When They Start Calling You
We've got it backwards.
We measure calls made, emails sent, meetings booked. We track our output like assembly line workers cranking widgets.
But here's the thing about real relationships: they're not one-way streets.
Pick one customer relationship—just one. For the next 90 days, flip the script entirely.
Month one: Bite your tongue. Listen until your ears hurt. Ask questions that matter. Absorb their world, their problems, their dreams they haven't told anyone else.
Month two: Become their teacher, not their vendor. Share insights. Send articles. Make introductions. Give away the good stuff without a purchase order in sight.
Month three: Connect dots they can't see. Bridge gaps in their network. Think bigger than your product catalog.
Now here's the only metric that matters: Count how often they reach out to you.
Not your follow-ups. Not your check-ins. Their calls. Their emails. Their "quick questions."
If that number climbs, you've cracked the code. You've shifted from seller to trusted advisor, from vendor to valuable resource.
If it stays flat? You're still pushing when you should be pulling.
The magic happens when the dynamic flips—when they start the conversation because they need what you bring to the table, not what you're trying to take from it.
Sales tip: Stop measuring your activity and start measuring their engagement. The best sales happen when the customer picks up the phone first.
