Relationships between buyers and sellers, much like relationships that exist in every day life, can have a variety of dynamics. Businesses want to secure strong relationships with customers in order to obtain and encourage repeat business. Marketers specifically desire stronger relationships with customers who are more likely to spend money on a new and innovative product – a ‘lead user’. These relationships then can determine the strategy that a seller uses to secure a sale.
The relationships that can exist between salespeople and customers range from one-time transactions, to a partnership that can be most accurately compared to a marriage.Transactional relationships between a buyer and seller are treated as separate and individual exchanges. There is no assumption that there will be future or repeat business. A functional relationship is a limited but ongoing relationship where a buyer may purchase out of habit. If the needs of the buyer are being sufficiently met in this relationship, they won’t seek out an alternative. An affiliative selling relationship exists when the buyer needs specific expertise from the seller. This is a stronger relationship that is built on trust as the buyer needs to make the best purchasing decision possible and feels the seller will provide the information necessary for an educated decision. A strategic partnership exists when both the buyer and the seller commit their time to building and strengthening the relationship. This is the one more commonly referred to as a ‘marriage’.
In addition to these four types of relationships, there are also four main selling strategies. The one that is most effective depends on the type of relationship that is established between the buyer and seller. Script-based selling is a strategy where a salesperson memorizes a specific sales pitch and delivers it to each individual customer. This type of strategy is most effective when the needs of each customer aren’t very different and it ensures that the most important aspects of the product are delivered consistently. Needs satisfaction selling is a strategy where salespeople ask questions in order to identify what the buyer really needs. They are then able to match their sales pitch to the customer’s needs in order to establish a benefit. Consultative selling is a strategy where salespeople use their expertise on a subject in order to find a solution to a problem that exists for the buyer. Finally, strategic partner selling is where a buyer and seller equally invest in mutual resources and share information with each other in order to equally benefit.
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