When Clients Become Friends - Short Attention Span Sales Tip

After a little stretch of travel from mid-May to the end of June, I looked ahead and saw no airports in my future for five weeks starting July 1. I remember saying that it would take, “An act of God or Congress to get me to leave Sudbury, Mass.” I was absolutely exhausted thanks to trips to Chicago, Tokyo, Shanghai, Phoenix, Santa Ana, Tucson, Chicago again, San Francisco, and one or two more that I’m too tired to remember.

Nope. I was home for a while...

... And then the phone rang. It was a client calling from Miami:

“Bill! This is Chuck. I’ve got an extra ticket to the All-Star game. Want to come?”

Now, I don’t have a bucket list but if I did, going to a major league baseball All-Star game would be on it. Watching the “mid-summer classic” was a ritual for my dad and me. I flew down to Miami, sat just two rows off of the field, and watched the boys play and smile and laugh (and strike out a lot). Not a great game but a truly wonderful experience. Thank you again, Chuck.

Isn’t it great when customers become friends? 35 years in this wonderful industry is giving me the chance to connect with thousands of people all over the world. I love what I do and one of the best parts of my job is when I connect with someone on a personal level. Four years ago, when I rode my motorcycle cross-country, I spent the night at Todd and Liz Tiefenthaler’s in Wisconsin and they took me out on their boat before sending me on my way west. David Zimmerman was at a conference near my house and I picked him up and treated him to lobsters a couple of years ago. I heard from dozens of people when my mom passed away in June.

To me, these are the things that matter in life, the things we take with us and leave behind. It’s one thing to be a good salesperson and to earn a customer’s trust. But when that trust extends to a personal level, it's special.

To get there, you need to show more than just your sales side. You must step up and take a personal interest in the people you are working with. This is not a skill. It’s just letting you be you.

Want more?

The video version of this sales tip goes into more detail. Click here or on the video above to watch.

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Bill Farquharson can be reached at (781) 934-7036 or bfarquharson@idealliance.org