Whether you’re in B2B or B2C sales, building meaningful, long-term relationships with your customers seems to be increasingly replaced with buying lists, cold calling, and email spam. These practices require little effort, time, and brainpower compared to focusing on developing more substantial partnerships. They’re all about sizzle and short-term gain.

What happened to earning customers for life?

Those are the people that act as referral sources, generating leads for your business based on trust. Spamming someone into submission isn’t going to increase your revenue in the long run. Pressure tactics and the like just don’t work anymore. Customers are smarter and have way too many other options at their fingertips to settle than anything less than someone they trust.

Partnerships require give and take by both parties. Contractors, you give great quality service and attention, and in return you get compensated for your time and praised for your work. That praise turns into referral business. That’s the ideal situation, right? So why do so many neglect to follow through?

Jeffery Gitomer said:

Customer satisfaction is worthless. Customer loyalty is priceless.

I think worthless might be a little strong, but the point is clear: building relationships matters.

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