Building enduring customer relationships relies on discovering what a customer truly values. Proposing two or three alternative solutions to resolve a customer’s need communicates your appreciation for their business, and ultimately increases their satisfaction with their final decision. Here’s why proposing choices reveals what your customer values: How consistently do you propose choices to reveal what your customer values?
Without trust you cannot lead. Trust is the basis of every relationship. Trust is the foundation of your credibility, empowering your ability to get things done.Trust bonds your team together to share commitment and accountability.Trust motivates your people to challenge the status quo, pursue innovation and improve performance. Your success as a leader depends on the willingness of your people to trust you. There are numerous questions they may ask to help make and sustain this decision: Can I trust …
Three factors enable leaders to drive change: The leader is perceived as genuine and credible, consistently demonstrating conviction and modelling values-based behaviors, while being positive, transparent and open to feedback. People trust that their leader has their back – that he or she understands what motivates and concerns them, and keeps this in mind when setting high, but realistic, expectations of them. People feel respected and appreciated for their contributions, driven by the leader’s confidence …
For trust to begin growing, the right intent must be readily apparent. Sharing a valuable insight, without expecting to get anything in return, is a natural first step. When no insistent ulterior motive is involved, the kindness of the offer is appreciated. Making the offer implies sacrifice – it took an investment of time and resource to discover the valued information that is now shared, with no repayment expected in return. The wrong intent is sensed …
Trust is the foundation of enduring relationships – trust in self and trust in others. Individuals and organizations cannot change and grow without it. If generosity creates trust, then what sustains it? Trust must be earned, revealed and validated by your actions. Demanding that others be trustworthy, or proclaiming yourself to be, is a futile expression. Sustaining trust requires the determined implementation of 3 essential elements: Caring: You cannot trust someone you believe lacks a …
Leadership is the practice of influence. Inspiring people to follow your lead requires a commitment to personal engagement – an investment of precious time to be prioritized versus other stakeholder demands for your attention. Where does personal engagement fit into your priorities? People choose to follow you because they believe in you and where you are leading them. When they stop trusting you, your ability to continue as leader is over. This is why engaging …
What’s the most vital ingredient of enduring relationships? Your first instinct might be to answer that trust is the most essential ingredient. But in today’s “connection” economy, there’s an even more primal element that enables trust and benefits everyone in the relationship. Before trust can grow, there must be generosity. Generosity creates trust. Generosity is more than offering discounts or giving products or services away for free. If we don’t know you, why would we invest valuable time …
The working relationship between manufacturer and distributor is often defined by sales quotas. But using only quotas to manage this vital affiliation does not preserve the relationship’s primary, mutually beneficial purpose of sustaining growth in the market. When that purpose is unclear, and it becomes separated from the profit motive, bad things happen. The original purpose of the manufacturer-distributor working relationship was to increase sales by expanding market coverage in local markets. For a while, …
Conversations with new prospects initially focus on what you have to offer. Their first priority is to learn if your business is credible and can fulfill their requirements. What happens next determines if you will gain preference versus your competitors. Once your business is validated as a potential supplier, you get to turn the dialogue towards “why” you are the best possible supplier. Prospects become customers once they discover “why” you seek their business – the right “why” response …
Establishing new relationships requires authenticity and urgency to create an emotional link with a new contact. This bond is most productive when we connect with one another face-to-face, accelerating the development of trust. Email or social media can’t forge this link. An associate was musing how challenging it is for some sales people to establish new relationships. How can you succeed in a sales role when reaching out to new prospects is so challenging? Some …
