The part of every call most reps throw away.

This month, we're going back to the foundation: the small habits that build real relationships, the kind that keep paying you back long after the deal closes.

And there's only one place to start. My whole system starts with listening. If you don't listen, nothing else matters. It's step one, and everything you'll ever learn is built on top of it.

So this first issue is about the most basic listening habit there is, and the one almost nobody actually does: remembering what people tell you.

Most reps think they're good listeners. What they're really good at is waiting for their turn to talk. They catch the buying signals and the objections, and they let everything else slide right past. 

“Everything else” is where the relationship lives.

On every call, people hand you two kinds of information.

There's the stuff about the deal: budget, timeline, who else is involved.

And there's the stuff about them: the kid's graduation, the move across the country, the rough week, the football team they follow.

Most reps treat the second kind as noise to get through before the real conversation starts, which leaves out a key tool in your relationship-building process.

The deal information gets you this sale.

The personal information gets you the relationship, and the relationship is what brings you the next three.

And you can't use what you don't catch. It really comes down to one habit: picking up the small things most people let slide right by and holding on to them. You don't have to be a "master communicator" to build strong relationships. You just have to notice what everyone else misses.

They told you about their dog’s vet appointment. Write it down. You will not remember it. You think you will. You won't.

After every conversation, write down one personal detail that had nothing to do with business. The trip they're taking. The kid is starting college. The dog that's been sick. Put it in your CRM, your notes, wherever you'll actually see it before the next call.

Ten seconds of writing now saves you from being the rep who opens with "so remind me what's new with you" three weeks later.

This piece is simple. Next time you meet up with your client, before anything about the deal, you ask:

"How'd the graduation go?" "Did the dog end up okay?"

It costs you nothing, and it tells the other person something that's hard to fake: I was actually listening. You weren't a transaction to me.

You'll often be the only person in their week who remembers the small thing. In a stack of reps who all sound the same, that isn't a small advantage. That's the edge.

Anyone can remember a budget number. The rep who remembers the dog's name is listening at a level most never reach. Catch the details, write them down, and bring them back when it counts. The deal tends to take care of itself once the person on the other end feels seen.

Take Your Sales to the Next Level with Relationship Intelligence.

Want to master the art of selling without being pushy? Top sales professionals don’t just sell, they build relationships that last. That’s why we created Sales Mastery - Relationship Intelligence, the ultimate training to take you to the next level of sales mastery.

People forget what you pitched. They remember how you made them feel.

Keep learning,

Better Relationships. Better Conversations. Better Sales.