A story on authenticity in sales

In an earlier blog post I looked at the evolution of sales and its move toward authenticity. I decided to follow up that post with a story from my own personal experience. During my time at my previous job, where I worked for three years, I got to closely observe one of our major suppliers and a transition they were going through.

They are a pretty large building materials supply company that was still privately owned and operated by the original founder. This man built the business from the ground up over the past 40 years. He is an extremely friendly, relational type of person. He’s the kind of individual that can make people feel like they’re his best friend shortly after they meet him. This man for many years has been the face of the company and a huge part of sales. No one else in his company could replicate the way he would gather new accounts and customers. People just like to buy from him

However, over the past few years he’s been phasing out of the day-to-day operations of his company as he looks toward retirement. He doesn’t want to be involved much in the company anymore. However, as he visits customers less and meets fewer prospective customers, the company has struggled to grow. Many of the existing customers have become unsettled as they wonder whether their concerns will be heard by new management with whom they don’t have the same relationship. Although the new management is very capable of running the company, they do not possess the same interpersonal skills as their founder.

This example shows the value of authenticity and relationship in sales. A big part of why this company was so successful was because of the owner’s ability to relate and communicate with his customers. People simply liked and trusted him, so they liked to buy from his company.

It is important to remember the value relationship building in sales. People like to buy from people that they like and trust.