relationships

Loyalty Loyalty-Winning Sales Experience

When I lead sales training sessions, I often begin with a simple question:
“What’s the best and worst sales experience you’ve ever had?”

The bad ones are easy—most of us have a horror story or two. But the great ones? Those are harder to articulate. They’re usually grounded not in a one-off wow moment, but in a consistent, relationship-driven experience.

Today, I want to share one of those rare “great” ones.

Years ago, I purchased a water treatment system from Secondwind Water Systems. I chose them because they were a customer of mine and had excellent reviews. During the quoting and installation process, they were everything you hope for—consultative, educational, and professional.

Since then, their ongoing service has remained top-notch—prompt, proactive, friendly, and helpful. About a year and a half ago, I started noticing a sulfur odor in my water. I called in, and my sales rep personally guided me through how to shock the well and troubleshoot the issue. He also said, “If this doesn’t solve it, I’ll help you upgrade the system.” He followed up a few times after that to check in—no pressure, just care.

Fast forward to today: I decided it was time for the upgrade.

I sent an email. Within 20 minutes, the same rep was on the phone. He remembered me. Within an hour, he was at my house. He explained what was happening, walked me through the solution, provided a quote, explained next steps, and even scheduled a follow-up to ensure satisfaction.

That’s what earns repeat business. I’m not going to shop around.
That’s what earns trust.
That’s what earns referrals shouted from rooftops.

This is the kind of experience we should all strive to deliver—and it’s a reminder that great sales aren’t flashy. They’re grounded in reliability, responsiveness, and relationships.

This Is the Time for Partnership

There’s a lot of uncertainty in the market right now. Big headlines. Big layoffs. Big tariffs. Inflation is squeezing margins. Prices are rising. Forecasts are increasingly unpredictable.

In moments like these, it’s tempting to retreat—to double down on short-term cost control and prioritize immediate wins over long-term strategy. But if there’s one lesson we should carry forward from the challenges of COVID, it’s the importance of resilience.

And I’ve found that resilience isn’t just about weathering the storm—it’s about how well we work with others when the pressure is on. That’s why partnership matters more than ever.

Throughout my career, I’ve focused on catalyzing communication, trust, and forward-looking planning between end users, suppliers, distributors, and internal teams. That collaborative space—where challenges are addressed head-on instead of passed down the line—is where real, lasting value is built.

But here’s the thing: these relationships can’t just be reactive. True resilience is built before the storm hits.

Partnership and collaboration should be embedded in day-to-day business practices—not reserved for times of adversity. When trust, alignment, and open communication are part of your operating rhythm, adaptability becomes much easier when challenges arise.

One of the biggest shifts I’ve seen recently is around brand loyalty.  Early in my career, I questioned pricing strategies that leaned too heavily on customer dependency. I remember being told, “Once it’s specified, changing it takes an act of Congress.” And at the time, that was true—customers grumbled, but paid the increases. It felt arrogant.

But things changed.

During tariff hikes and post-COVID volatility, some suppliers introduced “temporary” surcharges that quietly became permanent. Some suppliers used the moment to boost margins –at the cost of trust. Even as raw material costs dropped, prices stayed high—then came the usual 3–4% annual increase layered on top. Customers felt it more than ever. 

Whether my role is with a distributor or manufacturer, I’ve always advocated for the customer—working both sides of the equation to plan ahead through forecasting, blanket orders, shared inventory, and transparency. The goal isn’t just to lower costs—it is to improve operations, support continuous improvement, increase resilience, build perspective, and build strong, supportive partnerships.

That work helped us mutually adapt to market volatility.

The biggest change I’ve seen over the past 22 years is customers themselves. Burned by shortages and price hikes, many are now far more open to change—even if it takes time.

Those alternative equipment samples I gave away years ago for testing? They’re now displacing legacy products at lower prices, with better features. Today, loyalty hinges on the value a supplier brings—and how they show up when it matters most.  Suppliers unwilling to collaborate, especially in adversity, are increasingly being replaced.

We can’t navigate this landscape alone.  We need to lean on each other—suppliers, customers, and cross-functional teams—to share insight, mitigate risk, and plan proactively.

The companies that thrive in uncertainty aren’t the ones that tighten their grip. They’re the ones that build trust—long before it’s tested. True partnership is a daily practice, not just a crisis response.

Let’s keep listening. Let’s keep aligning. Let’s build resilience—together.

This post was inspired by dialogue on Michael Worden’s recent post on the topic, join the discussion!

The Power of Vulnerability and Transparency in Building Strong Relationships

In both business and life, relationships are what matter most to me. Over time, I’ve learned that the best relationships are built on transparency and integrity—two qualities that enable individuals to reach a place of vulnerability. When we embrace vulnerability, we open ourselves to sharing openly, building trust, and aligning both personally and professionally.

Approaching interactions with honesty and mindfulness makes daily exchanges smoother. There’s no guessing about what the other person is thinking and no need to tiptoe around the “right” thing to say for fear of upsetting someone.

However, achieving this level of clarity and ease doesn’t happen overnight. It requires intention, consistent effort, and mutual agreement. It also means ensuring you have the right people in the right roles.

I remember when I became upset with a partner over something as simple as dirty dishes. Instead of washing them, he kept adding to the growing pile in the sink. I pointed out the pile, but he didn’t clean it, assuming I would take care of it. The unspoken expectation left me feeling taken for granted—like a maid. In frustration, I decided to let it go and see how long it would continue. Every day, the pile grew, and so did my frustration and sadness. After a week, I exploded. He was completely caught off guard. “Why didn’t you just tell me you wanted me to do them?” he asked. To me, it seemed obvious. I had pointed out the pile, after all.

Through a candid conversation, I realized it wasn’t a deliberate act of negligence on his part. The dishes simply weren’t a priority for him. He had always relied on me to take care of them, and he didn’t realize how his assumptions were affecting me negatively.

At the time, I was reading The Advantage by Patrick Lencioni, one of my favorite reads. It helped me see things in a new light. In it, Lencioni discusses the importance of vulnerability in fostering organizational health. One quote stood out to me:

“At the heart of vulnerability lies the willingness of people to abandon their pride and their fear, to sacrifice their egos for the collective good of the team. While this can be a little threatening and uncomfortable at first, ultimately it becomes liberating for people who are tired of spending time and energy overthinking their actions and managing interpersonal politics at work.”

This idea made me reconsider my approach to communication, both at home and at work. I realized that vulnerability—openly expressing my needs and frustrations—is essential for building trust and understanding.

I became more deliberate and mindful in my communication. At work, I shared Lencioni’s books with the leadership team, and we began discussing them in our monthly meetings. I also brought relevant passages into my team meetings, using them as conversation starters for exercises designed to strengthen trust.

One of these exercises sparked an important conversation within my team. One employee, feeling exposed, shared how uncomfortable it made her when a colleague copied me on emails. She felt it suggested she was doing something wrong. The other employee was surprised by this perception (so was I). “I’m just dealing with the same issue you are and have been reporting it to Britni,” he explained. “I was just keeping her in the loop so she could see that the problem wasn’t limited to my account.”

This conversation marked a turning point. Slowly, we began sharing more perspectives and building stronger bonds. We started to understand each other’s intentions, strengths, and weaknesses. As a result, we anticipated each other’s expectations and concerns more easily. Our communication became smoother and more efficient, and problems were resolved more quickly without emotional tension.

For instance, instead of immediately copying me on an email, the employees would first discuss the matter and agree on whether to involve me, ensuring ownership and mutual buy-in. Rather than letting frustrations fester, we began asking more questions like, “What made you say that?” or “Can you elaborate?”

As I worked through Lencioni’s framework, I found that vulnerability and honesty became powerful tools in fostering alignment in my strategic planning, employee development, and customer engagement processes. These principles also influenced my personal relationships. For example, instead of letting my frustration over the dirty dishes build up, I simply ask, “Can you please do the dishes today?” My partner responds by washing them.However, while I believe everyone should work toward fostering these qualities in their partnerships, teams, and relationships with customers, I also recognize that it doesn’t always come together. As I mentioned earlier, it requires intention, consistent modeling, practice, and mutual agreement. Not everyone is willing to put in the effort. Sometimes, people need to be moved around or removed from the bus. And sometimes, you realize you’re simply on the wrong bus, and you need to know it’s time to get off.

Earn Loyalty from Customers – Differentiate the Relationship

I want to share some of my takeaways from Masters of Loyalty by Duane Sparks (sequel to Action Selling).  The best start I could think of was to introduce you to Mary-Ellen Berg. For the past 5 years, she’s been one of a few people in my personal life who calls me on the phone with regularity. She asks what is new in my life, what projects we’ve worked on around the house and how my parents are doing. We share a love of family, Disney and our dogs. I cried when she lost her dog and she’s supported me on Facebook as mine continues to decline. I consider her a friend and I tell people about her all the time. Mary-Ellen Berg is my realtor, a real-life Master of Loyalty.

She delivered a beyond-exceptional experience to friends of mine and then to me upon their referral. She sold my first house at asking price, in 3 months, during the recession. She’s knows what she’s doing, she’s good. She’s also dedicated – she stayed with us on our 9 months home search through 45 on-site visits during snowstorms, mud season and one hot, humid summer before we found the home that met our somewhat unique needs. With that time investment, I would not have faulted her for ending the relationship or minimizing time with us. Instead, she continued to make us feel like we were her only client. She consulted us, counseled us out of negative situations and ensured we were in the best position with the best resources through the sale. She maintains this status by keeping our relationship warm and staying aware of any shifts in our needs. In addition to the phone calls, she also sends monthly snail-mail letters and for her more local clients, sometimes leaves little gifts like a plant on their doorsteps.

Mary-Ellen Berg is an excellent introduction to Masters of Loyalty because she exemplifies a lesson that Sparks highlights – if you differentiate yourself once, you make a sale, but if you consistently differentiate the relationship, you can create a loyal customer. A loyal customer is someone who isn’t simply satisfied, it is someone who has stopped shopping and cannot be tempted away.  Loyal customers aren’t responding to fancy marketing or flash sales, they respond to the relationship a representative built with them that they consider too valuable to give up.   

Sparks cites the following figures:

  • 75% of customers leave a supplier due to lack of a relationship (20% will provide this reason)
  • 10% of customers leave because their needs have changed (Salespeople think 1/3 leave for this)
  • 25% of customer say they left for a better price (Salespeople believe this is 50% of the reason)
  • 75% of customers who left say they were satisfied or very satisfied when they left.

These stats highlights a gap: on average, representatives don’t engage with their customers enough. At the same time – they demonstrate an opportunity. Action Selling teaches us how to best engage customers, but learning to be a Master of Loyalty causes us to take that practice a step further.  After we did the work to develop a relationship and close a sale, we can differentiate ourselves by planning to continue engaging these customers by reaching out to them long-term with sincerity. A commitment objective can be as simple as gaining agreement from the customer that he or she is more than just satisfied with the experience we are providing.

How many people in your personal life or professional career have made you beyond satisfied and achieved loyalty? There is one in mine. One. There is room for you to stand out in your world.