Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1515304
38 SMT007 MAGAZINE I FEBRUARY 2024 gain business was to enter a market by showing product value (marketing) and gaining busi- ness opportunities by building sound personal relationships with key decision-makers (sales). e main goal of business development is to obtain, invent, and/or produce something needed or that can be used by an industry seg- ment. is is done by using market research to determine the industry segment's needs (using a larger set of activities, market research on pricing, identification of competition, strength, and weakness of competing prod- ucts) and then testing the product to ensure it meets those needs as much as possible. Use that to build a marketing plan and product introduction timeline, issue announcements, advertise, etc. en, the sales process starts. While marketing activities are usually indi- rect (identify prospective customers), sales activities are usually direct (interact with cus- tomers), and success is far more probable if the relationships between the salesperson/team and the process engineer/purchasing agent making the final decision have been estab- lished and are strong. I've had the opportunity to see these basic tenets repeatedly work, whether the prod- uct was electroless copper, dry film photore- sist, etchant, or laminate. Good, strong rela- tionships allow the salesperson to discuss the advantages of your product and create the opportunity to discuss and overcome objec- tions. Selling to a friend is far more possible than to someone you hardly know. A friend will inform you of any potential issues and allow you to offer ways to overcome them. Build that relationship by treating each potential customer as a friend and finding ways to build a modest social relationship. Develop respect and make your relationship add social, technical, and economic value. Earn trust by helping to resolve any issues quickly. Help them gain credibility with their employer. eir reward will be growing their position in their company, and yours will be the same, along with getting a commission on the addi- tional sales. Be constantly aware that relationship-build- ing and improvement are ongoing processes. e relationship you build with your prospec- tive customer will be mutually beneficial and not only protect the business you have gained, but absolutely provide additional opportuni- ties in the future. Even in this age of digital business practices, the value of human relationships is crucial to the sales process and should not be overlooked. While marketing's efforts are to introduce the sales team to as many new prospects as possi- ble, it's up to the sales team to build those rela- tionships into purchasing customers. SMT007 Dan Feinberg is a technical editor at I-Connect007, founder of Fein-Lines Associ- ates, and an I-Connect007 columnist. To read his columns, click here. Figure 1: As this figure depicts, business relationships range from transactional, or one-time purchases, to strategic partnerships that are often likened to a marriage. Somewhere in between are functional and affili- ative relationships that may look like friendships. (Source: Marketing Principles v. 1.0, a free online book.)