Several weeks ago, when Evan Adams joined class as a guest speaker, he spoke about the 5 types of salespeople. One of the 5 types is the relationship builder, which by his account is the most “Grover” type of salesperson. I’d have to say that I agree!
The relationship builder excels at forming strong relationships with their customers and clients. In my eyes, this is a great way to overcome one of the biggest problems in sales: trust. If the customer feels that they know and trust the salesperson, both sides will benefit. Another trait of the relationship builder is generosity and integrity. Relationship Builders like to make sure that all of their client’s needs are met. While all salespeople want to achieve this to some capacity, it is especially the case for relationship builders. These salespeople are willing to put so much time into customer relationships, that sometimes it may take years before they are able to complete the sale. This happens because relationship builders strongly believe that their care and effort will be returned over time. All of those things combined help to make an awesome customer experience.
While all of these things are great traits of relationship builders, they can also be weaknesses. Unfortunately, not every client a salesperson meets will end up buying from them. Just like years worth of rapport with clients can help reach a sale, it also can be wasted away. I’d imagine that this aspect of the relationship builder in particular can be troublesome at times, but it is also what makes it so special and beloved by customers. At the end of the day, we all can find comfort in knowing that the 5 types of salespeople presents us with our best strengths, not our weaknesses.
Ethan David 
Tessa 
Rachel Goetz
Hearing the different types of people and their motivations for sales was really interesting. I do not think I fall into the relationship builder category but like you said most salespeople still want to make sure the customer’s needs are met which is pretty true for me.
I certainly agree that this type of salesperson fits the mold of a “Grover” best as well. I appreciate how you mentioned that one of the biggest issues in selling situations is trust, because I think that’s also one of the hardest barriers to overcome as well. Our society has taught us to trust nobody until they can be trusted, which unfortunately translates into our daily relationships with people, whether professionally or personally.
I think the big thing about the relationship builder salesperson is that they build trust with their client. It’s not always about getting a sale but making sure that you have a solid relationship with the client. I would say that i’m a hard-worker and a relationship builder salesperson because i take pride in my hard-work but also want people to trust me!
Reputations is everything in sales, otherwise no one will buy from you. Thus it makes sense that relationship building is important in sales. I can guarantee you that it feels great to be trusted!