Back to Basics

Relationship Value

SNI believes that Relationship Value is the product of:

 

1. The level of TRUST you gain from a person.

2. The level of CREDBILITY you have with a person.

3. The amount of VALUE that you deliver to a person.

 

Trust

Trust is defined as firm reliance on the integrity, ability or character if a person or thing. In business, trust is a hard won attribute and can only be achieved over time. In our programs, we emphasize that building trust is not an event, but a process that takes place over a period of time. To gain trust, you have to think ahead and consider the consequences of every decision you make in a business setting. What impact will my decision have on the level of trust I am trying to develop?

 

Credibility

Credibility is the quality, capability, or power to elicit belief. SNI focuses on one’s personal ability to get a person/customer to believe that you are the best resource available at any given point to deliver whatever they need to be successful. In our programs, we teach that the best way to get what you want from is to help the other side get what they want. In a tough economy, everyone is looking out for their own best interests, whether it is saving money, extracting additional value or reducing risk. By being transparent enough to demonstrate that you care about more than the bottom line and confidently approaching objections and challenges with straight talk and follow through – you can increase your credibility significantly.

 

Value

Value is receiving fair value in return for any investment – be it money, time or effort. Your products and services have to be perceived to have value in order to sustain a business relationship. Sales professionals are usually well-versed in stating a value proposition for their products and services, but the critical factor in building value is identifying what is most important to the other side at any given point in time. A low price might be a good value in most situations, but you may leave money on the table by failing to discover that quicker delivery, personal service or flexibility in payment terms can be more important in turbulent economic times. SNI teaches that consistent, effective probing is the only way to ensure that you fully understand the best value you can offer as the business environment changes.

 

SNI is a premier provider of customized business negotiations and influencing training to companies around the world. To learn more about SNI, please visit www.shapironegotiations.com

 

Comments

[Jason Black]

I think it's very interesting that as advanced as we all have come with regard to technology, it always comes back to the relationships you have with people. I'm going to spend some time with our sales reps in the next meeting to go over how we all need to be more cognizant of doing that versus trying to just move our products. Thanks.

[Henry Jacobs]

How do you build trust when you do not have a great deal of time?

[K. Soze]

As you say in your programs, "It's all about the relationship." The trouble is that we never really know the strength of the relationship until hard times are upon us.

[John Buelow]

Unfortunately, trust cann on ly be developed over time - the best you can hope for in a short period of time is a pattern of credibility - the ability to get someone to believe you. Turst is much more complex - it is the power to get someone to believe IN you. That takes time and credibility!

[Kris Wallace]

I have noticed that business people in Sales are quick to point out the value that their products and/or services can provide the other side to close a deal. Salespeople typically demonstrate their value to the other side in terms of bottom-line impact. So if we take value as a measure of bottom-line impact, how do you measure trust and credibility when they are both so subjective?