“It’s a relationship sale,” we hear.
Think of the last time you bought because of the relationship. Maybe it was your friend’s kid that knocked on the front door selling Girl Scout Cookies. Ten boxes of cookies really have no utility for your diet, but relationships matter. Right?
I remember a neighbor selling tubs of raw cookie dough for a school fundraiser. I’m not sure she knew warm, fresh-baked cookies are a weakness of mine. Fifty bucks for a good cause AND cookies? No problem.
Then her little sister - who I figured was just along for moral support - asked for a donation to support some obscure cause at the school. Talk about clever sales strategies!
First fifty bucks: some utility. Second fifty: 100% relationship. I’d have kept the $100 if it was a stranger’s kid.
If your college roommate calls selling your business a new software system, do you buy? Know, like, and trust…. absolutely. But without utility, it just won’t matter.
“Businesses don’t buy Girl Scout Cookies.”
What’s your compelling value proposition?