Description: Relationship Selling to Small Business Customers  describes how customer expectations can be met in each of the six steps of the Relationship Selling Process. It focuses on planning for a successful interaction and how verbal and nonverbal communication affects the customer’s first impression. This course also provides techniques on how to effectively use open-end and closed-end questions and listen to the customer’s financial needs based on business and operating cycles. This course explores ways to present products solutions by using transition and benefit statements. It also presents a three-step process to handle the customer’s objections. This course offers methods to recognize the business customer’s buying signals and close the sale.    

Audience: Bank personnel who are new to the small business market and who are responsible for selling bank products and services to small business customers. It is suggested that participants attend the Fundamentals of Small Business Banking before taking this course.

Learning Objectives: After completing this course, students will be able to:

• Identify the six steps in the relationship selling process
• Describe the key strategies for the small business market
• Use rapport-building techniques to establish a professional relationship with the small business customer
• Identify where a business is in the business life cycle and the business operating cycle
• Present solutions that match customer needs
• Name the steps for handling objections
• Close the sale and follow up with customers