WORK TO ADD VALUE AND ENHANCE
MUTUAL OPPORTUNITIES
To build mutually satisfying relationships between buyers and sellers, professional salespeople must work toward adding value and enhancing mutual opportunities for the customer. This can be done by reducing risk through repeated displays of the seller’s ability to serve the customer. By demonstrating the willingness to serve the customer, the seller reduces the buyer’s risk-both real and perceived. A good relationship is one that has few, if any, unpleasant surprises.
Salespeople must also establish high standards and expectations. Many relationships fail due to unmet expectations. The higher the customer’s expectations, the better, provided the seller can meet or exceed those expectations. Salespeople should ensure that customer’s expectations are reasonable, and continually work to improve performance.
Finally, salespeople must monitor and take action to improve customer satisfaction. Salespeople must never let up on this. Doing so only invites competitor challenges. A good salesperson must always look for cracks in the relationship and patch them before insurmountable problems occur. All relationships require work and talking a good customer for granted is foolish. It should be remembered that the salesperson must continually add value to the relationship or run the risk of losing the customer.