This is a question that comes up more often nowadays.  It’s no wonder when we have Google Analytics, smart phones, email, voicemail, texting, online ordering websites, and all ways electronic to conduct business.  Add to that time constraints our customers find themselves in on a daily basis, and you have a recipe for mouse-clicks to be the default communication method.

It was not that long ago (I like to think) my sales efforts were almost all face-to-face.  Relationships were built on reliability, integrity, and trust.  It was important to customers to size up a new supplier, and the way it was done was often personal.  A sales rep in the field is the face of the company, especially if the company is located in a faraway place.  Building a good relationship was easier then—at least it seemed so, because the customer and sales rep saw each other more often.  Today we have a different landscape.  Do those relationships still matter?

My short answer is yes, but my long answer is basically, nothing has changed.  Even way-back-when when I sold, it was not all about me.  It has always been about the company, the quality, the service, and the extra effort put forth by the employees of my company.  Relationships are still built on reliability, integrity, and trust.  One person cannot carry the water for the whole company.  It has to be a team effort.  The relationship is still personal, but one person does not control it and never did.  Am I saying all of our employees should be working on a relationship with our customers?  Actually, yes I am.