The Relationship or The Sale?
By Jim Cathcart
Both Matter Equally
Relationship Selling. Which word is more important? The relationship? Or the selling? I've asked that question of many audiences and typically they'll say, "It's the relationship that's the most important."
If you build a good relationship with somebody in business, and you never make a sale, what's that worth to you in round numbers? Zero. In other words, the relationship without the sale is not worth much.
On the other hand, what if you make a sale to someone, but you do it in such a way that you don't cultivate a relationship with him or her? How hard is the second sale going to be? Not only as hard as the first, it will be harder than the first. People today expect that we will be professionals in selling. They expect that we will connect with them and be their business friend, that we will be there for them to see to it that they get what they bought, that the product or service is delivered with integrity, and that the decision they made to do business with us turns out to be a solid business decision.
The relationship matters and the sale matters. It's not either/or; it is one phrase -- Relationship Selling -- that describes a way of going about making sales, building relationships, and cultivating profitable, ongoing connections with people.
From: Relationship Selling e-Book
© 2002 Cathcart Institute, Inc.
DMH-027-010304
Relationship Selling. Which word is more important? The relationship? Or the selling? I've asked that question of many audiences and typically they'll say, "It's the relationship that's the most important."
If you build a good relationship with somebody in business, and you never make a sale, what's that worth to you in round numbers? Zero. In other words, the relationship without the sale is not worth much.
On the other hand, what if you make a sale to someone, but you do it in such a way that you don't cultivate a relationship with him or her? How hard is the second sale going to be? Not only as hard as the first, it will be harder than the first. People today expect that we will be professionals in selling. They expect that we will connect with them and be their business friend, that we will be there for them to see to it that they get what they bought, that the product or service is delivered with integrity, and that the decision they made to do business with us turns out to be a solid business decision.
The relationship matters and the sale matters. It's not either/or; it is one phrase -- Relationship Selling -- that describes a way of going about making sales, building relationships, and cultivating profitable, ongoing connections with people.
From: Relationship Selling e-Book
© 2002 Cathcart Institute, Inc.
DMH-027-010304
Visit Jim Cathcart's Website: http://www.cathcart.com
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