Are You Risking The Relationship for the Sale --
And Then Losing the Sale Anyway?

Losing a potential client can be disheartening, especially if you lose them for reasons you aren't even aware of.

When we've lost a potential client we may believe the reason has something to do with the price, features, or benefits of our product or service. When we're trying to make that potential client a client in fact and deed, we focus on what we're selling because we feel we have to differentiate our product or services from our competitors so our prospects will understand that what we’re offering them is unique.

But…what if focusing all our energy on what we're selling is the REAL reason we're losing sales?. "Not possible!" you say. No

Let me tell you the story of a salesman at a large corporation. He was in charge of getting an enormous sales contract from a client. His VP in charge of sales called him into his office and asked how the sale was coming along and when the deal would close. The salesman mentioned that is was going well and he was sure the client would sign the deal soon. The VP then put pressure on the salesman to CLOSE IT now. Even though the salesman knew he had everything in hand, he bowed to his boss's wishes and put pressure on the client to close the deal. The client went with someone else.

When the salesman went back to the client for feedback, he was stunned to discover that even though his offer was higher than their competition's, they had been about to sign with him because he seemed to truly care about their needs. They only changed their minds when he put extra pressure on them. They felt that up to that point the salesman had understood their problems and their issues and genuinely wished to help them. His approach had been more of a friend helping a friend, but when he pressured them, the client realized that he was just like all the other salesmen out there and decided to go with the cheaper competitor.

The key here is to treat your clients as people, not clients. Listen to their needs, find out what their problems are and build a relationship based on mutual trust. Once they know that you're not like everyone else, once their trust has been placed in you, you've gone from selling them a product or a service to helping them reach their goals.

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