Sales managers need to coach their salespeople to leverage existing client relationships by gaining access to other decision makers and influencers. When your sales reps win accounts and develop good rapport with a particular contact within an organization, they may gravitate towards that relationship and become protective of it. But they need to be careful not to be too protective or even complacent.
For various reasons sales reps are often hesitant about establishing new contact relationships with existing clients. The most common being that they’ll step on their key contact’s toes and possibly offend them. Or, a contact may say, “Oh, you don’t need to contact anyone here but me,” — a red flag signaling that the sales rep would be better off reaching out to others in the organization.
The fact of the matter is — client relationships can turn on a dime. Because of this, sales reps need to cover all their bases. Additionally, because every organization has different levels of influencers and decision-makers, establishing new client relationships with these individuals helps embed the sales reps into the decision-making process. Coaching your people to expand their number of contacts with an established client will prove to make a new multifaceted client relationship that is stronger and more prosperous.
