Organizations can help drive revenues by managing and improving the level of relationships. Following is a table and graphic that identifies 7 levels of business relationships beginning as a “record in a database” and evolving into a “friend”. A friend is the best type of customer as they will send referrals and are likely to purchase other products.
The 7 levels of business relationships include:
- Record in database – no communication, no relationship
- Contact – communicated once or so by phone, email, or social media
- Prospect – a contact that may become a customer
- Acquaintance – communicated more than once, good prospect
- Customer, single product – Possibly met once or more
- Good Customer – purchased more than once – Speak or meet occasionally,
- Friend – Great customer, will send referrals, likely to purchase other products
To drive revenues, your staff members need to build relationships by moving contacts from Level 1 to hopefully Level 7. The most likely way to achieve a Level 7 relationship is to interact with the contact in a non-business setting, such as with an out-of-office event.
