong relationships with your clients.
Appreciation
Any sale is important to a business, it doesn’t matter how big or small. It’s important to show real appreciation for your clients, because it’s way easier to nurture an existing relationship than it is to find a new customer.
Say thank you to all your customers. They don’t have to buy from you, there’s hundreds of people out there doing what you do across the world, so recognise the fact that they’ve chosen you.
That might be a thank you card, a small note or depending on how big a sale and what the person is buying a small token gift might be applicable.
Of course you don’t want to be giving your profits away, but a thank you really does cost nothing.
Get to know your clients
Find out what really keeps them up at night and understand their problem. What are they struggling with? Ask questions and find out the answers. Not only will it give you great insight for your marketing and product/ service design, it will allow you to create a connection.
Share your own struggles, talk about how you managed to overcome them, because people relate to others on that emotional level.
Don’t be afraid to take the topic off business and within reason explore a little more about them. Their likes and dislikes, their family status etc.
Be inquisitive. People won’t just buy from you the first time they see your offer, so start to build up that relationship with them. We call this the nurture phase of sales.
Be of service
Once you get to know your prospects and really understand their problems and issues, you can offer some help, maybe in the form of a link to your latest blog post that would offer them some advice on an issue they face, a white paper or an invite to your free training.
When people feel understood and listened to, they are way more likely to buy from you.
Your potential clients and customers will remember those little things you did for them along the way to them becoming a paying customer. They’ll reward you 10 fold!
There’s no denying that there’s a lot to learn about sales, it’s an art form, but I can say with absolute certainty that you are way better at selling than you actually give yourself credit for.
Now it’s about honing those skills, developing them further and learning all you can about sales. The real learning comes when you apply this knowledge. During your sales calls and your lead generation, that’s what will make you a great sales person.
Making mistakes is inevitable. I don’t know a single person in business who hasn’t made a bunch of humdingers when it comes to selling.
But like with everything in life, that’s how we learn.
Don’t be afraid to give it a go, practice selling, but above all, work on developing your relationship building skills.
Because that’s what will set you apart from everyone else selling in your niche!
If you want to learn how to build relationships that convert into paying clients or simply want to learn all you can about selling, then follow me on Instagram for daily sales advice.
