Salespeople who are viewed by their customers as a key resource are in an enviable position: high levels of customer satisfaction lead to increased retention, revenue and wallet share. Nice work if you can get it. But how does a salesperson, or, for that matter, a sales organization, go from being perceived as simply a supplier to being acknowledged as a valuable source of insight and expertise?

It begins with the relationship. Our research demonstrates, and my experience supports, that relationships are the foundation of complex selling. They foster the trust that allows the free flow of information and that builds credibility and respect among all parties to the sale. Professional salespeople and sales organizations take great care to develop and manage their customer relationships.

But being trusted and respected is just the ticket to the dance. Vendors in simple commodity sales may also become trusted suppliers, but that doesn’t prevent their buyers from shifting their business elsewhere in a heartbeat if they can get a better price. 

In contrast, a key resource in a complex sale contributes value beyond that of the product, service or solution alone. B2B buyers have access to unlimited sources of information, but they want to work with an expert who can make sense of their issues and apply capabilities in the context of their environment.

Being trusted and respected is just the ticket to the dance.

Top-performing salespeople can offer both a wealth of experience and an analysis of how other customers have made similar decisions in the past and provide a perspective to customer on how they will be successful. The sales professional supports the customer from pre-decision through implementation and beyond, and in doing so prepares the way for new opportunities to emerge. 

Obviously, salespeople who can serve as key customer resources aren’t making it up as they go along. Their personal experience is an essential factor, but they’re also operating within an organizational framework that provides the tools, concepts, coaching and leadership that make it possible for them to pursue and maintain deep, long-term customer relationships.

Behind every great salesperson is a great sales leader. How we connect with our customers, the kinds of relationships we seek, and the customer management strategies we deploy all flow from the top. In fact, defining customer management strategies is one of the most important decisions a sales leader makes. Well-defined and executed customer engagement processes make it possible for the sales professional to not only win the business but also become a key resource and keep the customer over the long haul. 

Joe Galvin leads the MHI Research Institute, formerly known as Miller Heiman Research Institute, as Chief Research Officer. (Miller Heiman has joined with four other companies to form MHI Global.) His mission is to continuously research, measure, and analyze the best practices, innovations, and emerging trends for complex B2B sales organizations to provide clients with the insights required to make strategic decisions.

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