Jun 03 2007
Identifying The “Relationship Gap” In Selling
A vitally important sales activity is that of managing existing customer accounts to consolidate and grow the relationship. Yet unfortunately, when compared over time, the customers’ interest levels increase while salespeople’s interest levels tend to decrease. This creates a “relationship gap” and is due entirely to complacency.
Another major issue is that too often the salesperson fails to expand their “contact base” as this next survey proves, which results in vulnerability and exposure to competitive activity
Periodically, the Financial Times conducts a survey of British industry to establish how companies go about their purchasing. The survey is very comprehensive, broken down into many kinds of products and services.
Customer size (Number of employees): Less than 200
Average number of buying influencers: 3.43
Number of influencers visited by salespeople: 1.72
Customer size (Number of employees): 200 – 400
Average number of buying influencers: 4.85
Number of influencers visited by salespeople: 1.75
Customer size (Number of employees): 401 – 1000
Average number of buying influencers: 5.81
Number of influencers visited by salespeople: 1.90
Customer size (Number of employees): 1001 +
Average number of buying influencers: 6.50
Number of influencers visited by salespeople: 1.65
From a Sales Director’s perspective, these are very worrying statistics.
In essence, without a sustained approach to ongoing servicing and support activities, customers that took months to win are ultimately lost because there was a lack of interest from their supplier.
To-days clients/customers are looking for vendors who can be business-partners, who are willing and able to share risks and who are able to properly manage the entire sales process.
Fact:
It costs seven times as much to locate and sell to a new customer as it does to an existing one.
Are you really making the most of your customer base?
Jill Konrath, my friend, fellow “Top Sales Expert” and founder of sellingtobigcompanies.com is organising a free Webinar this coming Thursday, June 7 2007.
According to Jill, you’ll learn seven new strategies that you can use right away to crack into corporate accounts, shorten sales cycles and differentiate yourself from competitors. These strategies go against conventional wisdom, but that’s why they work.
Jill’s seminars are packed with valuable information and hugely popular, so I would hurry up and register for this event. The event is sponsored by Landslide.
Tomorrow is my first “Guest Author” posting, and the article in question is the superb “The Power Of One” by Kelley Robertson but I won’t spoil it for you by providing an overview now – suffice to say, you will identify with it!
Several people have asked me if “posting everyday” includes Saturday and Sundays – simple answer “No” – even the “ever busy Jonathan Farrington” as someone called me last week, needs a little “R & R”
Until tomorrow - JF
