Selling Skills

Why results are more important than relationships…

When all things are equal, we do business with the people we like best. This may be true…

but what’s equal today? Try depending less on the relationship and more on the proving results and demonstrating ROI and you’ll not only serve customers better, you’ll also sell more easily.

@AssociationHQ posted a great message when s/he wrote Sell the Value:

When I am working with a potential sponsor, I’m not just selling a booth or logo placement. The prospect doesn’t care how much I need that reception sponsored in order to hit budget. They want to know what’s in it for them. … Every dollar needs to be accounted for and every single cent needs to demonstrate ROI. They want to feel confident in their decision to sponsor or exhibit at your event. What are you doing to ensure your supporters are walking away having made strong new business development leads? Do they have a solid forum when showcasing new products and/or services? What is your “buyer/seller” ratio? Meaning, are there more sponsors/exhibitors than attendees? And how many of those attendees actually have purchasing power and decision-making authority?

Fascinating that the relationship word wasn’t even mentioned… just the results.

Ideally, of course, we provide results within the framework of a relationship. And maybe the relationship gives us the opportunity to pitch the results we can provide. I’m not saying don’t build relationships. Just build them around results.

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