How to build strong business relationships - Sales and Customer Service - Common Sense Leadership
Sales and Customer Service - Building strong internal and external business relationships
I am not selling my products - my products are free.
My products are accompanied with honesty integrity and the commitment for a long term strong business relationship.
No hidden agenda and no nasty surprises.
What I am selling is my service, service delivery and customer care.
Would you be interested in receiving the best service there is?
Reliable, effective and efficient service delivery, Customer Care that is second to none and a business relationship that will never fade?
Well if you would like to be worry free knowing that if anything goes wrong your supplier would be there for you!
Any day at any time, please give me a call.
Did you like that closing end of the sales pitch?
Some might call it a sales pitch, but I call it a long term relationship building invitation.
YouTube video Link here:
This closing end can be used if you truly have the Customer Service and Customer Care that is second to none.
- The higher level of customer service leads to better relationships.
- Close knit inter departmental relationships - Stronger the organisational culture
- Better service between departments - extraordinary results
- Great Customer satisfaction = all equals to rapid business growth.
It's important to build and maintain relationships.
Not just externally, but within and between every department in the company so that they all support the effort to acquire, maintain and grow the customer base.
You wouldn't want anyone getting in the way of that effort and you must have every employee on board of the ideology and willing to do what it takes to help accomplish your business, vision, mission and goals.
Customer service is not just how we interact, deal with and serve our external customers - The same applies to our internal customers.
When it comes to our external customers it is equally important to develop relationships with all of your customers in the same way and on the same level.
Not just the big customers, but the accounts that could become big, the centres of influence, and the ones you simply couldn't bear to lose.
As I have mentioned, in my online reputation article,
The are so many "Old habits die hard", but when it comes to relationships, business owners and HR personnel make a huge mistake that in the long run cost them great deal of business relationships.I have seen this one so many times.
When employing a new salesperson, many employers tend to make the same costly mistake over and over again:
Looking for a salesperson,
With a large network and customer base,
Minimum experience of 5-10 years,
in the exact industry doing the same thing.
If you are a business owner, don't make the same mistake - They are not your clients or your customers and they do not have a true relationship with your business.
They are your employee clients and customers and their existing relationship is with your employee - not with your business.
Think about it - What happens to those clients when your employee leaves?
Health and Food Industry sales are notorious on this point:
5-10 Years experience in the same industry?
Give me a break!
They are stealing competitors sales staff, borrowing contacts and networks from each other and for the new sales staff to get into the industry
is highly unlikely.
Even if you are a Sales Team Leader for 10-15 years, if you are not in the same industry you have a slim to none chance to get in.
Instead, focus on finding and employing a salesperson who can build relationships from scratch for you, sell and provide superior customer service while you take care of maintaining the relationship with your customers.
Your relationships with these customers are crucial in the event that the salesperson leaves the company.
Your relationship with that account may be the only power you have to retain that business!
In regards to sales and customer service staff, measure their performance by the numbers, not from the sentimental or emotional aspects.
Use the relationship and the respect you have earned to improve the performance and provide constructive feedback and motivation.
The keyword here is earned-
respect is earned not a given right.
There isn't a person in the company who must work more on developing relationships than sales leadership, customer service management and upper management.
When it comes to building long term business relationships, there is one misconception: Developing a business relationship does not mean that one should, must or shall become friends.
It simply means that you are working an interpersonal association between two individuals; based on REITH -
Instead of building a sales culture, try with building an Organisational Customer Service Culture even in your sales department.
Sales culture based on push for more ABC is a morale-killer.
An organisational Culture won’t change on its own - at least not for better and 9/10 it won’t change without getting outside expert advice.
Building an Organisational Customer Service culture and leading with it, is the business game changer.
The courage to take the first step to recognise the need for a change is half of your battle.
The other half is to be willing to accept the new norm of selling.
Even if they buy a product from you,Clients want the relationship service.
And the only way you can secure your position in the new circle of this new emerging breed of clients is to:
I guess we all have a " Lesson Learned" in this department.
If you have learned any lessons in the past - please share with us in the comment section below or
on YouTube
https://youtu.be/1vLYGfLbY3M
Not just externally, but within and between every department in the company so that they all support the effort to acquire, maintain and grow the customer base.
You wouldn't want anyone getting in the way of that effort and you must have every employee on board of the ideology and willing to do what it takes to help accomplish your business, vision, mission and goals.
Customer service is not just how we interact, deal with and serve our external customers - The same applies to our internal customers.
When it comes to our external customers it is equally important to develop relationships with all of your customers in the same way and on the same level.
Not just the big customers, but the accounts that could become big, the centres of influence, and the ones you simply couldn't bear to lose.
As I have mentioned, in my online reputation article,
Everyone wants your customer
but, it's up to you to keep them in your corner and keep them coming back for more.The are so many "Old habits die hard", but when it comes to relationships, business owners and HR personnel make a huge mistake that in the long run cost them great deal of business relationships.I have seen this one so many times.
When employing a new salesperson, many employers tend to make the same costly mistake over and over again:
Looking for a salesperson,
With a large network and customer base,
Minimum experience of 5-10 years,
in the exact industry doing the same thing.
If you are a business owner, don't make the same mistake - They are not your clients or your customers and they do not have a true relationship with your business.
They are your employee clients and customers and their existing relationship is with your employee - not with your business.
Think about it - What happens to those clients when your employee leaves?
Health and Food Industry sales are notorious on this point:
5-10 Years experience in the same industry?
Give me a break!
They are stealing competitors sales staff, borrowing contacts and networks from each other and for the new sales staff to get into the industry
is highly unlikely.
Even if you are a Sales Team Leader for 10-15 years, if you are not in the same industry you have a slim to none chance to get in.
Instead, focus on finding and employing a salesperson who can build relationships from scratch for you, sell and provide superior customer service while you take care of maintaining the relationship with your customers.
Your relationships with these customers are crucial in the event that the salesperson leaves the company.
Your relationship with that account may be the only power you have to retain that business!
In regards to sales and customer service staff, measure their performance by the numbers, not from the sentimental or emotional aspects.
Use the relationship and the respect you have earned to improve the performance and provide constructive feedback and motivation.
The keyword here is earned-
respect is earned not a given right.
There isn't a person in the company who must work more on developing relationships than sales leadership, customer service management and upper management.
When it comes to building long term business relationships, there is one misconception: Developing a business relationship does not mean that one should, must or shall become friends.
It simply means that you are working an interpersonal association between two individuals; based on REITH -
Respect, Empathy, Integrity, Trust, Honesty
While it is inevitable that a friendship will evolve here and there, that is not and should not be the end goal.Instead of building a sales culture, try with building an Organisational Customer Service Culture even in your sales department.
Focus on service delivery rather on ABC - Always Be Closing.
Sales Management based on ABC principles and focusing strictly on cross-selling and up-selling asks from their sales staff to participate in more aggressive business approach. directly disregarding the relationship building aspects.Sales culture based on push for more ABC is a morale-killer.
An organisational Culture won’t change on its own - at least not for better and 9/10 it won’t change without getting outside expert advice.
Building an Organisational Customer Service culture and leading with it, is the business game changer.
The courage to take the first step to recognise the need for a change is half of your battle.
The other half is to be willing to accept the new norm of selling.
Even if they buy a product from you,Clients want the relationship service.
And the only way you can secure your position in the new circle of this new emerging breed of clients is to:
change your sales culture from ABC to ABRB!
ALWAYS BE RELATIONSHIP BUILDING
I guess we all have a " Lesson Learned" in this department.
If you have learned any lessons in the past - please share with us in the comment section below or
on YouTube
https://youtu.be/1vLYGfLbY3M
Thank you
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