Relationships in Sales
Money Maker #86 Don’t waste friendship, build on it.
It is possible to get to the Leadership position without passing through the Friendship stage. Some customers won’t allow you to be their “friend” but they will allow you to lead them. You may not have the skills or temperament to get personally close to a certain person.
But getting to the Leadership position with our customers is still possible. It is possible based solely on the quality and consistency of our work demonstrated in the Serviceship phase.
The Leadership position is where professional salespeople want to be. This is where the customer trusts you to make the best decision for his business. You have past the tests. You have made him a friend or at least a trusted confidant. You have also proven to him over time that you will do what is right for his business. You have proven that you will be competitive on an ongoing basis, but more importantly, you will bring his company value now and in the future.
Every person who gets a lot of things done has to delegate. But delegation doesn’t work if the person they are delegating to is incompetent or untrustworthy.