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[Editor's Note: This is the second in a series of columns from Weldon Long and Sharon Roberts, who enjoy an open and spirited collaboration. Although they come from different backgrounds, they have developed a professional relationship that uniquely expands the synergy of those differences.]
Weldon: People buy from people they like and trust.
This axiom is sales strategy 101. If we have heard it once, we've heard it a thousand times and few of us would ever question the common sense of this basic sales wisdom. Nevertheless, as sales legend Zig Ziglar often said, "Just because it's common sense doesn't mean it's common practice."
Having had the privilege of sharing the stage with business and organizational development titans Tom Hopkins and Dr. Stephen R. Covey, I have learned from the masters that relationship building is critical to business and sales success.
But knowing that relationship building is vital to success in kitchen-table sales does not necessarily help in understanding how to build a relationship at the kitchen table.
Fortunately, the fundamentals of forging a relationship is a skill just like technical and mechanical skills, and it can be learned just as systematically.
Sharon: I agree that half of relationship building requires leftbrain abilities, such as language, logic, and critical thinking. I would add right-brain abilities that are equally important to focus on and develop are recognizing faces, expressing emotion, reading emotion, intuition (gut feeling), and creativity. Current research shows that we make the best decisions when we call on both halves of our brain to work together in coherence
Research, including that by neurocardiologist Dr. J. Andrew Armour, has shown that emotion and reasoning are parallels. It's not head versus heart - it's head and heart. Science caught up with what's been common sense in sales circles forever. People buy based on emotion then justify their decision with logic.
Weldon: The easiest...