Zinnia的动态

Yup Love walking meetings ( synchronicity post https://bit.ly/3WV8CdK ) But why I love YOUR post Lauren Goodell is because you anchor on a key to building relationships. Know your audience, and be willing to get out of your own comfort zone to join them in theirs. I have been a confusing client for many sales folkes. White male 'dude' not into sports, would rather chew my arm off than go golfing, feel rather uncomfortable at large gatherings (people see my extrovertism and are confused) not a big drinker, but do enjoy a glass of wine, love conversations, love the arts, and love it when people meet me where I love to be. (use that one day golf/drink budget come ready to meet me at Lundstrum Performing Arts and make a donation) When I lived on the other side (selling) I was in Hong Kong, I took my clients/friends to their comfort spots, a pub, a rugby game, the horse races, Dim Sum, touring whatever. And while these might not have been my places of comfort, I learned to appreciate all of it, got to know my clients better, and grew personally. It is a win/win.. be present, be aware and be willing to lean in.. and the world (and people) will show you their beauty.

There is an interesting dichotomy in sales today that unfortunately far too few sales people or sales organizations are willing to recognize. It is absolutely true that sales is becoming more relationship driven. With customers being more educated about solutions, engaging sales people later in the process and liking to be sold too less and less. While at the same time sales people and sales organizations are pushing to move deals faster through the pipeline, make more connections and do more admin work than ever before. It's almost as if sales people and customers are aggressively working against each other. This is only going to become more problematic as organizations rely more heavily on entry level, off shore, lower cost, entry level business development people to initiate sales relationships.

Some great ideas in the comments. Curious how y’all are avoiding potential issues where prospects have anti-bribery clauses in their contract? I couldn’t even take some folk for a coffee without it being an issue let alone do some of these things ??

I agree and the stage in life matters. I prefer to take part in activities that promote health and wellness. The days of going out for drinks aren’t as exciting as they used to be, esp for parents who have a daily 6am wake up call and at least 2 hours mom duties before school.

All I can see when I read this is “I spend money to make money.” And “this is just the cost of doing business” How can I frame this to think about it differently?

If a salesperson took me to get my nails done; give me the contract I’m signing

I would invite them to fence, but I don't think beating your client with a metal stick is a good sales technique. IMO.

All about building relationships and trust, I always make sure I take time to get to know people outside of what they do for work. Haven’t done a walking meeting, a lot of lunches tho. I will say years ago when I was in finance a client was very amused I did Muay Thai and martial arts I took him to watch my buddy compete. He fell in love with the sport and started training to stay in shape. 10 years later we still stay in touch and talk about fights.

I love this post! In today's business world, it's easy to get stuck behind emails and phone calls, but you're absolutely right - sales is about building relationships! I've found that taking the time to meet prospects where they are, whether that's over coffee, on a walk, or even at a comedy club, makes all the difference. It's about showing genuine interest in who they are, beyond just their business needs. And the best part? Those relationships often extend far beyond the deal itself, leading to lasting connections and even friendships.