Managing Customer Relationships

by Brian Polowniak

There is a truth in selling that most salespeople believe but few practice: The best customer you will ever have is a new business opportunity with an existing customer.

In order to continue to develop existing customers and your relationship with them, you must be willing to invest time. This important investment may not generate any new selling revenue today, but if done correctly, it will continue to position you and your firm as a strategic business partner with your customer. It will generate revenue opportunities in the future because as your customers grow in their business position, they will take their business partners along with them.

There are a number of ways to continue to develop your business relationships with your key customers. First and foremost, you must understand who the key decision makers are within your customer's organization and what roles they will play in ongoing business decisions for you and your firm.

Secondly, you must determine what levels of influence the key decision makers have within their own organizations. Most salespeople normally identify and achieve positions with only one or two levels of decision making, and often not even with the most influential decision makers. Salespeople must learn how to achieve positions with all levels of decision making within their customers' organizations and must determine those decision makers who will be able to help them in the future because of their influence in the customer organizations.

Salespeople must also learn to develop coaches within their customer organizations to help guide them to the correct decision makers and the people with the right degrees of influence not only today, for a current revenue opportunity, but for future revenue opportunities as well. In addition, coaches will help you develop the ongoing relationships that will be critical for your success and your firm's success in the future with your customer partners.

Brian Polowniak is the longest-standing independent contractor for Miller Heiman, Inc., a Reno, Nevada-based corporation that helps businesses develop sales processes. Brian is president of Solution Strategies, Inc., a consulting firm he founded in 1986. You can reach Brian at Miller Heiman by dialing (800)526-6400 or visit our micro site at www.millerheiman.com/Siebel_Project/index_mhi_micro.htm or more information about Miller Heiman's products and services.