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As the market place evolves, the sales skills required to succeed in the past have become obsolete. Sales people must adapt their skills to the needs of their customers.
The development of long term relationships with customers and ultimately partnering highlights the sales person’s need to develop leadership and managerial skills to bring all of the required resources of the company including differing opinions and personalities to focus on a single issue; meeting the needs of the customer.
The future of selling will go well beyond the one to one relationships of the past into cross functional selling teams with the sales person in the lead. In many companies and industries this is already a fact of life.
Implications to the Sales Person
Sales skills required to develop and foster long term relationships are externally focused rather than internally focused on the sales person’s need to get the next sale and commission check. It involves a different mindset from the normal level of sales skills.
The Application
The sales person must have specific skills to be successful in the development of long term relationships. These include:
Customer Focus The sales person must focus on the best interests of the customer. If they help the customer get what they want, the sales person will obtain what they want.
Earn the Right to Do Business Customers have little patience with inept or poorly informed or prepared sales people. The sales person’s expertise and experience only earn them the license to do business. Customers want sales people who know more than they do about their industry and applications. They only have the time to see those who can add value to their business.
Involve Customers Customers are seeking solutions that drive down costs and drive up profitability. They want to be involved in the process with their vendors so they can integrate various solutions into an effective system wide solution for their business.
The essence of long term relationships and partnering is the integration of a product or service into the customer’s overall production system. This involves a great deal of cooperation and involvement, which is at the heart of the entire concept of partnering.
Influence Internal Resources Productively The sales person needs the ability to marshal the required internal resources to meet and exceed the customer’s expectations. They need to know where to go and who to use to effectively get the job done.
Think Long Term Sales people must think long term beyond the next sale and commission check. They must develop a vision of how the relationship will develop, taking the necessary steps to move it forward for the customer’s benefit.
Something to Think About
1. How many of these sales skills do you currently employ? What skills do you need to acquire? Explain.
2. Do you see an evolution in your industry where you have observed a need to develop these skills? Explain.
-- Timothy F. Bednarz, PhD
Timothy F. Bednarz, PhD is the Principal Partner of the American Management Development Group. He can be reached at 800.654-4935 or amdg@charter.net. Find out more at www.LetsTalkSelling.com.
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