We’ve all been on the customer side of a purchase, where the sales person made you feel like much more than a sack of cash. I recently purchased my first bespoke dress, which was a large and scary investment for a person who has only bought clothing off the rack. Well, the dressmaker not only proved that he knew his stuff, but he also took special care to show that he understood my uncertainty. If expertise was where he stopped, I would have been satisfied, but I wouldn’t have been delighted.
In fact, I was sure that I received better treatment than most clients. Surely, he didn’t spend as much time on the details with everyone, did he? Surely, he didn’t give them all the little tips and tricks he gave me. Did he advise them to buy certain materials from a competitor? And that little discount - he wouldn’t give that to everyone, would he? Logically, I know that he was just doing good business, but I still couldn’t help feeling special. And guess what? I’ll certainly be recommending him to friends and family.
If you’re good at building relationships, the long term payoff is huge (especially when you do a little maintenance to keep them up). When Joan Creek — a client who you delighted — needs to scale up from that charming apartment suite you helped her find in her 20’s to a three-bedroom house in the suburbs, guess who she’ll call? And when her nephew is getting married and starting his own family, whose number will Joan give him? Repeat customers and word of mouth are golden tickets. That’s why getting good at building relationships is one of the best things you can do for your career. There’s just one problem…