Positive customer relationships are the basis of much B2B business, right? Positive business relationships ensure us an audience with the customer, make every step of the selling process go easier, and even provide us with a competitive edge. It's not unusual for the business to come your way just because they like you the best.

But in today's hyper-competitive economy, relying on your relationships is like trying to paddle through the storm in a leaky row boat — your effort will keep you afloat for a short time, but eventually you'll find that you just don't have enough resources to challenge the storm. Relying on your relationships is a prescription for eventual failure.

Here's why. The world is full of B2B sales people who have built a solid business relationship with a segment of their customer base. They then rely on those relationships to support them.

In doing that, they have missed the opportunity to develop their sales skills. "I have great relationships with my customers,” they think. "I don't need to learn to sell well.” And, for years, that was somewhat true.

Now, however, they are paying the price of that position. Many of their customers are seeing their businesses decline. The relationships that so many sales people counted on to support them are no longer as profitable as they once were. And, since they never spent the time and effort to improve themselves, they find themselves woefully unequipped to gain new customers, to create demand for their new products, or to persuasively gain bigger chunks of their customer's business. Their boat is sinking, and they never gained the skills necessary to keep it afloat. The vast majority of B2B sales people have never been trained in the principles, practices and processes that are the best way to do their jobs.

Not only are they paying the price of never developing their sales competencies, they now find themselves restricted by those very relationships that were, just a few years ago, their meal tickets.

Dave Kahle is one of the world's leading sales authorities. He's written twelve books, presented in 47 states and eleven countries, and has helped enrich tens of thousands of sales people and transform hundreds of sales organizations. Sign up for his free weekly Ezine, His book, How to Sell Anything to Anyone Anytime, has been recognized by three international entities as "one of the five best English language business books.” Check out his latest book, The Heart of a Christian Sales Person.” All information can be found at www.davekahle.com.


posted on 5/9/2016