The power of relationships, people, and partnerships in driving revenue

How often do you truly feel heard and understood when engaging with a brand? If you're like most people, the answer is probably "not often enough." 

Today, it's easy for businesses to get caught up in the latest systems, tools, and AI solutions. But while technology can streamline processes and improve efficiency, it’s the human touch that builds real trust, drives lasting relationships, and ultimately, fuels revenue growth.

Having worked in sales for over 25 years, I’ve seen firsthand how crucial authentic human connections are to driving success. We often hear about the value of AI and automation, but as we lean more into these tools, it’s important to ask: Are we losing the personal connections that are at the heart of meaningful business relationships?

In this article, I’ll be diving into the power of relationships, people, and partnerships – why they matter more than ever, and how they directly impact revenue growth. 

So, let’s take a step back from the technology for a moment and focus on the people who make your business thrive.

Trust: The foundation of every successful partnership

Let’s talk about trust – the foundation of everything. You’ve heard, “You buy from people you trust.” Well, that’s not just a catchy slogan. 

According to the latest Trust Barometer, 79% of customers say that they need to trust a brand before they’ll make a purchase. Think about that. 79%! That’s a huge number, and it tells us something important: trust is no longer just a nice-to-have. It’s a must-have.

But it’s not just about acquiring customers – it’s about keeping them. We’ve all heard that it costs five to 25 times more to acquire a new customer than it does to retain an existing one. Harvard Business Review published this research, and every RevOps professional should keep it in their back pocket. 

Why? Because when you’re talking about customer retention, you’re talking about building long-term relationships that continue to generate revenue over time.

And that’s where partnerships come in. Partnerships aren’t just about closing deals – they’re about trust. Think about your strongest relationships, either in business or in life. Did they start off with you giving everything away for free? Probably not. 

It took time, understanding, and trust-building. And that’s exactly what we need to be doing in our businesses – investing in relationships that will continue to pay off over time.

Building RevOps from scratch, creating trust, and more with Leore Spira [Video]

Leore Spira joins our host Sandy Robinson to discuss building a RevOps function from scratch, creating trust, account-based “everything”, and more!

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Building trust through authenticity and active listening

Now that we know trust is critical, how do we go about building it? For me, it starts with authenticity and active listening.

We’ve all had those sales calls, right? The ones where the person on the other end is talking at us instead of with us. We’ve all been there, and I think it’s one of the reasons many salespeople get a bad rap. But let me be clear: being authentic and really listening to your customers makes all the difference.

In my career, I’ve learned the importance of being genuine. It took me a while to find my own voice, but now, I wouldn’t trade my “unconventional” approach for anything. I’m a firm believer that your authenticity is your superpower. 

I’ve had many colleagues over the years tell me they admire how I show up as myself, and that’s because I’m not trying to be someone else. I’m Melanie Mills, and I want my customers to know the real me. 

Active listening goes hand in hand with authenticity. You can’t build a relationship without listening to what the other person needs. And I don’t mean just hearing the words – they have to be processed. When I meet with customers, I don’t just want to know what problems they’re facing – I want to understand why those problems matter.