Why is effective sales similar to a long-term relationship
About The Sale
This year it has been 10 years since I am responsible for sales of training in the company.
At the beginning, managing business relations was not very natural to me. Selling is selling. Target. Daily chasing of potential clients, catching new ones. A mechanical game of numbers.
I looked at it mainly through the prism of courses sold for project teams, be it in the field of Project Management including, Agile Project Management, Facilitation, OBASHI®, AQRO®, . Necessary, important, but treated as a one-time transaction.
With time, I noticed how important in the relationship with the client is a deeper personal contact, full of concentration, respect and sincere interest. To not only engage with the current training needs, but also with a broader understanding of the client's problems and long-term goals.
Business Relationship Management
I went through various external and internal trainings, but it was the Business Relationship Management Professional (BRMP®) course that made me most aware of the true nature of my dream client relationships.
Getting to know BRMP has shown me how by properly managing business relations, showing the client the right direction and shaping the demand - both parties can achieve more, for longer.
Business Relationship Management defines 5 levels of business relationship maturity and I see that I consistently follow this path in the right direction:
• Ad Hoc
• Order Taker
• Service Partner
• Trusted Advisor
• Strategic Partner
Low maturity levels refer to the 'cheapest offer'.
The higher ones assume a multi-layer cooperation based on trust, knowledge and commitment. In them, the supplier acts as a navigator, liaison officer and coordinator.
My experience
While writing this text, I am aware that my personal experience, which I share, does not mean identical reflections from other people, or a proven recipe for good, "healthy" sales.
After all, there will always be lovers of fast food or quick dates who:
- Put price over quality.
- A quick certificate of reliable learning and practical exercises.
We will not even convince them with the best service, many years of experience, innovation, proven coaching staff, etc.
I respect free choice and I know that everyone has different needs and possibly that not everyone will be able to help with and not all will be able to cooperate with me.
But I say "NO"
I do not agree to pushing clients with services at the lowest price, omitting the key elements for the education process (i.e. original textbooks, experienced trainer) and persuading them that what they get is the best they can get.
I say "NO" to sales-easy, focused on pushing the next transaction, without deeper, long-term concern for the real return on the client's investment. Delivering as much as possible, as cheaply as possible, far below the quality expected in a Best Practice environment.
Conclusion
It has been some time before I managed to visualize and learn in practice that it is not only 'selling', but also building relationships with customers that is the most important thing. Much has been written about the specifics of sales, especially in the training industry. However, a person continues to learn all their life, especially from from their mistakes.
I have learned to its best to invite you to long-term cooperation. Let us enrich each other so that the quality of services, including training, will be a real contribution to the improvement of best practices.
About the author
Marta Pogorzelska-Nedzi as a Vicepresident of skills® has been responsible for Business Relationships Management since 2010. She's certified in Business Relationship Management (BRMP®), Agile PM®, Facilitation and PRINCE2®.
