Maximizing COI Relationships for Sustainable Sales Success in 2025

As we look toward 2025, one theme stands out in driving high-value business growth: the power of cultivating strong relationships with Centers of Influence (COIs). COIs are those individuals or groups in your industry who hold the trust, respect, and loyalty of your potential clients—think of them as the connectors who can drive your sales pipeline like no other. Building and nurturing these relationships can be the difference between constant prospecting and high-quality referrals that genuinely elevate your business.

But while many know the power of COIs, few maximize their potential.

The Challenge: Overcoming Surface-Level Connections

In today’s fast-paced business environment, it’s easy to form connections but hard to create meaningful ones. Many sales professionals treat COI relationships as transactional—reaching out only when they need something or expecting referrals without building a foundation. Such an approach leads to shallow connections and weakens the long-term benefits COIs can offer. As one industry peer recently observed, “It’s easy to have a lot of acquaintances or even friends, but it’s another thing entirely to create opportunities out of those relationships.”

Without intentionality, COI relationships often fall short of their potential. They require more than just initial outreach or sporadic touchpoints; they need to be nurtured with genuine value and trust to truly benefit both parties.

The Value of Trusted COI Relationships

Building a network of trusted COIs is not just about access to new clients—it’s about leveraging shared values and goals to create long-lasting, mutually beneficial partnerships. Trusted COIs become advocates, frequently introducing you to prospects who already come with a level of pre-established trust. This dramatically shortens sales cycles and increases client retention.

One of my clients put it well when he said, “We need to be the name that everybody thinks of when an opportunity arises.” This shift from surface-level to trusted relationships with COIs can transform your business by aligning your brand with reliability, expertise, and integrity in the eyes of potential clients.

Where Common Approaches Fall Short

The typical approach to COI relationships—sporadic outreach or transactional connections—often fails to generate sustainable leads. For example, many sales professionals attend conferences and networking events with high hopes, only to come away empty-handed because they didn’t follow through with intentional engagement. As another client shared, “People show up at conferences, sit in sessions, talk to people, but what’s actually happening afterward?”

This lack of strategic follow-through turns potential opportunities into missed connections. COIs require consistent communication and genuine interest in their work to foster trust, which then leads to referrals and partnerships over time. Without this, COI relationships remain underdeveloped and fail to yield high-quality leads.

A Better Approach: Intentionality and Consistency

So, what works? The answer lies in a mix of intentionality, value-driven communication, and consistency. Start by identifying COIs in your field who align with your values and goals. Then, implement a consistent communication strategy to keep your presence strong and relevant. This could be a monthly check-in, sharing relevant insights, or offering assistance that goes beyond self-interest.

A successful COI relationship requires persistence, but it’s less about “hard selling” and more about showing up consistently in places where your COIs are—whether that’s on LinkedIn, industry events, or one-on-one check-ins. As one client wisely noted, “When you’re in front of them consistently, even in small ways, you become the first person they think of when an opportunity arises.”

Make COIs Your Strategic Focus for 2025

In a world where networking is increasingly fast-paced and transactional, take a different approach: commit to building COI relationships with intentionality and integrity. This will not only bring your business higher-quality leads but also align you with people who appreciate and share your values, ultimately strengthening your reputation and increasing client loyalty.

Start this year by assessing your COIs and mapping out a simple, consistent strategy for staying engaged. With intention, consistency, and a genuine commitment to adding value, 2025 can be the year you move from just making connections to building a powerful network that truly drives your business forward.