Why is finding the right partner such hard work I hear my friends cry? They have everything going for them, great job, witty, beautiful but don’t seem to meet their Mr Right. So where are they going wrong, is there really such a shortage of single people? So after racking my brains as to how I could help them I came up with an idea,
“why don’t you apply the same rules I use in winning a sale to finding and building the perfect relationship”
and before you choke on your Latte, think about it, the approaches are not that different, take a look at my 10 sales techniques to use when finding and building a relationship and see for yourself…….
- Before starting any sales campaign it’s important to build a strategy, so that you know what you want to achieve and what success will look like.. the same applies in relationships, you need to know what you want out of it to eliminate disappointment in the long run
- Before meeting an prospects you need to qualify them to establish if they have a need for your services… with dating it’s always important to understand if they have a genuine need and that it meets your requirements before committing to a date (no point finding out in a few months time that you want different things)!
- First impressions in business really do matter, how you look, how you dress and how you handle yourself are key to winning business…it is no different when dating, sad but true you don’t often get a second chance at this so make an effort ladies
- Questioning techniques are key to understanding the clients requirements before you can discuss how your solutions can solve their problems…so when on that first date asking all the right questions upfront will give you better insight into their lives and whether you want to be part of it, however a word of caution, asking if they want to get married or have children on the first date might not lead to a second one!
- Closing the deal and gaining commitment from the client to buy your product or service is critical …how you choose to do that in on date is entirely up to you, I will leave it to your imagination!
- The contract is an important part of doing business so everyone knows where they stand ..the same can be said for relationships, it’s always good to understand your position and future plans
- Relationship management is an ongoing, once the deal is done and the contract is signed it important to keep close the client and understand their future buying strategies and any changes in their business that may impact your contract… so ladies in a relationship once you have closed the deal the hard work really starts to ensure they are not distracted by the competition
- Lateral sales penetration is a critical part of relationship management, who else would buy your products or services, who are the influencers in the buying cycle?…in relationships it’s not only your partner you have to impress, it’s the rest of their family too!
- Customer insight is all about understanding the voice of the customer, how happy are they with your products or services, what could you do better and then aligning the results with your future sales strategy…so ladies finding out what they really think can help you work on the faults, just remember that sometimes you might not like the answers (I once asked a boyfriend if my bottom looked big in my trousers, his reply ”no it’s your lack of exercise and poor diet that make your bottom look big not your trousers” ouch!
- Account cleansing, not all business is good business, so go back to your sales strategy and see if your current accounts still fit the persona of your ideal client, if not lose them… not enough people do this in relationships but ladies you need to review your ROI and if the figures don’t stack up get rid!!
Good luck ladies.
Kristy Davies-Sumpter
KDS Business Solutions is a sales consultancy with over 20 years expertise in b2b sales. We are passionate about sales and love nothing more than seeing businesses grow to their full potential. We are all about sales, whether you require help developing your sales strategy, sales process and workflow improvement, customer loyalty surveys, performance improvement, CRM implementation or sales training and development for yourself and your team KDS Business Solutions can help. www.kdsbusinesssolutions.com Twitter @KDSBizsolutions.
