7 Ways to Start a Relationship with a New Customer

In order to develop relationships with new prospects and turn those strangers into friends, you need to work at it and be real. This requires taking the necessary steps to help you gain their trust and turn those friends into customers. Here are seven tips that can help you with that.

1. Get to know them

You need to learn everything you can about prospects as people and their company. Spend the time to check out both the person and the company online. Check on Google, LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest. Get to know them. From the company’s online presence, you should be able to pick up on the words used, its mission, vision and the image it is trying to project.

Try to get a sense of the person's beliefs and how they align with your own. Who are they and what do you have in common? What are their feelings about your message?

2. How will you make their life better?

It is all about them. If you can’t make their life better, why are you calling on them? What is the result you will deliver for them? Most likely they want more money, more sales, more customers and more profits, and less work and less stress. But don’t assume. Get very clear on your promise. Until you can get very clear and articulate about the transformation that you can offer them, you’re not ready to call on them.

3. Keep it real.

Assuming that you are a good person with ethics who really cares about other people, be that person. There is no place for old-school manipulation, pressure or guilting in building relationships. You should be able to feel good about what you’re about to ask for and the recommendations that you are making. Your new friend should also feel like it is the natural next step. People can spot a phony or a sleaze a mile away. Don’t be a phony or a sleaze.