A sale made without connection is worthless in the long run!
Do you ever find that some people are hard to connect with? Sure you do. Everybody does!
Most of us are sensitive in this respect. If there's someone we don't get along with, even though we might not admit to it, we spend a lot of our strength on trying to figure out why.
If your relationship with another person is "in minus", it doesn't really matter what you say - any statement will be perceived negatively by default. Why? Because communication is a function of feelings. That's what I mean by the word 'connection'. Thus, the number one thing to do, regardless of what the circumstances might be, is to approach the challenge from the angle of feelings, and not with words. It's how people feel about each other that carries all communicates between them. In other words, what we say is colored and influenced through an "emotional filter".
When it comes to customers, clients and partners, even though we might think it's purely business, there's really no such thing. Even the most "rational" people are feelings only. They might try to separate emotions and logical reason, but in the end of the day, a relationship remains sensitive by how we feel about the other. That's why, from a practical perspective, at any given time we need to give the highest priority to actions that touch people on a personal emotional level e.g.:
- expressing confidence and faith in others
- being kind and polite in small and simple every-day matters
- showing empathy and care
- complimenting others whenever there's an opportunity to do so
- being ourselves (not something we're not) and relaxed
- sincerely apologizing when we falter
- never speaking ill of others
- refraining from irony
- being quick to laughter and slow to criticism
The list could be much longer. What we should remember, is; it's not the behavior listed per se, but rather the indirect result that makes the biggest difference - improved communication through an emotional and personal connection. A real connection!
I've been in business and sales long enough to understand that individual contracts, in the long run, are worthless. What matters is our connection to others. That's what remains - a personal relationship is the long term result of any sale made.
Comments
Being your true self
Markus Gamenius
Wednesday 02 January 2008 9:30:29 am
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