BUILDING RELATIONSHIP TIPS

Build real personal relationships with your clients ….. so they'll reveal to you what they really want.

Write "honest" advertising copy like ….. Volvo... they're boxy, but they're safe.

The tagline is successful …. because it spoke to what people really wanted -- far beyond what car companies learn from customers in rank-the-features surveys. In this case , customers didn't just want cars that got them from point A to point B. They bought a Volvo for the peace of mind.

That's why we have to build real personal relationships with our clients--so they'll reveal to us what they really want, what could really drive their decision.

Then, and only then, do we get opportunities to offer generous solutions to their problems that convince them to purchase our core products and services.

You have to approach them as people as well as professionals. Show them you're human by letting your guard down. Share your passions and learn about theirs. See yourself as a combination of consultant, life coach, therapist, and friend. Ask insightful questions, actively listening for what really motivates or frustrates them personally. Then, when you have a deep understanding of what they really want, try to bundle a solution that, first and foremost, solves one of their problems and, ideally, includes your product or service.

This method might require you to find outside partners to deliver--yet another reason to develop larger networks of friends. In fact, the first couple things you "sell" to someone may have nothing at all to do with your own product.

Strengthen relationships with clients by aiding their personal career pursuits, entirely separate from what they're procuring from you.

Examples :

One of your clients ultimately wants to be in politics, so … try to get him invited or involved with a political forum or activities.

When another client confided with you his desire to be an actor, so … took him to dinner with an actor or find him someone who may share the same desire.

A third client was struggling with earning the respect of his CEO, so … coached him personally on how to behave in the CEO's staff meetings to build the credibility he needed to become a key player in the executive team.

You, too, can make your business boom if you find and deliver what clients really want before selling your core product.