What is the only thing dating and business have in common? Well, it is all about building relationships. But just like dating, over the years business formats have changed and evolved too. With increased competition, technology and growth, relationships between brands and customers have changed. Today’s buyer expects a personalized buying process. This is why it is so important for sales leaders today to step away from the traditional ways of selling towards a new mindset, which is ‘relationship selling’.
What is relationship selling? Simply put, relationship selling is a sales approach focused on creating relationships with your potential customers and then selling your products. People buy from people they trust; and the best way to build trust is by first establishing a good relationship that’s based on authenticity, concern, and honesty. Does it sound a lot like dating, you’re right.
In this article, we have shared a couple of sales tips that salespeople can learn from dating, and how those lessons will improve your selling success.
1. Don’t Talk about Yourself
First rule of dating that applies to selling, don’t boast about yourself. It’s important to show interest in the person you are with so ask them questions. As sales people, it’s hard to not talk about your product but keep in mind, the final sale comes down to one thing: how can your product solve the needs of your customer? People buy because of their need. So, find out what their needs are by getting more information. Keep the conversation light and casual and not salesy. Remember, first impressions are the best impressions, so you have to impress.
2. Look for Signs
Just like in dating, it’s important to pick up on non-verbal cues from your prospect to understand what they are thinking or even discussing offline with their counterparts and key decision makers. Just like a relationship, it’s critical to be upfront and talk about a timeline, deal-breakers, etc., rather than operating on assumptions, which can put you in an awkward and painful position.
Here are a few signs we know of a not-so-serious buyer:
- They stand you up, over and over again
- They avoid sharing necessary information (budget, timeframe, competition)
- They don’t introduce you to the parents … I mean stakeholders
- There is no next date—lack of interest for future commitment
3. Charm Them with a Story
You may have heard the saying “A good salesperson knows how to talk; a great salesperson knows how to tell a story.” When used the right way, storytelling is extremely powerful and can help you more effectively relate to your buyer, create urgency and build trust. Studies show that when we listen to a story, our brains act as if we are living it. Combine your stories with statistics create “stickiness” that improve retention
At Salesteddy, we invite the prospect into the stories by using phrases like “Let’s assume…” which help the prospect envision themselves as the subject and are more impactful. We try our best for the first date, to be a great start to a lasting relationship.
4. Leave a Little to the Imagination
It’s important to not share everything about yourself on the first date. Why not leave a little to the imagination and keep your date intrigued? Similar to sales, you want to provide value to each encounter while giving your prospect a reason to speak with you again. Taking it slow can not only help your dating life, but it can also help your prospect better digest and retain important information along the sales cycle. that way when it comes time for a customized demo, you are in a better position to make “sparks fly.”
5. Know When to Move On
Just like dating, it’s important to know where you stand. The time it takes to chase down a not-so-serious buyer is time taken away from other valuable deals in your pipeline. Though it tis true, that “‘No’ is the second best response to a ‘Yes.’” but sometimes you just got to know when to move on. After multiple rejection, you just came to senses that it is not worth wasting your time on someone who’s just not that into you. And that basically means it’s time to move on.
Hi, guys. Today we just wanna share with you a short story about us. In 2011, Adstrux was launched and we thought it would become a prime marketing company, with hundreds of employees or something like that. But, needless to say, that didn’t happen.
Now, it may look like we are in an enviable position, running a profitable, growing other business with our marketing strategies and plans.. But for the first few years, we considered ourselves a failure. At our lowest point during the first lockdown, we almost gave up.
Now, we are sharing this story to help everyone understand that failures mould you to be stronger. It took us years to realize that we were misguided from the outset. Today, we are no longer feeling shame in the path we have embarked on. It took us a lot of mishaps and failures to get to where we are today — but for a long time, we did make mistakes and are not ashamed to admit it.
Now, though we are doing better than where we started but we won’t stop. In fact this is just the beginning. Our mistakes serve as the best teacher to work and function better. With all the teachings, we can assure you to take your business to the next level.
Contact us today and let’s talk. Again, remember mistakes happen but how you overcome them sets up apart from others.