I have chosen Quotation 77 by Dale Carnegie for inclusion in the Top Ten because it summarises the basis upon which you should build your relationship with customers, i.e.:
You can close more business in two months by becoming interested in other people than you can in two years by trying to get people interested in you.
Dale Carnegie
Don’t hog the spotlight. Instead, put it on your customer and make them the star attraction in every meeting/conversation you have with them. Do this and they will think you are a wonderful conversationalist because you listened to them and they felt good about themselves as a result. Someone wanted to hear what they had to say! In a world where most people are seldom listened to, that’s powerful stuff.
ONE LESSON TO TAKE AWAY
You will do more business and build better relationships with customers if you show a genuine interest in what they have to say about the problems, needs and ideas that they have.