The relationship fallacy in business

The uncomfortable truth: Your business prospects are NOT looking for a relationship. They are looking to get their needs met. This may be very hard for you to accept as you have always been told, or tell others that “It’s all about the relationship,” but your prospects feel very differently. What prospects really want is easy access to products, services, solutions, resources and answers. And they want them faster, simply, more conveniently and affordably than what is offered by competitors.

Let’s be clear, relationships are incredibly important to success in business, but those are earned and nurtured over time through successful interactions, transactions, visits, conversations, negotiations, deliverables and more. As much as we want a relationship with our customers and clients, prospects almost never identify that as a priority. Prospects rarely come to you for a relationship, although they might be inclined to return because of it.

The danger is in falling back on marketing messages and tactics that tout the relationships you have with your current customers, which does little if anything to sway a prospect on the fence.

It’s like the old adage about the customer who goes to hardware store to buy a drill. They don’t have a need for a drill. What they need is a hole. The drill is the best tool to satisfy that need. They may go to that particular hardware store the first time to fulfill a need. They return again and again because it becomes “their” hardware store where they know the layout well and can get in and out quickly.

Once again, relationships are a retention tool for those of us in business. But for prospects simply looking for a resource, vendor, or provider, make a compelling case why you are a better choice than the countless other choices available to them. Deliver it well and you might earn the change to forge a mutually beneficial relationship.