In the world of sales, building strong relationships is the cornerstone of sustainable success. The latest episode of the Toilet Paper Salesman Podcast delves into this critical aspect of sales, breaking down what truly separates top performers from the rest. Surprisingly, it’s not just about product knowledge or persuasive pitches—it’s about something much more fundamental.

The podcast reveals a fascinating statistic: 75% of what makes a top salesperson effective comes down to just four simple behaviors. Showing up and following up accounts for 50%, while being likable and credible makes up another 25%. Only the remaining 25% is attributed to actual sales skills, knowledge, and techniques. This revelation challenges the conventional wisdom that technical expertise is the primary factor in sales success. Instead, consistency and reliability form the foundation upon which everything else is built.

The episode introduces a powerful three-step formula for building customer relationships: consistency builds confidence, confidence turns into trust, and trust becomes a relationship. This progression explains why many salespeople struggle to move customers from initial contact to actual purchases. Without establishing consistency in every interaction—from showing up on time to delivering on promises—it’s impossible to build the confidence necessary for customers to trust you. And without trust, meaningful business relationships cannot form. This explains why salespeople often get “stalled” with potential clients who never seem to convert.

One of the most valuable insights from the episode concerns the importance of building multiple relationships within a customer’s organization. Many salespeople make the critical mistake of developing a relationship only with the buyer. When that buyer leaves or changes roles, the salesperson loses their foothold in the company. By cultivating relationships with management, ownership, and other stakeholders, salespeople create a network of support that helps them maintain accounts even when personnel changes occur. This strategy provides insurance against the common scenario where a new buyer brings in their preferred suppliers and pushes existing ones out.

Mike Mirarchi shares a personal story that beautifully illustrates these principles in action. He recounts how his consistent behavior during early dating—showing up on time, calling when he said he would, and a well-timed gesture of sending roses—won over his wife of nearly 40 years when she was still dating someone else. This anecdote demonstrates how the same principles that build personal relationships apply equally to professional ones. The foundation of consistency, leading to confidence and trust, works in all human interactions, making this advice applicable beyond just the sales context and into all relationship-building scenarios.

Link to Episode 18: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2255768/episodes/16797114-from-consistency-to-relationship-the-four-pillars-of-successful-selling.mp3?download=true