Why Relationships-First Sales Works

A lot of marketers focus on trying to contact as many people as possible, pitching their products and services over and over again in the hope of attracting a few new leads. A lot of traditional advertising works this way, trying to get an offer in front of as many people as possible to get a few leads and even fewer conversions. 

Relationship first sales is different. Rather than pitching to everyone, relationships first sales lets you focus on the most motivated or most interested buyers, building long-term connections instead of quick conversations. 

So, how do relationship-first sales work?

What Is Relationship First Sales?

The first thing you need to know about relationship first sales is that the relationship is the most important part. Ideally, by the time you get to pitch a sale, you and your audience have already built a mutually beneficial relationship. 

That way, even if you don't get the sale, in the end, you've already gotten something. 

The relationship-first approach is especially effective in B2B communication since it’s easier to really tailor your message to your audience. That said, building a relationship-first communication style with your customers and audience is a great way to earn more of their business. 

Focusing On Relationships Benefits Your Current Customers

One problem a lot of companies have is that they are constantly looking for new customers, which can leave their current customers feeling left out or ignored. Do you want to support people who leave you out of the loop? Your customers don’t either. 

By focusing on building relationships your current customers are automatically included in what you’re doing. Nurturing those connections will help win repeat business or get your existing customers to upgrade their contracts. 

Better yet, your customers will feel respected and valued, which makes it more likely that they’ll spread the word about your business. 

Active Listening Builds Trust

Trust is often one of the biggest barriers to conversion. If your audience doesn't know that they can trust you they don’t know that they can trust what you’re offering. 

Relationship-first sales focus on providing real value upfront and showing that you're willing to put effort into helping your audience. That builds the trust you need to win sales. 

Building A Relationship Lets You Target Your Audience Directly

Traditional marketing talks to large broad audiences that may or may not have the same problems or need the same solutions. That’s a lot of effort to catch the eye of relatively few potential leads. 

By comparison, relationship-first sales forces you to understand your audience. You’re communicating with them, you’re building trust with them, you’re working to give them real, actionable solutions to their problems. 

That connection means you can speak directly to your audience in a way that’s much more likely to connect and generate new leads.

Relationship Sales Make It Easy To Find Win-Win Scenarios

Having a relationship with your audience also makes it easier to find win-win scenarios. The more win-win scenarios you can find the more sales you’re likely to get. After all, people like helping others, especially when it helps them too.

Win-win scenarios might be more common in the B2B world, but even businesses that are mostly B2C can benefit from creating win-win conditions with their audience. The trick is knowing your audience well enough to know when you have the opportunity.