Relationship Selling – A Better, Easier Way
Today’s salespeople must be versatile, nimble representatives of their companies and are under enormous performance pressure.
They must be able to effectively communicate information in ways that provide value to customers. Be able to fluidly navigate the needs and expectations of both internal and external customers. And, they must build and sustain long-term relationships that will grow their customers’ profits as well as their own.
And, in addition to all that, they must be able to counter offers and promises made by an unprecedented volume of competition from external competitors, the customer’s internal resources, as well as from alternative products and services that are often redefining or transforming business categories and sectors.
It’s a a very challenging career. Approaching each customer with a service focus, and honing relationship-oriented skills are crucial to making the sales process more manageable, successful, and profitable with both existing and new customers.
The new view of selling: focusing on the customer
Think again about salespeople and their important role in business. They convert prospects into customers, and connect products and services with buyers. It takes a particular determination and discipline to do this job well.
Its all about making the customer the primary focus throughout every stage of the sales cycle.
That’s the heart of the MAGIC® approach to sales. Our philosophy emphasizes the importance of placing the customer at the center of every single interaction.
It has absolutely nothing to do with trying to push a product or service on a customer who may be a wrong fit for that solution. Nor is it about using a transactional approach based on rote selling process that leads the customer to say yes.
8 steps to better, easier selling
Rather, we focus on adding value and building a long-term relationship that will benefit both parties.
Here are the core principles of The MAGIC Relationship Selling:
- Strive to develop a long-term relationship rather than just make a sale.
- Determine a customer’s needs and priorities.
- Think ahead to identify long-term customer needs.
- Understand what each customer has at stake.
- Identify challenges that a customer may confront and position products and services as solutions to those issues.
- Use initiative and creativity to meet and, if possible, exceed customer expectations.
- Respond to customers in a consistently professional, expedient and accurate fashion.
- Act with integrity throughout the entire life of the relationship.
When a salesperson focuses on a customer’s needs and understands their priorities, he can find a product and benefits that meets them, and win the sale as well as the customer’s confidence and loyalty.
With a focus on a customer’s needs, and an understanding of their priorities, a salesperson can win the sale, as well as the customer’s confidence and loyalty.
