5 ways to build relationships and improve sales

Building relationships is a crucial aspect of sales, as it helps to establish trust and credibility with customers, leading to increased sales and customer loyalty.

Close friend of ActionCOACH, international sales trainer & keynote speaker, bestselling author and ‘King of Sales’ Jeffrey Gitomer believes that sales is the lifeblood of business. He emphasises the importance of relationship building in sales and provides valuable insights into how to effectively build and maintain relationships with customers. Here are five ways to build relationships in sales, drawing on Gitomer’s teachings…

• Listen to your customers
  One of the most important things you can do to build relationships with your customers is to listen to what they have to say. Pay attention to their needs, concerns, and interests, and be genuinely interested. This helps to establish trust and credibility, and shows your customers that you care about their well-being. According to Gitomer, “People don’t care how much you know, until they know how much you care” By taking the time to listen to your customers, you demonstrate your commitment to their success, which in turn, builds trust and strengthens your relationship.

• Be authentic
  Being authentic is essential to building relationships in sales. Customers appreciate salespeople who are genuine and transparent, and who aren’t afraid to be themselves. By being authentic, you build trust and credibility, and establish a connection with your customers that sets the foundation for a strong relationship. According to Gitomer, “Authenticity builds trust, and trust builds business.”
• Follow up
  Following up with your customers is another important aspect of relationship building in sales – According to Gitomer, “The fortune is in the follow-up”. It shows your customers that you care about their needs and are committed to helping them succeed. Whether it’s through email, phone calls, or in-person visits, following up with your customers demonstrates your commitment to their well-being, and helps to build and maintain strong relationships.

• Focus on the customer
  It is essential to put the customer first and always consider their needs and preferences. According to Gitomer, “The customer is always right, and the sale is always about them”… This includes being patient and understanding, and taking the time to listen to their concerns. By focusing on the customer, you show that you value their business and are committed to helping them succeed. This helps to establish trust and credibility, and sets the foundation for a strong relationship.
• Be confident
  Confidence is key to successful sales, and is essential to building relationships with customers. Project a positive attitude, maintain high energy levels, and approach each sale with confidence. This helps to build trust and credibility, and demonstrates your commitment to your customers’ success. According to Gitomer, “Confidence is contagious, and contagious is good for sales”

Building relationships in sales is a crucial aspect of success, and is essential to increasing sales and customer loyalty. By listening to your customers, being authentic, following up, focusing on the customer, and being confident, you can establish trust and credibility with your customers, and build strong, long-lasting relationships that drive success.

Who is ActionCOACH’s Business Coach Mark Dilks?

Mark Dilks is an accomplished business leader, experienced coach, mentor and business builder. He supports business owners, executives and teams across Milton Keynes, Bedford, Northampton, Luton & Dunstable in all aspects of building profitable high growth businesses; from start-up phase all the way through to maturity and divestment. No matter what challenges you are facing, Mark will invariably have encountered a similar situation previously and will be able to support you to quickly and efficiently overcome your business hurdles by sharing examples of how other business have solved similar problems that you are experiencing. He is motivated, driven, tenacious and is able to get the very best out of all the resources available to his clients and to ensure that the maximum results possible are achieved.