The best salespeople 'look at business relationships as long-term activities'

Securing a new client or order is always a good accomplishment but salespeople should view it as the first stage in building a lasting and prosperous relationship rather than the completion of their task.

Colleen Francis, writing on Colleen's Sell More and Work Less Blog, said that adopting a long-term view of client relationships is the backbone to ensuring future success.

After salespeople have secured a new customer, they have only reached the 'hello' stage but are in a position to develop a strong connection moving forward, which is an area where the expertise of a sales consultancy could help make a significant difference.

"If you're setting your sights on being a top-ranked salesperson you have to look at the business relationships you are forging as long-term activities. That's what the top ten per cent of sales professionals do - and their results speak for themselves," Ms Francis said.

Part of building a relationship with a new client could involve salespeople having to give concessions in some instances however, executives may wish to bring in the expertise of a sales consultancy to explain to their staff the rights and wrongs of doing so.

Kelley Robertson, writing on the Fearless Selling blog, recently said that two mistakes sales teams make is giving too many concessions without getting anything in return or making them too early.