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In business, as in life, building relationships is key. No matter how talented you are or what service you provide, if your customers don’t like you or, worse, don’t trust you, you’re not going to get very far. Networking is a critical part of advancing your career, but making contacts will only serve you if you can foster them into fruitful business relationships.
Whenever you’re meeting with a client or a connection, especially a new one, make time in advance to learn a bit about them. Whether this means speaking to mutual acquaintances or researching online, doing your homework on a prospective customer or contact will allow you to identify common ground and better equip you to answer their questions or provide what they’re looking for. If you want them to give you their business, it’s crucial to come prepared. Coming to meetings well versed on the other party’s needs also assures them you will go the extra mile on their behalf.
Business relationships are investments. We invest time and energy into them with the expectation that they will provide value. Just as you’re hoping to leverage your business relationships to achieve certain goals, so are your colleagues, business partners, and customers. So, consider what value you’re providing back to them. In some cases, it may be helpful to illustrate what you have brought to the relationship by presenting hard numbers and proof of results. By making a strong case for the overwhelming benefits of the relationship, you stack your deck for success, and ensure the business relationship with grow and flourish in the future.
There’s a reason why your parents always said, “Honesty is the best policy.” It is. If you promise your client the sun, moon and stars when networking, then that’s exactly what they’re going to expect. It’s important to set ambitious goals, but it’s just as important to deliver. If you can’t come through, be proactive about letting your client know. Otherwise, any frustration they feel will be compounded by your having mislead them and your business relationship may suffer as a result. To avoid this scenario, set reasonable goals and manage expectations with customers, bosses, and colleagues. Promise only what you are absolutely certain you can deliver. It’s always better to surprise someone by providing more than expected rather than over-promising and under-delivering.
Ultimately, you’re here to serve your customers. If they feel your own agenda is taking priority over theirs, your business relationship will not last very long. You can only meet someone else’s needs if you listen to what those needs are, so always be as ready to hear as you are to speak. Listen to Cydcor President, Vera Quinn on the subject of really hearing your client:
You likely learned about playing “hard to get” in high school. In many ways, the same rules apply when building business relationships. If you appear too interested – contacting them incessantly, coming across as desperate for their business – they may start to suspect that you’re not that hot a commodity. You should seem interested in securing their business and maintaining a fruitful partnership, but make it clear that you have other irons in the fire and will be fine should things not work out. As we said earlier, if you’re clearly demonstrating the value you’ll bring to the relationship, they’ll be interested.
It can be a fine line between projecting confidence and arrogance, but it’s one you’ll have to navigate if you hope to form long-lasting and fruitful business relationships. A client or contact will be impressed by your knowledge and expertise but annoyed if it crosses over into condescension. You demonstrate your value to this business relationship best by doing your job well, not by being your own hype-man. An easy way to avoid sounding arrogant is to continuously show the other party that their thoughts and opinions matter. Remember that all business relationships are partnerships of some kind, meaning that both parties rightly feel that they matter and their ideas have value.
Often we make ourselves most available when we want something, and less so when we don’t. After you complete whatever business you’ve conducted with a client or contact, it can be easy to fall out of touch. Don’t fall into this trap. Make an effort to stay engaged and to continue networking, even when there’s nothing clearly “in it for you.” Business relationships, like fires, require constant kindling, or they can fizzle out. By checking in with clients and contacts on a regular basis, you demonstrate your long-term investment in the relationship and dedication to your customers.
Ultimately, maintaining a real, lasting business relationship is a marathon, not a sprint. It takes time, it takes work, and it takes commitment. By constantly providing value to your client or contact, consistently delivering what you promise, and by taking the time to nurture the relationship, you can build relationships that will continue to pay off for years to come.
One of the keys to being a successful sales professional is being great at the art of conversation. But being a good conversationalist is not something that comes naturally to everyone, even the most extroverted people in the world. There are some special conversational considerations for working in sales. Here are a few tips from Cydcor staff on how to master the art of sales-oriented conversation.
Learn more about Cydcor by checking out our profile on CrunchBase: https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/cydcor
Start by building rapport. Make your prospect feel at ease with a little bit of small talk. You want your customer to feel you’re likable, which will make them more inclined to listen to you.
Match your prospect’s energy level. If your customer seems calm and cool, don’t bowl them over with aggressive enthusiasm. However, if your prospect seems like a more energetic type, then match their energy with yours. That way, you’re likely to create a better connection that can lead to a sale.
Ask questions. Find out what kind of aspirations your customer has or any frustrations with your competitor’s product or service. By doing so, you’ll be able to find ways to show your customer that your product is the best.
Ease into the sales pitch. Your prospect is much more likely to respond positively if you don’t just jump into “buy my product or service” mode. You’ll want to make your pitch with solid facts and an appeal to your customer’s aspirations and needs.
Listen. It’s tempting to stop listening before a prospect finishes speaking. You want to figure out a rebuttal to their “no.” But that’s not how you make a sale. But by listening well and doing some gentle probing, you’ll get to know what goals and needs your customer has.
Be sincere. Nobody likes a phony, and almost everyone can tell when someone is bluffing. Be yourself, and remember that you don’t have to agree with every single thing the customer says. Instead, try introducing one or two different points of view into the conversation; it’ll be more fun for both you and your prospect.
Don’t be obsessed with the sale. Have you ever been to a car dealership or a store and encountered a pushy salesperson that wouldn’t back off until you either bought a product or walked out the door? Don’t be that person. “Hard sell” tactics are a turn-off to most prospects. Instead, keep sharing information and appealing to their needs and wants.
Expect nothing, but be prepared for everything. Sales is a great and potentially quite lucrative profession, but it takes some time to become a real expert at it. Be patient with yourself and continue developing your unique skills to master the art of conversation—and conversion.
What tips would you give your teammates for mastering the art of sales conversation? Please share them in the comments. For additional blogs from Cydcor, be sure to check out https://www.cydcor.com/media.
We are Cydcor, the recognized leader in outsourced sales services located in Agoura Hills, CA. From our humble beginnings as an independent sales company based in Canada to garnering a reputation as the global leader in outsourced sales, Cydcor has come a long way. We’ve done this by having exceptional sales professionals and providing our clients with proven sales and marketing strategies that get results.
Think about how many interactions with other people you have each day: ordering your coffee, chatting with a stranger over lunch, or meeting people on a bus on your way back home. Each interaction represents an opportunity to turn a stranger into a customer. At Cydcor, we believe that networking is crucial for finding new contacts. Here are some tips for turning connections into customers.
Refine and Memorize Your Elevator Pitch
The function of an elevator pitch is to communicate what you do to someone else. If someone can’t understand your business, they won’t be able to see the value it could provide. Your story should be conversational and convey your work briefly.
Work the Contacts You Already Have
You know more people than just those you interact with every day: think on all of your friends and their friends, former coworkers, family members, and past clients. Connect with as many people as you can to get your name out there. Network with “People You May Know” on LinkedIn, fellow alumni, or get to know people who have the same creative outlet as you.
Determine Who Will Make a Good Connection
A good contact is someone who would find value in working with you and seems genuinely interested in what you do. People should be comfortable with you before you give them your pitch. If they like you, they’re more likely to want to learn more about you and about your business.
Follow up With Potential Customers
Put potential customers’ information in your contacts list as soon as you get a chance. Send them an email to follow up if they’ve expressed interest in working with you, or even if you just want to say how great it was to meet them.
Market Yourself Online
Compose smartly crafted newsletters and keep a valuable blog up to date with fresh, new content. The more people who subscribe to your platforms and pay attention to your company, the better. Also leverage the power of social media. More and more people these days use social media to learn about a topic or a business. Social media can help you reach people you normally wouldn’t interact with on a daily basis. So, take advantage of the many networking sites available online.
Be Mindful of Your Potential Client’s Needs
Once you have made a first impression on a new contact do not overstay your welcome if you notice they are busy or rushed. Offer a friendly good-bye after you’ve exchanged contact information, and then be on your way. Don’t flood them with too much information. Be aware of the queues your contacts give you such as time constraints. You will be better off leaving your contacts wanting to know more about what you have to offer at a later time rather than forcing a conversation when is not the right time.
So, tell us, do you use casual conversations to discover new customers? what techniques do you use to find new customers in creative ways? Post your story on Twitter and follow us @Cydcor.
We are Cydcor, the recognized leader in outsourced sales services. From our humble beginnings as an independent sales company based in Canada to garnering a reputation as the global leader in outsourced sales, Cydcor has come a long way. We’ve done this by having exceptional sales professionals and providing our clients with proven sales and marketing strategies that get results.