Relationships and Sales
Do slimy salespeople turn you off? If they do, that slimy salesperson forgot to read about how selling is all about relationships. Tom Peters released a ChangeThis manifesto addressed directly at all those sleazy salespeople. It's titled "111 Ridiculously Obvious Thoughts on Selling".
Tom keeps the bar for ChangeThis manifesto's high with many excellent thoughts on sales and relationships. Here's a few of my favorites:
7. The best relationships are often (usually?) not “top to top”! (Often the best: hungry divisionGMs eager to make a mark.)
8. IT’S RELATIONSHIPS, STUPID—DEEP AND FROM MULTIPLE FUNCTIONS.
10. Relationships from within our firm are as important—often more important—as those from outside—again broad is as important as deep. Allies—avid supporters!—within and from non-obvious places may be more important than relationships at the Client organization. Goal: an “insanely unfair ‘market share’” of insiders’ time devoted to your projects!
17. WOMEN ARE SIMPLY BETTER AT RELATIONSHIPS—don’t get hung up—particularlyin tech firms—on what industries-countries “women can’t do.” (Or some such bullshit.)
57. Never forget the “Law of Cousins!” In developing nations in particular, power brokers at all levels are at least cousins! Consideration for a second cousin can pay off big time.
60. REPEAT: HE/SHE WHO HAS THE MOST-BEST RELATIONSHIPS WINS.RELATIONSHIPS ARE THE ESSENCE OF THE WORK OF THE SALESPERSON. THEHARD ... AND LONG ... WORK OF THE SALESPERSON.
66. Be hyper-organized about relationship management—you are in the anthropology business. Study the great pols! Brilliant NRM (network relationship management) is not accidental! It is not catch-as-catch can. (Football analogies are cute—but deep political understanding pays the private-school tuition.)
67. Think/obsess on ROIR (Return On Investment In Relationships).
73. Listen up: “It was much later that I realized Dad’s secret. He gained respect by giving it. He talked and listened to the fourth-grade kids in Spring Valley who shined shoes the same way he talked and listened to a bishop or a college president. He was seriously interestedin who you were and what you had to say.”—Sara Lawrence-Lightfoot, Respect.(I.e., Respect is Cool.)
82. Shit happens. That’s what they pay you for.
86. GOAL #1: MAKE YOUR CLIENT A HERO—YOU ARE NOT THERE TO GET CREDIT.(“Taking credit” is for ego-maniacs. And losers.)
97. It takes time to get to know people. (DUH.)
105. Become a student! Yes, you can study Relationship Building. So, study …
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