"We live in a world where many of us have a lot of friends on Facebook but yet we have lost human connection."

Robin Sharma

A question for all of you as we kick off our time together... Would you like to build meaningful connections with your clients?

Playing off Robin Sharma's quote, I believe there's an illusion of proximity and connection, as social media has created a false sense of closeness.

One may feel they know their friends' (salespeople, this be your clients) lives intimately through posts and photos, yet this knowledge is often superficial and lacks the context that deepens real-world relationships.

I get it, social platforms such as Facebook and LinkedIn facilitate connections, they often do not foster the deep, supportive relationships that characterize true relationships.

The challenge lies in balancing online interactions with efforts to cultivate genuine connections in real life, emphasizing quality over quantity in our social networks.

My friends, all of this can be applied directly into the sales world and that's what we're going to do in our time together. Are you ready?

While digital helps to facilitate relationships, what drives relational growth is true heart to heart conversation and connection.

Connections and relationships matter way beyond what we traditionally believe. As humans, we seek to connect to find meaning. We crave a sense of belonging.

A healthy meaningful relationship takes passion, purpose, and patience. This does not happen overnight, in a week, or in a month.

Check this out... there are two things that separate us from generations of the past:

• We’re more distracted than ever before

• We’re more committed to personal growth and enlightenment. In fact, the $11-billion industry is expected to grow another $3-5 billion in the next four years, according to the 2019 “US Market for Self-Improvement Products and Services” report.

According to the Pew Research Center, 83% US adults between the ages of 18-49 are active on at least one social media platform.

Unfortunately, many can’t, won’t or struggle to be without their phones for more than an hour.

This means we have more barriers to gain mastery over when it comes to building meaningful connections with real human beings.

Is the technology of today becoming a distractor in building meaningful, healthy and abundant client connections?

“I remind myself that I’m always more satisfied by human interaction than by a digital connection.”

Maulik Pancholy

Let's translate and apply this quote to all of you in sales... Regular client interaction helps hone your verbal and non-verbal communication skills, making you more effective with your client retention, growth and the experience provided.

If you REALLY care about your clients, and your future clients, then what are you doing to truly build meaningful connections?

I will let you stew on that one. Are you ready to continue our journey together?

TRUST, THE FOUNDATION OF MEANINGFUL CONNECTIONS.

Trust is the essential thread that weaves together the fabric of meaningful connections.

What this requires is an ongoing effort by you and your clients to nurture and maintain the relationship.

You build trust by:

• Fostering open, honest and transparent communication.

• Being consistent and congruent with how you carry yourself.

• Being empathetic as you demonstrate that you truly care.

• Respecting their boundaries.

Maintaining meaningful connections has become challenging for one simple reason, technology provides an abundance of distractions that prohibit many to openly listen to and engage with those around them.

Technology also fosters laziness. I will let you all think about that one.

I ask you... What are you doing to remove the distractions preventing you from connecting with your clients?

Let's set aside dictionary definitions of connection. A true connection, especially in a relational context is a deep almost natural bond that exist between two people.

This type of connection can be characterized by a sense of trust, respect and loyalty.

I enjoy asking sales leadership and those in sales the following - Do your client relationships mean something to you? A resounding majority unequivocally say YES, then my follow up question is - How many of those relationships are built on trust, respect and loyalty?

Are y'all starting to comprehend where I'm going with this?

“Consistency is the true foundation of trust. Either keep your promises or do not make them.”

Roy T. Bennett

I believe that the essence of trust lies in being consistent. This means keeping your promises and being reliable with your interactions.

You must prioritize consistency. You must create an environment where trust can flourish.

This will soon start to lead to deeper, more meaningful client connections. Embrace this one principle, and watch your relationships flourish.

Trust becomes the glue that binds relationships together. Without trust, it's nearly impossible for any relationship to last. And yes, this applies to your client relationships.

Here's the deal, if trust is something internal, personal and important to you, then you must trust yourself. Question becomes, what are you doing about it?

A trusted meaningful connection is a two-way street.

Here are some reflective questions to answer:

• Am I connecting in meaningful ways with my clients? Describe how.

• Am I truly listening to my clients' perspective and viewpoint?

• Am I present in our conversations?

• Am I creating the environment to have my clients share vulnerable moments?

MEANINGFUL CONNECTIONS CREATE THE FOUNDATION FOR HEALTHY SALES FUNNELS

One of my favorite sayings inside, Selling from the Heart,

If you want to have an ever-flowing sales funnel you must build an ever-flowing relationship funnel.

Apply my quote and this quote courtesy of Mark Cuban,

"Business happens over years and years. Value is measured in the total upside of a business relationship, not by how much you squeezed out in any one deal."

Are you smelling what I'm cooking?

According to Gallup, an analytics and advisory company, competing on price is a losing (and unnecessary) strategy to earn business. Instead, building business relationships is the X-factor for winning more business.

If you desire meaningful client relationships, crave relationships and this means something to you, then you must be direct and intentional about it.

Relational business matters. Building this become one of your most precious assets.

Meaningful client relationships create loyalty. Relationships create partnerships. Relationships create referrals. Relationships create sales sustainability.

Please hear me out on this one... Just because people buy something from you and then you occasionally "check-in" with them, does not constitute a relationship.

Think about this one... The relationship that you believe you have with your clients, does it align with what your clients believe?

Transactional conversations lead to transactional relationships, which will always be replaced by a better transactional conversation.

Healthy relationships and a meaningful connections with your clients develop based on:

• Mutual respect

• Trust

• Honesty

• Mutual support - I got your back.

• Fairness

• Admiration

• Good communication

Relationships take time, effort, patience, respect, giving and caring.

What concerns me is that the concept around what constitutes a client business relationship has become lost inside the sales world.

As I see it, there's insignificant depth and genuine meaning. The walk simple doesn't match the talk. No congruency.

What many in sales think is a relationship, may not be what it really is.

I believe that before any of you throw out the phrases, "We have great client relationships" or "We love our clients" on the business table or out into the community, then you should give some serious thought as to what constitutes a relationship and how consistent you will execute on it.

“So, get to know your customers. Humanize them. Humanize yourself. It’s worth it.”

Kristin Smaby

HEART DRIVES MEANINGFUL CONNECTIONS

Meaningful connections are built on emotional resonance, where individuals feel seen, heard, and valued. Applying this to you and your client relationships means that both parties emotions significantly impact each other, leading to a shared emotional experience.

As Brené Brown articulates, "Connection is the energy that exists between people when they can give and receive without judgment. This emotional exchange creates a foundation of trust and understanding."

I encourage you to turn to your heart.

In sales, heart tends to get ignored. “Heart-based” sounds "touchy-feely". Heart-based sounds weak and not cool.

I believe a servant, caring, and compassionate professional lives and leads with their heart.

They are difference makers. This shows and is exhibited in how they care for their clients.

By living and leading with their heart, they create meaningful, unbreakable sales bonds which last a lifetime.

Heartfelt professionals are leaders. They build relationships, cast vision, inspire, influence and motivate people to act.

Open the cage and let your heart roam free with your client relationships.

HEART MATTERS, HEART DRIVES CONNECTION, HEART DRIVES SALES

The heart is a place where one develops and gains strength. Those that embrace their heart will grow in purpose, profit and impact.

Those that embrace heart will strengthen their client relationships with many stakeholders, producing long-lasting results.

All this leads to is more productive conversations, more collaboration, and more innovation that addresses your clients' real needs.

I'm here to inform all of you that your clients crave a genuine, authentic, real-deal, and Selling from the Heart professional.

I encourage all of you to lead a sales life full of authenticity and integrity rather than the pursuit of lining your sales wallet.

Actions speak louder than words when serving with the heart.

What this means is you must demonstrate a level of deep commitment and authenticity through your behaviors rather than merely expressing intentions.

It’s not just what you say but what you do that truly matters. Your actions must truly reflect the heart behind your service.

I will leave all you with a few things to think about...

• Are you nurturing your client communities?

• Are you connecting with meaning and at a heart level with your clients?

Building meaningful connections with your clients becomes one key component to driving incremental revenue, profits and sales sustainability.

Originally published on Larry Levine's LinkedIn.