The Secret to Profitable Client Relationships

Successful business owners train their salespeople to develop a foundation of strong client relationships. Why? As with every purchase decision, individuals prefer to do business with people they like, with people who seem genuinely interested in them, and with people who really care about their concerns. That means salespeople must be willing to start and then nurture the client relationship if they want clients to return, as well as refer their friends.

Some company leaders attempt to educate their sales force about client relations by using buzzwords such as "Total Quality Management," "customer satisfaction index," "zero defects," "client service," etc. But what does all this really mean to salespeople? After all, many of the veteran salespeople made it through the '80s and '90s without all the commotion about quality and service. Why all the fuss now? Is this just another fad, some passing fancy that will come and go like Hula-Hoops, disco dancing, or designer jeans? Hardly. A fundamental change is taking place in customer service, and the salespeople who realize this and change with it will be the people who succeed in 2012 and beyond.

Relationships = Sales

Profitable client/salesperson relationships are built upon a solid foundation of mutual respect and understanding. And the greater the intended outcome, the deeper and stronger that foundation must be. In fact, the limits of accomplishment, productivity, and satisfaction within an organization are all a function of the nature and quality of the relationships the salespeople have developed with the organization's clients.