Relationships Sell
I recently went to a baseball game with a couple of friends; one of those friends is a salesperson who specializes in setting up computer networks for small companies. As we watched the game, we began talking with the people around us, and what happened next just goes to show you that relationships and networking are often more important than the product you are selling.
My friend, the salesperson, started a conversation with the person next to him about the game and baseball in general and whatever else happened to come up. As they continued talking, their conversation turned to business. As it turns out, the person with whom he was talking with had just started a small company and had begun looking for a computer/networking system.
My friend started telling him about all the different options that he could offer and how they could tailor a system that would fit his business and fit his start up budget. At first, the customer was interested but just not sure it was a good idea to be making this large of decision at a Friday night baseball game. He asked my friend for his card and said he would think about it and maybe give him a call.
Their conversation turned back to the pitching in the game and they discussed the possibility that a change in order on the mound. As the night progressed, you could just sense they were fast becoming friends. By the eighth inning, their conversation made its way back to business and this time the new business owner was ready to talk specifics and possibly make a purchase from his new friend. Two weeks later, I asked if he had made a sale to the person at the baseball game. He told me yes and that it was the biggest sale he had ever made.
The point of this is not to prove that my friend is a great salesperson or that a baseball game is the ultimate spot for a salesperson to make a living. No, the point of telling you this story is just to remind you that establishing relationships is very often more important than the product you are selling. Sure, there has to be a need for what you are selling, but the relationship between the salesperson and the customer is what sells the product. My guess is that my friend and his new customer will be doing business together for a long time, and it is all because of a relationship they established at a baseball game.
FINAO – Brad Huisken, President – IAS TRAINING
