If the potential customer has more interest in you than in your products
The potential customer fancies you
It is apparent the products or solutions your company provides are OK or interesting but you have become the main interest.
During the sales process it becomes clear the potential customer (he or she) has a crush on you. In order to meet-up with you additional meetings are being scheduled.
At first this doesn’t seem a problem and you feel like you are heading for an easy sell. You will win the deal – no doubt. Your competitors will not understand it.
The question is what should you do? Can you live with this situation? Will you be able to live with this situation later on?
Or do you run away and forget all about the sales?
In any case trying to get another decision taker in this company for these purchases will be difficult if not impossible. Thus you are stuck.
Recurrent sales increases the problem
Once the first sale has been closed your Sales manager expects additional or recurrent sales from the customer. This requires you to go and visit your “lover” again.
Everything can be handled and kept under control until he or she starts making advances to you or proposes to meet over a business lunch.
Then you need to come up with a good plan where you are heading too:
- An escape route
- Play the game for while and look for an early exit.
- Go for it: the relation.
In all cases the situation will become complex and difficult.
Keeping it a secret
Getting into a relation with a customer needs to be kept secret. However as more people are involved in company management, decision processes and purchases in B2B people will start guessing and gossip will emerge as several facts and events are being put together.
For example you are winning deals with this company you normally could not win.
Once a gossip started it spreads faster than any good news.
The power of the potential customer over the sales rep.
As from the moment you engage in this relation the potential customer obtains power over you as a sales rep.:
- Relation means sales – No relation implies any more sales
- The secret can be used against you when problems arise by both companies involved
It is very likely that one day problems will arise in the relation or with the products or services of your company. At that moment your relation will be exposed and used against you as the customer is always right.
So what would be your best solution?
What did you do when such situation occurred?
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I’m a huge believer in ethics and morals. You should never combine business and pleasure with someone that you are actively involved in a deal with. Now if it’s something where you have no involvement and you don’t talk business, that’s okay, but otherwise, a quick and firm ‘no’ or backing away is necessary.
Business is business and that’s the way the relationship should always be. If you cross that line and end up with a non-business relationship, your professionalism can be questioned and worse yet, the integrity of your company could be questioned. Don’t do anything that could ruin your good name or the good name of your company.