Relationships - What is Their Value in Selling?

Many people consider THE RELATIONSHIP as the most important thing in selling.

This week I met with a manager selling IT resources, who put forward the real value of good customer relations: “My customers know that I always keep my promises – that’s why they call me and buy the next JAVA programmer”.

I totally agree - who does not want to be served like that?

But the main issue is when that company wants to go from 9% EBIT to 18%. How can they provide the added value needed to make more money? In resource-selling based on relationships selling is very difficult. The market only pays this margin.

So how can this seller benefit from relationships?

First: understand that the key to serving the platform buyers is on a “I call you - you serve me” basis. Second: he could use the relations to get to POWER, who in the organization is the ROI buyer? Can he use his friends to get there? Maybe, but maybe not. He must get to the ROI buyer and bring a value proposition based on his knowledge of the client; doing so, he can benefit from the relationship and knowledge. This approach gives him a chance to take leadership in the customer relation. He now earns the right to make more money as he sells a solution to an ROI problem.

Let me conclude: Relationships are good for all, but it should not stop us from moving out from our comfort zone and meet the ROI buyers, who think more of value than relations.

Written by and posted with the permission of:
Jens Edgren, Lindgren Partners Solution Selling
+ 46 8 651 25 00
www.lindgren-partners.se



Solution Selling Cartoon: The Best Relationships are Based on Value

This is what happens when salespeople think that customer relationships aren’t based on the value you deliver…

You can find more tidbits of Solution Selling wisdom like this in the Solution Selling Fieldbook.