Blog Category: Sales Relationships

When I was growing up, I occasionally heard my father use the expression “He is a class act” when talking about someone he had encountered or done business with. In the ensuing years, I have used the expression myself, and now I am thinking about all of the class acts that I have seen and been a recipient of in the past few years. I wanted to categorize and then share them in some way so that we can all see them in a way that makes sense.

One thing I believe in to be successful at sales is the ability to embrace an abundance mentality. Simply put, there are more than enough business opportunities to go around if you are approaching your business the right way. I have seen competitors go after each other in a way that just saps all of their energy and takes away from their ability to develop new business.

The Internet is connecting people to other people, to information, to ideas, to things, in amazingly powerful new ways. It isn’t changing the fact that we are still human. And we humans like to do business with people we know and trust, even in a world where the Internet seems pervasive.

The dictionary defines relevant as “having direct bearing on the matter in hand.” In my work with my clients, I always have people ask themselves that question – and it’s a tough one. In the environment we live and work in, our ability to create relevancy in the minds and hearts of our clients and prospects is paramount. It’s the way we differentiate.

This question has an esoteric feel to it, but I assure you it’s totally real. Are you present? I don’t mean are you physically present; rather, are you truly engaged with the people around you? Your ability to be present has all the power to make a huge difference between success and failure.

This is about the time of year that my clients start to call me and ask, “Why can’t I make any progress with my prospects and customers?” (Actually, I hear this all year long, but now it seems to be a bit more pronounced.) More to the point, I also hear from the customers and prospects who ask me for advice about how to “handle” salespeople. So, without further ado, I am publishing this letter from sales on how we can all get along.