Building long-term relationships with customers is essential for any business. By creating trust and loyalty with your customers, you will drastically increase customer retention, boost sales, and improve your bottom line.

Building long-term relationships with customers/clients requires more than just providing excellent products or services.

It requires a permission-based sales approach that puts the customer in control of the buying process.

We all know those old car salesmen that make us feel icky and compel us to cringe when we hear the word “sales.”

It’s time to defeat those old aggressive approaches to marketing and sales and focus on empathy, extreme value, and permission-based sales.

In this blog post, we’ll explore how to build long-term relationships with customers using a permission-based sales approach in your content marketing strategy.

What is Permission-Based Sales in Content Marketing?

Permission-based sales is a sales approach that emphasizes building customer relationships based on trust and mutual respect. It involves giving customers control of the buying process, providing them with information and resources, and creating a partnership between the customer and the salesperson.

The goal of permission-based sales is to create long-term relationships with customers built on trust, loyalty, and mutual benefit.

This means each piece of content you create needs to be tied to a specific problem your audience is facing, aka their MAIN problem.

To have this deep understanding, you need to understand the three emotions your customer faces before working with you and the three emotions you plan to help them experience after working with you.

This is a framework and a long list of deep questions I use to facilitate my client’s creating solid connections with their target market.

The Benefits of Permission-Based Sales

There are many benefits to using a permission-based sales approach, including:

• Increased customer loyalty and trust
• Higher customer retention rates
• Improved customer satisfaction
• Increased sales and revenue
• A more efficient sales process

As you put the customer in control of the buying process, you will create a more positive experience for the customer and increase the likelihood that they will return to your business.

How to Use Permission-Based Sales to Build Long-Term Relationships

To use permission-based sales to build long-term relationships with customers, follow these steps:

Step 1: Understand Your Customer

The first step in permission-based sales is to understand your customer. This involves understanding their needs, desires, and pain points, as well as their buying habits and preferences.

By understanding your customer, you can tailor your sales approach to meet their specific needs and build a relationship based on mutual understanding.

Step 2: Provide Value

The next step in permission-based sales is to provide value to your customer. This involves providing them with information, resources, and insights that help them make informed buying decisions.

By providing value to your customer, you can demonstrate your expertise and build trust and credibility with them.

Step 3: Ask for Permission

The third step in permission-based sales is to ask for permission. This involves asking the customer if they are interested in learning more about your product or service and if they would like to receive more information from you.

By asking for permission, you demonstrate respect for the customer’s time and preferences and create a partnership between the customer and the salesperson.

This should be strategically done in your copy by following the TWO below points:

• Avoid assuming, ask your target market how they’re feeling, and be open to taking in data to switch your messaging to fit what they’re actually experiencing.
• Create content that makes your audience feel safe and comfortable while addressing their problem – you want to avoid coming off as too critical.

Step 4: Follow Up

The final step in permission-based sales is to follow up with the customer.

This involves staying in touch with them, providing them with additional information and resources, and continuing to build the relationship over time.

Following up with the customer demonstrates your commitment to their needs and desires and creates a sense of loyalty and trust.

If you avoid following up, you’ll come across as if you don’t really care.

Clients and customers are waiting for you to communicate with them strategically and consistently – anything less is a disservice.

Using Permission-Based Sales in Email Marketing

When creating a lead magnet, it’s essential to keep in mind that your audience is giving you their email address in exchange for something valuable.

It’s crucial to deliver on that promise and provide something beneficial and relevant to their needs.

Additionally, it’s important to ask their permission to contact them further and to set clear expectations for what they can expect to receive from you.

This includes how frequently they will receive emails, what type of content they will receive, and how they can unsubscribe if they choose to do so. By being transparent and setting clear expectations, you can build trust with your audience and establish a strong foundation for a long-term relationship.

Copy examples of asking for permission with the written word:

• Hey (first name), is it ok to email you now and then with strategic marketing and business advice? If so, you don’t have to to anything; if not, feel free to unsubscribe here.
• Welcome sequence email: We will be coming in your inbox twice weekly to give you direct insight into our (x framework). We’d love to speak to you if any questions arise as your moving through this process of entrepreneurship – at any time, you can hit reply, and we’ll reply with individual advice.
• Call to action: If you are still having (x, y, z, problem) then click here, and we’ll assist you in moving forward.

Conclusion

Building long-term relationships with customers is essential for any business. Using a permission-based sales approach, you can create trust, loyalty, and mutual benefit with your customers.

Use permission-based sales to build long-term relationships with customers, understand your customer, provide value, ask for permission, and follow up.

With these steps, you will create an ultra-positive buying experience for your customer and build a long-term relationship that benefits your business and the customer.