Bribery or Appreciation?

I just got off the phone with a potential client. She mentioned several times in our 10-minute conversation that “this is what everyone in her industry does.” She was referring to the practice of essentially bribing dealers to sell her company’s product by giving them rebates and monetary incentives when they reach a certain amount in sales. And that’s how they show appreciation for their dealers. They give them money for selling their product.

That’s not showing appreciation, nor is it building a strong relationship. It’s just doing business. Money is definitely a motivator, but it’s not as big a motivator as some people believe it is. Relationships built on money as a reward will go away when the money goes away. Relationships built on trust, appreciation, gratitude and value will endure a lot longer.

The conversation ended with her commitment to continuing to do what everyone else does. That will assure she will get average results. Apparently she’s okay with that, which is exactly why she wouldn’t be a good client for my company anyway.