Following a seminar that I delivered recently, a gentleman in the audience approached me to validate one of the points I made. My new friend was a seasoned sales professional that had worked for the same security integration company for about 15 years, and had grown a very impressive portfolio of clients. He told me about one of his clients who instructed him to sharpen his technical skills. His customer then added: “I want to keep working with you Frank, but I’m not going to be able to hold off your competition much longer. They’re beating down my boss’s door with some very creative ideas.” He looked at me and said: “Chris, you’re exactly right … relationships don’t matter as much as they used to.”
Even though I appreciated Frank’s endorsement, I had to correct him. Relationships still matter, and they’re just as important as they’ve ever been. If Frank didn’t have trusting relationships, he never would’ve received the coaching that his customer gave him. Relationships still matter - they just matter in a different way than they did 20 years ago.
Before the Internet turn the world of buying upside down, customers viewed sales people as their primary source of information. We were the external experts. Our points of contact were the internal experts. If the Facilities Manager decided to buy from you, the GM didn’t argue. So, the outcome was millions of buying decisions every year being made by one person that chose the sales person they liked and trusted the most. Everything else being equal, the sales people that were likeable, built rapport quickly, and could shift a business relationship to a friendship were the most successful. The sales professionals that could build these relationships and provide technical guidance were the top 1% - they were the great ones. Back then, relationships were the price of admission, and technical competence was a bonus.
In today’s buying environment, most decisions are made by a committee. Decisions are easily challenged by bosses and peers within minutes. The Security Manager can recommend your products and services today, and within 90 seconds of online searching, their decision can be challenged. The department head is no longer the internal expert – Google has taken over – and has turned into an honest broker for most organizations. The outcome is millions of buying decisions every year being made on sales people’s technical competence. Everything else being equal, sales people that can identify and solve problems for customers are the most successful today. Sales people that are technically competent and able to create friendships are the top 1% - they’re the great ones. Today, technical competence is the price of admission, and relationships are a bonus.
Think about Frank’s scenario above. He probably won that account years ago by creating rapport and deepening personal relationships. When his customer first told him to improve his technical skills, he felt a little insulted. He thought that he had already paid his dues and deserved the ongoing business from that account. Unfortunately for Frank, and many seasoned sales people today, the price that he paid years ago is no longer valid, and many new sales people are paying with today’s currency. Fortunately for Frank, his personal relationship provided him the coaching he needed to save most of his accounts, and win many new accounts.
So, that’s the difference: back in the good ol’ days, the price of admission was the ability to create relationships, and today it’s technical competence. However, after paying the price of admission, building relationships is the key skill in moving sales people from being adequate performers to being one of the great ones. Don’t buy into the hype – relationships still matter.
