This article is an excerpt from the Shortform book guide to "The Sales Bible" by Jeffrey Gitomer. Shortform has the world's best summaries and analyses of books you should be reading.
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How do you build customer relationships? How important are those relationships to the sales process?
In his bestselling classic The Sales Bible, Jeffrey Gitomer discusses how to build customer relationships—whether it’s forging relationships with new or prospective customers or retaining current customers. He provides four steps for handling complaints and offers insights on leveraging existing relationships.
Read more to learn how to build customer relationships.
Building Customer Relationships
Even with a positive attitude, articulated goals, and the tools to make a great first impression, you can’t be successful in sales without other people. Gitomer asserts that selling has less to do with your product or prices, and more to do with your relationships: People are more inclined to buy from someone they know, trust, and have a good relationship with. Being friends with your customers also makes the selling process easier for you—they’re happy to buy from you, are more forgiving if you make the occasional mistake, and are loyal to you, so you shut out the competition.
(Shortform note: The type of salesperson that Gitomer describes is a “relationship builder.” In The Challenger Sale, Matthew Dixon and Brent Adamson write that this is one of five types of salespeople, the others being the “hard worker,” the “lone wolf,” the “reactive problem-solver,” and the “challenger.” Contrary to Gitomer’s advice, Dixon and Adamson argue that the relationship builder is actually the least likely to succeed, while the challenger consistently outperforms the others.)
Here are Gitomer’s tips for how to build customer relationships.
How to Build Relationships With New or Prospective Customers
Gitomer’s main strategy for developing relationships with customers is to meet them outside of an office setting. He recommends inviting them to attend a company-hosted seminar, to have a meal with you, or to play a common sport like golf or tennis. (Shortform note: If you’re meeting a customer for the very first time, it might be best to meet them in an office—in one study, 75 percent of clients said that a business setting makes a positive impression, while 47 percent said that meeting in a cafe leaves a negative impression.)
How to Retain Customers
Gitomer writes that to keep your customers happy and loyal, you should provide excellent customer service—otherwise, you risk losing their business. Customers take their business elsewhere over small things like a rude comment, delayed response, or lack of accountability. (Shortform note: One survey found that customers value four dimensions of customer service in particular: care and concern, initiative, problem solving, and recovery—which includes being able to apologize when something goes wrong.)
Handling Complaints
One important aspect of customer service is responding to complaints. In fact, Gitomer contends that if you handle customer complaints well, you can strengthen your customers’ loyalty. If a customer comes to you with a complaint, Gitomer recommends the following steps:
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Here's what you'll find in our full The Sales Bible summary :
- How to become a non-salesperson salesperson
- How to make the best impression within the first 30 seconds
- Methods for closing the sale without being pushy
