Every once in awhile, SalesCooke will hear the famous words, “this account is safe, they really like me”. As a sales manager, those words instill fear and apprehension. Experience demonstrates that “like” is a great place to start. It is not a great place to end up if you are going to have a serious business relationship with your customers.
I was recently on a call with a prospect for my business. At the end of the call the owner said to me, “Dave I really like you. I like your philosophy and I think we could do business together.” When I heard the word “like” I cringed. I was tempted to say “I am glad you like me, what do we need to do to build trust?” In hindsight, I needed to. I did not get the assignment.
People do not do business with people they like. They have lunch, drinks, coffee, and play golf with people they like. They do not let them run their business or watch their ‘children’.
People do business with people they trust. Business is all about trust. In order to close that sale, the person you are talking to must have confidence in you to help them. You must be viewed as a trusted professional resource. You must be viewed as the person who has the experience, the professionalism, the confidence, and the commitment to support those needs. Your sincere interest in supporting them builds trust—it’s not a one shot deal—it’s a long term commitment.
In the future, when a client says something along the lines of ‘don’t worry, we really like you’, you better start working harder at adding value. Your client wants and needs to trust you.