--- title: Sales Is, Was, and Always Will Be Relationships | The Sales Blog description: The time to build relationships is before you need them. When you need those relationships, it’s too late to start building them. Your dream client is unhappy and exploring options. You stopped calling on them because they were “cold,” and you wanted to work on “ready-to-buy,” “hot” leads. Now no one inside this company knows […] image: https://www.thesalesblog.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/shutterstock_283656011.jpg --- ### [Now booking SKO meetings for 2026/27! 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When you need those relationships, it’s too late to start building them.** Your dream client is unhappy and exploring options. You stopped calling on them because they were “[cold](http://thesalesblog.com/2010/08/11/when-you%e2%80%99re-hot-you%e2%80%99re-not-call-your-coldest-non-opportunities/),” and you wanted to work on “ready-to-buy,” “hot” leads. Now no one inside this company knows you. They have no idea as to the value you might create because you didn’t think they were important enough to deserve your time. You’re excited about the [RFP](http://thesalesblog.com/2012/03/11/wait-before-you-respond-to-that-rfp/) you just received. But no one knows you there, either. Yet it’s a lead, and you can drop it in your pipeline, so you answer 64 pages of questions. Why then don’t you continue to call on the people you met through this process for the next three years so you have the relationships you need when it comes back around? The business came in fast. The client needed your help. So you skipped most of your sales process and all of your implementation process. You don’t really know anyone, and no one knows you. Now there’s a problem, and you’re taking it on the chin with no relief in sight. You needed [relationships](http://thesalesblog.com/2011/07/06/all-things-being-unequal-relationships-win/). **The time to try to create value is before you attempt to claim value.** It’s late in the quarter. You need a deal. Badly. This prospect is engaged, and you are confident that they’re going to buy. But you need them to buy now, so you push for “the close” before you have done enough to have [earned it](http://thesalesblog.com/2012/06/22/asking-for-the-commitments-you-earned/), and now your prospect’s gone dark. You suspect the worst. Rightly so, you were a self-oriented taker, not someone who earned the right to make the ask. Just like the example of nurturing cold prospects above, the time to create value is before you claim any. That’s what helps build these relationships. **The time to make deposits is before you need to make a withdrawal.** You need to have a [difficult conversation](http://thesalesblog.com/2014/10/24/difficult-conversations-are-growth-opportunities/) with someone who works for you. You’ve ignored and neglected them for months. They feel that neglect. This conversation isn’t going to be pleasant under any circumstances. But in this case, the relationship will not survive the conversation because the withdrawal you are making is greater than the sum of your deposits, because you haven’t made any. Relationships are investments. You are either an investor, or you are not. The greater your investment, the greater your return. [**Tweet](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Sales+Is%2C+Was%2C+and+Always+Will+Be+Relationships&url=https%3A%2F%2Fthesalesblog.com%2F2016%2F03%2F21%2Fsales-always-will-relationships-2%2F%3Futm_source%3Dtwitter%26utm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_campaign%3DSocialWarfare&via=iannarino) **Pin [**Share844](https://www.linkedin.com/cws/share?url=https%3A%2F%2Fthesalesblog.com%2F2016%2F03%2F21%2Fsales-always-will-relationships-2%2F%3Futm_source%3Dlinkedin%26utm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_campaign%3DSocialWarfare) [**Share427](https://www.facebook.com/share.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fthesalesblog.com%2F2016%2F03%2F21%2Fsales-always-will-relationships-2%2F%3Futm_source%3Dfacebook%26utm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_campaign%3DSocialWarfare) [**Email](mailto:?subject=Sales%20Is%2C%20Was%2C%20and%20Always%20Will%20Be%20Relationships&body=The%20time%20to%20build%20relationships%20is%20before%20you%20need%20them.%20When%20you%20need%20those%20relationships%2C%20it%E2%80%99s%20too%20late%20to%20start%20building%20them.%20Your%20dream%20client%20is%20unhappy%20and%20exploring%20options.%20You%20stopped%20calling%20on%20them%20because%20they%20were%20%E2%80%9Ccold%2C%E2%80%9D%20and%20you%20wanted%20to%20work%20on%20%E2%80%9Cready-to-buy%2C%E2%80%9D%20%E2%80%9Chot%E2%80%9D%20leads.%20Now%20no%20one%20inside%20this%20company%20knows%20you.%20They%20have%20no%20idea%20as%20to%20the%20value%20you%20might%20create%20because%20you%20didn%E2%80%99t%20think%20they%20were%20important%20enough%20to%20deserve%20your%20time.%20You%E2%80%99re%20excited%20about%20the%20RFP%20you%20just%20received.%20But%20no%20one%20knows%20you%20there%2C%20either.%20Yet%20it%E2%80%99s%20a%20lead%2C%20and%20you%0D%0A%0D%0ARead%20More%20Here:%20%20https%3A%2F%2Fthesalesblog.com%2F2016%2F03%2F21%2Fsales-always-will-relationships-2%2F%3Futm_source%3Demail%26utm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_campaign%3DSocialWarfare) [**Pocket](https://getpocket.com/save?url=https%3A%2F%2Fthesalesblog.com%2F2016%2F03%2F21%2Fsales-always-will-relationships-2%2F%3Futm_source%3Dpocket%26utm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_campaign%3DSocialWarfare) [**Buffer54](https://bufferapp.com/add?url=https%3A%2F%2Fthesalesblog.com%2F2016%2F03%2F21%2Fsales-always-will-relationships-2%2F%3Futm_source%3Dbuffer%26utm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_campaign%3DSocialWarfare&text=Sales+Is%2C+Was%2C+and+Always+Will+Be+Relationships) 1K Shares ###### Tags: [Sales](https://www.thesalesblog.com/blog/tag/sales) [2016](https://www.thesalesblog.com/blog/tag/2016) Post by [Anthony Iannarino](https://www.thesalesblog.com/blog/author/anthony-iannarino) on March 21, 2016 Written and edited by human brains and human hands. ![Anthony Iannarino](https://www.thesalesblog.com/hubfs/ai-blog-profile-crop.jpg) Anthony Iannarino is an American writer. He has published daily at [thesalesblog.com](https://www.thesalesblog.com) for more than 14 years, amassing over 5,300 articles and making this platform a destination for salespeople and sales leaders. Anthony is also the author of four best-selling books documenting modern sales methodologies and a fifth book for sales leaders seeking revenue growth. His latest book for an even wider audience is titled, The Negativity Fast: Proven Techniques to Increase Positivity, Reduce Fear, and Boost Success. Anthony speaks to sales organizations worldwide, delivering cutting-edge sales strategies and tactics that work in this ever-evolving B2B landscape. He also provides workshops and seminars. Connect with Anthony on LinkedIn, X or Youtube. You can email Anthony at [iannarino@gmail.com](mailto:iannarino@gmail.com) [Follow me on my website](https://www.thesalesblog.com/anthony-iannarino) [Follow me on Facebook ](https://www.facebook.com/thesalesblog) [Follow me on LinkedIn ](https://www.linkedin.com/in/iannarino/) [Follow me on Twitter ](http://www.twitter.com/iannarino) [![AISA-square-ad-SKOs-26-27](https://www.thesalesblog.com/hs-fs/hubfs/AISA-square-ad-SKOs-26-27.jpg?width=400&height=400&name=AISA-square-ad-SKOs-26-27.jpg)](https://www.thesalesblog.com/authority) [![ai-cold-calling-video-sidebar-offer-1](https://www.thesalesblog.com/hs-fs/hubfs/ai-cold-calling-video-sidebar-offer-1.jpg?width=318&height=179&name=ai-cold-calling-video-sidebar-offer-1.jpg)](https://www.thesalesblog.com/free-cold-calling-video) ![salescall-planner-ebook-v3-1-cover (1)](https://www.thesalesblog.com/hs-fs/hubfs/salescall-planner-ebook-v3-1-cover%20(1).jpg?width=768&height=994&name=salescall-planner-ebook-v3-1-cover%20(1).jpg) ### Free Sales eBook: Sales Call Planner Planning your sales call improves the likelihood of making a successful call, and it demonstrates to your dream client your professionalism. 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What we’re doing right now **is working**, even in this challenging economy. **Would you like some help?** [![Solve for Sales](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/2922376/d3a4938b-2008-4a27-8b44-7b2223f6d035.png)](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/2922376/d3a4938b-2008-4a27-8b44-7b2223f6d035) ### Join my Weekly Newsletter for Sales Tips Join 100,000+ sales professionals in my weekly newsletter and get my *Guide to Becoming a Sales Hustler* eBook for FREE! --- ```json { "@context" : "http://schema.org/", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Anthony Iannarino" }, "dateModified" : "2021-06-15T5:40:36 PM", "datePublished" : "2016-03-21 21:13:10", "description" : "The time to build relationships is before you need them. When you need those relationships, it’s too late to start building them. Your dream client is unhappy and exploring options. 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