From my Grandfather-in-law and salesman-for-life, Milton Silverman:
“People buy from people they like. People buy for their reasons, not ours. Develop relationships with your best customers, and they will become your friends and your lifeblood.”
Take an interest in the personal lives. Develop interaction outside the office. Find common interests. Deliver on promise. Find an interest in their business. Get strategic. Be consistent. Earn trust. Bring value, resources and people to help them. Help them acheive their goals. Lower their cost. Increase their productivity. Be an active, good listener. Involve them in your personal life. Go above and beyond for service. Do what you say you are going to do. Follow up. Have ethical and principle centered values. Develop a win-win for both you and them. Be flexible. Know their family situation, their partners, their kids their special dates. Be affilifated with the trade associations. Be involved in your community. Never assume you have all the answers. Research. Be value-added. Have your heart in it and pursue avenues you believe in. Completely understand your customer’s needs. Have accountability and follow-through. Be available. Laugh at yourself. Learn from your mistakes. Make yourself proprietary and stress your uniqueness. Be attentive and detail-oriented. Know the structure of their organization. If 90% of your revenue is from 5 customers, 90% of our time should be spent on them. Be sincere. Turn challenges into opportunities. See pitfalls as business, not personal. Establish and manage expectations. Send thank you notes and client-specific gifts that you know will be appreciated. Think outside the box. Be proactive, not reactive. Be humble. Be open. Expresss gratitude.
Have fun. Smile.
“In the modern world of business, it is useless to be a creative original thinker unless you can also sell what you create. Management cannot be expected to recognize a good idea unless it is presented to them by a good salesman.”
~ David M. Ogilvy
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