Man vs. machine

We all know the drill: As salespeople, we’re supposed to connect with our customers on a regular basis. But top salespeople don’t just “check in” with their clients. They develop strong relationships with customers during the sales process, which means they know what’s going on with their clients, both personally and professionally. Top salespeople provide insights and guidance, which make them valuable, trusted business resources.

Salespeople vs. computers: Why you’ll always win. When you have a relationship with your client like the one described above, he’ll always take your calls. He wants to talk to you, looks forward to it even. And he’ll refer you to other great clients, because he has seen for himself the value you bring to the table. Yes, computers have their uses. But helping someone secure his financial future is not one of them.

This is where in-person connections really trump technology. Computers can’t take your client to dinner, recount interesting personal experiences, laugh at her jokes (dumb or otherwise) or coo over pictures of her grandchildren. Computers can’t shake your client’s hand, have meaningful conversations about what’s going on in the marketplace or understand her specific challenges and goals. But you can. And you can do it with the type of caring that a computer just can’t provide.