RELATABLE: Quick to gain Customer’s appreciation

RELATABLE: Quick to gain Customer’s appreciation

From the Diary of a Sales Fresher

It is past midnight and I am still counting sheep. Couldn’t get sleep though I came home dog tired. Just had enough energy to pull off my tie and collapse on the sofa. What a miserable day! ☹

Got one more 15-minute lecture from the Sales Head. Dread these debriefs after joint calls with Boss! We met a prospect in person for the first time after Unlock was announced. I was dressed to perfection even choosing a facemask from a high street readymade brand. I thought that will impress both the Customer and Boss.

Met the Customer at a safe social distance. We talked about the homemade mask the Customer was wearing, and he spoke about it for almost 10 minutes. I had built a good ‘rapport’, ‘connect’ed well to begin with. I thought I did well.

Boss wouldn’t agree. He was harping on how I shouldn’t lose initiative after a good first impression. He said that initial ‘connect’ helps you get accepted as a person. But a good salesperson should do more. He has to be relatable. quick to gain the Customer’s appreciation.. come across as a business associate …blah, blah, blah …. He went on and on

I switched off!

Seasoned sales veterans would have advised the Sales Fresher in our story not to worry so much. Building your sales resilience by becoming relatable isn’t so daunting as it sounds. It is entirely learnable by following a structured process.

Sales stars quickly move from building rapport to being relatable. They make the Customer feel they are worth talking to, because they speak their language, share their perspectives, recognize their priorities. How do they do it?

They use 6 specific strategies that help them be relatable. They :

1. Demonstrate knowledge – They’re knowledgeable on what matters most to the Customer like Industry trends and drivers, Customer’s unique challenges and opportunities
2. Have a helpful personality – Customer perceives their keenness to help and support
3. Show capability to help – They bridge intention and promise with tangible action by way of support
4. Display right blend of confidence and humility - It's a spell prospects can't resist
5. Bring a winning mix of agreeableness and sincerity to their dealings – This raises their relatability quotient
6. Create and showcase a credible track record – To gain the Customer’s appreciation and inspire their confidence

With hard work and diligent practice, relatability becomes a charm you can turn on, to gain entry into the Customer’s privileged circle of associates and advisors