What are your sales and business relationships built on?

Are your sales and business relationships built on substance and trust or hype, ambiguity and uncertainty?

If you are in business for the long haul then you know the value of building your sales and business relationships on solid foundations from the start. Trust and substance are of key importance. Too many times people have fallen foul of the broken promises and pipe dreams offered by those people whose only intention is to make money at your expense.

I raise this topic because in recent times I have been witness to some incidents where people (clients, business owners, recruiters and sales people) I know have been let down and in some very rare incidents, ripped off.

Personally, I prefer my sales, business and personal relationships to be built on solid foundations, which includes substance (having something of real value to offer or share) and trust (knowing I can rely on that person to do as they say they will do). Substance and trust underpin everything in relationships.

In sales and business we meet people every day and we all need to be able to size up and make quick judgments about our bona fides. The last thing we want is a dodgy client, bogus supplier, fraudulent candidate or dubious business partner.

Some of the key knowledge, skills and insights you need to have at your ready when working with anyone – client, candidate, business partners and the like, are the following:

• Background on person or business
• Outcomes of work completed with others
• Qualifications, methodologies and resources
• Questioning, listening and verifying
• Adaptable communication style
• Analysing and problem solving
• Negotiating
• Assertiveness and confidence

These capabilities are some of the essential selling skills, knowledge and insights of effective sales people. They are in fact, vital life skills for anyone.

Thinking about your current relationships you may like to consider the following questions:

1. Is the client or prospect viable?

• do they have the money (willingness and ability to pay for it)?
• are they the decision-maker?
• do they have a genuine need?

2. Is the client or prospect using us as leverage to get something from someone else?
3. Is the client or prospect after a genuine partnership or do they see us as a means to an end?

Some questions to consider about prospective business partners or suppliers:

1. Is what they have to offer substantiated by fact or hype? Ie. can they produce the evidence of a proper business case, product portfolio, references, etc?
2. The promises about forthcoming funding; can they produce evidence of its existence and where it is from?
3. Do they use the “don’t you trust me” line, especially when they want a piece of you or your business?

Some questions to consider about candidates:

1. Can you accurately cross reference and correlate what is on their resume to their job interviews, references checks and assessments?
2. Do they turn up on time or keep you informed of their progress with your job?
3. Do they do what is requested of them in a timely manner?
4. How do they treat other people in your business when they come to meet with you?
Some questions to consider about anyone you meet:
1. Can they and do they keep the promises they make?
2. Are their actions consistent with their words?

I admit it is in my nature to see the best in people and want the best for them and me. However, that positive expectation can be sorely tested when people do not follow through. Some people have the ability to say the right things but you are left feeling uneasy. Something is not quite right. There is doubt as to the existence of any real substance behind their claims.

Over the years I have become more wary and cautious about people’s claims and promises. I have taken to being more discerning and tend to question people more thoroughly about the substance of their offering. After doing so, there are some people you never get to speak to again and probably for good reason.

None of us work in isolation, so relationships are with us every day in some shape or form. Are the relationships you are currently forming worthwhile to you and the other people involved? Are you all better off for having met each other? Or do some of your relationships feel a bit one-sided either in favour of you or them? Relationships work best when they are open, fair and equitable. You never need feel the victim if you choose to take control of your relationships and own your place in them.

All relationships are messy and some are messier than others. However, we can work towards creating healthy and profitable relationships on many levels with clients, work colleagues, suppliers, friends and the like. It starts with us and our willingness to dig deep and be clear about what we want our relationships to be.

Any worthwhile relationship takes effort to grow and develop and nothing is risk free. Your clients, colleagues, suppliers, family and friends depend on you to be clear about what you want and offer in a relationship. So what are your relationships built on?

Remember, everybody lives by selling something.

Sue Barrett practices as a coach, advisor, speaker, facilitator, consultant and writer and works across all market segments with her skilful team at BARRETT. Sue and her team take the guess work out of selling and help people from many different careers become aware of their sales capabilities and enable them to take the steps to becoming effective and productive when it comes to selling, sales coaching or sales leadership.To hone your sales skills or learn how to sell go to www.barrett.com.au.