The Essential Ingredients of Relationship Selling

Relationship selling is primarily based on learning about your prospects, understanding their point of view, building common ground, and providing value. It requires you to listen, establish common ground, build a relationship, and provide value.

Be an active listener. Let your prospect take center stage and talk about themselves. When you are building the relationship, there is no need to push your agenda and talk about your product or service. You’ll have an opportunity to do that later when your prospect is ready. It’s crucial to first show them that you’re interested in what they have to say.

Doing your research is a critical first step in building any relationship. Browse social media and websites, and ask tons of questions to help establish a rapport. Look for common interests and similarities.

NOTE: Relationship Selling Is about Relationships!

Don’t be afraid to get personal and share something about yourself if you know that they’d be interested in talking about it. Treat this relationship just like any other that you would like to build. Be sincere and genuine and leave your usual salesperson personality in the background. You don’t want to be thinking about how to sell – think about how to get to know your prospect better.

Your prospects will trust you more if you’re an established expert in your field. For example, if you’re mainly working with people from healthcare, make sure you keep up with the latest trends in that industry. If you’re well-versed in your prospect’s sector, you’ll be better able to craft your pitch so it addresses their main pain points. They will be aware that you took the time to learn and educate yourself so that you can help them with the best advice and solution.

Reach out to your prospect with helpful suggestions or links to relevant and useful resources. Make an introduction to someone who can help them with a business challenge. This will reinforce that you are not just a salesperson, but a trusted consultant.