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Relationship selling is all about creating customer value. When you recognize the customers needs and help them define them better and deeper your value goes up. It isn’t just seeing value in your product or service. They want value from your solution to their problem. They must perceive unique value from you. This is where your USP (unique selling proposition) comes in. You must be different from the competition.

So how can you be different? Why should they buy from you?

Just being different isn’t really enough. They want to see what more value you add. As a business professional its necessary to take a leading role to create the value for your customers. Understand their situation and adapt to their particular wants and needs. If you recognize customers’ needs and create the value for them, they will move from the initial meeting to a decision much easier. In today’s world you can’t survive if you are not creating value for the customer.

What creates customer value?

Relationship selling skills. In the old days this would be a skilled sales force. Today this is another hat you need to wear as a small business owner. Understand that the sales process is a process. A step by step progression which requires developing new skills.

In relationship selling, you create the value when you recognize the customers needs. You can create customer value in each step of the sales process but the most value can be created early in the process by helping customers to define their needs. Asking open-ended questions will open the door to a meaningful conversation. By creating a specialized situation you can put them in a buying frame of mind even if it wasn’t what they were thinking prior to your call. Asking the right kind of questions will help them dig deeper and define their true needs better.

Establish their triggers. What is their real pain? What are their real needs? All customers are not created equal and as such must be treated differently. What works for one may not work at all for another. Get to know their real reasons; understand their pain. Know what keeps them awake at night. Find out what is happening in their life. These answers give you a very powerful tool to adjust your consultation to fit their needs.

Focus on the prospects goals. If you are selling only your product you missed the point. Customers are looking beyond the product. They are looking for the solution to their needs and that you are understanding their situation. You are a solutions provider. This translates to you including help and advice in addition to your product.

Concentrate on understanding their issues and show them how to solve more than one goal with your product. When you create customer value this way, you will make the sale no matter what the price is.

On the other hand, if you don’t do this you will not get the sale regardless of the price. Even if its the lowest price on the market it won’t mean much to the prospect because they won’t see the difference between your product and the competitions. Buyers buy from someone that has crafted a compelling solution to their needs and understands their needs. Then they focus on the financial part of the deal.

In a nutshell; create value through how you’re selling, not just through what you’re selling. That is they way to be a true sales professional.

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Relationship Selling is really all about building solid, good relationships so that trust, credibility and integrity can be garnered and maintained enabling customer retention and repeat business. Relationship building can only start when a customer/prospect has made the decision to work with you. What can you offer as a small business owner that will separate you from the other hungry businesses clamoring for your customer/prospect’s attention?

Develop a Unique Selling Proposition.

Now, in order to develop a Unique Selling Proposition one must first understand the definition of a Unique Selling Proposition, or, USP (the acronym).

A Unique Selling Proposition is really just what the title says: it is unique in that it is an offer/service that makes you stand out from competition and helps others perceive this offer/service as “different” from the rest. Relationship Selling principles help build a good solid relationship but your USP takes it one step further and gives them a reason to buy from you. Some things to consider when developing your USP:

1. What service or product can you offer as a small business startup or business professional that your competition is not offering?
2. What is it that you can do for your customer/prospect that your competitor won’t?
3. How do you plan on differentiating yourself from your competition?

Start out by first making a list of all of the differences or USP’s your company will offer and then make a list of the product/service your offer as the solution (solid proof). Your ability to stand out from the crowd will be the basis of decision making for your customer/prospect.

When it comes down to decision making time, a customer/prospect will be looking for the unique strengths you offer them when comparing the two. After all a pizza is a pizza but what makes you go to one pizza shop over another. Relate it back to your own life. For myself, I buy my gas at a local gas station all the time. There are dozens, probably more in a one mile stretch on my main road. But why do I go to “Get-Go”? Because they offer a discount on my groceries based on the number of gallons I put into my car. This is a perfect example of a USP.

When developing your USP it is important to note that your solution or USP may not be suitable for all customers/prospects. That is o.k. What stands out for one client may not stand out for another. But this is the targeted audience you are attracting and the ones who will see your offer/service as the scale tipping factor.

With the amount of competition out there, it is crucial that you develop your USP BEFORE starting into your sales process..

Your customer/prospect is trying to make a decision about purchasing from you as opposed to someone else and more than likely, they have been shopping around looking at the competition so it is very important that you can present your uniqueness in a way that allows your customer/prospect to overcome their obstacles; whether they be price, location; it really doesn’t matter if you’ve done your homework properly up front none of these should be an obstacle in the final decision making process.

The competition is fierce out there. Relationship Selling is about building relationships and developing a Unique Selling Proposition is just one more step in separating you from your competition.

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relationship selling skills

The relationship selling process is very different from the stereotypical salesman desperate for a sale. When you build up trust in your client relationship you open the door to repeat sales. Establishing rapport and laying the foundation of trust and credibility is of critical importance. This is based on good communication.

You must develop some relationship selling skills such as listening and asking questions that will probe deeper to their real problem. Once their pain is clear to you (and to them) you can present your solution as a perfect match. This process is never high pressure or controversial. Rather its is a natural conversation where you gather information to provide a solution. Asking open-ended questions ‘opens’ up the conversation for an exchange of dialog and is the foundation to building a relationship.

This is much like meeting someone for the first time. This is a comfortable conversation. You want to reach out and touch them with compassion and interest. Your voice projects confidence and you are in control of the conversation. Gather information so you can provide solid solutions. Be real. People can sense whether you are being authentic or not.

This groundwork needs to be laid before you ask for the sale.

Watch this video which takes you through the anatomy of a sale. Just like a sales letter it is divided into steps. This powerpoint presentation will guide you through the 9 steps of the relationship selling process. Step 1: Begin with an opening statement. You have about 30 seconds to say who you are, how your product will help them and why they should buy from you. Be sure to ask for the sale; more than once. A call to action is critical and is often forgotten. Step 9: have a good follow up system in place

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Relationship selling is about focussing on the client’s needs rather than the product or service. Your objective is to find out what the clients needs are. Use a consultative approach by asking the right questions and LISTENING to their responses. This means really being present with no outside distractions.

The questions you ask are relevant to the product or service. These questions will open up new ways of thinking about the problem and offering fresh solutions. Once you have absorbed the client’s responses you can then propose a good cost effective way of filling their needs. If your solution is not a fit be sure you are honest and say so. This will add to your credibility and will pay off down the road.

Their circumstances may change down the road and they will remember that you were up front. There is also a good chance that they will send you a referral. Using relationship selling skills is a powerful sales approach. Asking intelligent questions is performing a service for your client. You are the expert and your overall knowledge gives you a wider perspective than just this individual.

Intelligent questions that reflect that you have been listening develops your credibility. This isn’t about a one time sale. Think long term and establish rapport so they will buy from you repeatedly. Asking open ended questions will help your client become aware of needs that may have been there all along but had gone unrecognized.

When you walk your client through a series of questions and answers leads the client to expressing a need for what you offer. Far better to have them hear themselves say it than for you to tell them. Then you can show how what you have to offer is truly the best solution for them.

Your main objective in using the relationship selling approach is to educate yourself about the clients problem and resulting needs. Equally important is to bring the client with you through this process. By asking questions you get the client working together with you through each step. Once they put into their own words sound reasons in favor of your solution you can reflect back what they have said. Working through a planned sequence of questions systematically will lead to the conclusion you seek.

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