Mastering Customer-Focused Sales: Building Relationships That Drive Success
When I started my career in sales, I became known for adding thoughtful “extra touches” to customer interactions. I keep a folder of old thank-you notes, including one from a customer who wrote, “We only purchase from you a few times a year, but you make me feel like your only customer.” That always stuck with me—it felt good to know I was making an impact.
Fast forward many years, and I recently found myself celebrating major wins with a key customer. We had spent over a year working together on a process improvement project, and it was finally coming together. To mark the occasion, I brought cupcakes. It was a genuine moment of shared accomplishment.
During that conversation, they said something that gave me pause: “We don’t have suppliers who work with us like this. Honestly, we hate salespeople.” I cringed. They went on to describe their typical supplier relationships—some suppliers were like vultures, circling for the next sale. Others were only present when a problem arose, or a quote was needed. Some were completely absent. Then they said, “You’re always there when we need you. Otherwise, you plan your time with us and are always looking for ways to provide value.”
That meant a lot to me because my motivation in sales has always been about building relationships and helping people. But over time, I learned that good intentions alone don’t make a salesperson successful. If I spent all my time helping everyone I met, I’d feel great—but my employers wouldn’t be thrilled with my numbers. All customers deserve great experience, but not all customers are equal in terms of strategic alignment. Learning to differentiate was a hard but necessary lesson.
As my career evolved and I took on leadership roles, managing departments, and overseeing profit and loss, I had to strike a balance—integrating strategic principles into our culture and operations without losing the core of what made me successful. I never wanted my team to become the kind of salespeople my customers had described—vultures, ghosts, or transactional order-takers.
The Approach That Works
I realized that I could stay true to my motivation of helping people while being intentional about how I invested my time. Here’s how:
This strategy not only leads to major long-term wins but also brings in smaller victories along the way. Working process improvements for key accounts also contributes to improvement for others. I’m not just a salesperson—I’m a trusted supplier consultant.
That shift in mindset also required me to think differently about profitability and time management. In some cases, it even meant making tough choices—letting go of significant time spent on some accounts I loved because they weren’t the right fit. But by focusing on meaningful, aligned partnerships, I’ve been able to create greater impact, both for my customers and the organizations I’ve worked with.