Are You a Good Friend?

While writing about strategies, techniques, tasks and chores, I also want to share a view from the top of the sales process. Even though spending time on the details of sales calls is important, it's also worthwhile to pull the camera back for a panoramic view.

I am not one for concepts, but I am going to take the plunge today. Too many providers are missing out on what truly makes the sales relationship count.

As we review the first quarter of 2007 and all that is happening in the industry, think about this slide I recently wrote for an upcoming presentation. The slide reads: Selling is not a race toward a sale, but a race toward a relationship.

I believe many think selling is just about getting the order, locating a new patient or uncovering a new referral source. But building a true sales relationship is not so easy. It's about taking time to work through the process of building customer trust, learning about each other's needs and developing rapport. It's thinking about long-term relationships, solving problems and providing continuity of care.

These may not be the easiest concepts to understand. They do not come with any road map or tracking system. It's not all about which words to use during the sales meeting, what questions you should be asking or what clinical procedures to put in place.

What I am referring to has nothing to do with sales training techniques — but it is the umbrella under which all salespeople must transact business. I am talking about what you need to consider when you are involved in “friendship development.” The dictionary defines a friend as one who is understanding, caring and shows concern for others. Sounds like a sales rep to me.

Building a sales relationship is similar to building a friendship. Friends look to you for advice, support, trust and reliability. Your friends hope you will be there when they need you and that you will share honest and open advice with them.

Friends hope you will come and pick them up when their car does not start, call them to see how they are and be with them in an emergency. We answer their calls in a timely manner and never let them feel we have forgotten them.

Maybe we should be sending salespeople to a school that teaches about friendship. (Possibly my Sales Training University should be renamed Friendship U!) The point is that if we treated our friends like some companies treat their referral sources and patients, we wouldn't have any friends.