Is a Relationship Required Pre-Sale?

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When two people meet for the first time, there’s an opening exchange of pleasantries that sets the stage for a social interaction. It seems entirely intuitive to apply the same idea in business, when meeting a potential new client for the first time.

They tell you a bit about themselves. You tell them a bit about yourself. Then you proceed on that initial fleeting sense of connection, in the hope it deepens over the course of your extended sales process.

Although this sense of connection might be enough for two individuals to agree to a casual social interaction, is it enough for them to decide to hire you? Does a business decision necessarily flow out of a social interaction on its own?

The long sales cycle and relatively low conversion rate among most advisors in comparison to other professionals, such as doctors or lawyers, suggests it doesn’t. Yet most advisors operate on the basis that it does.

With this relationship-building approach, when your prospect “ghosts” you after you have invested your time, energy and expertise, you might feel personally rejected. The dismissal of your openness, cordiality, and generosity can often feel like an insult when they break the so-called relationship you have invested in.

The reason for this disconnect has little to do with your relationship building skills. Rather, it’s the unmet expectations of your prospect caused by advisors’ confusion about the nature of the interaction itself.