You hear about disruptions in industry, in tech, in art. Something or someone who comes along and makes the world abruptly shift, seemingly overnight. Well, there are disruptions in sales calls, too. Questions, actions, and behaviors that have the power to change the conversation and how the client sees you.

Businesses are bound to make mistakes and disappoint their customers. But how you build your apology message and your careful attention to executing it appropriately can make the difference between losing those customers or increasing their loyalty. When delivered well, your apology message can improve the customer relationship to the point where it is stronger than if the mistake had never happened — a phenomenon known as the service recovery paradox.

I don’t know about you, but I’m relieved to see high-pressure sales tactics get dumped in the waste bin of history. The popular thinking used to be that the only way to succeed was to talk fast, instill fear, and constantly push for a close. None of that is conducive to a great experience for buyers OR for salespeople.

The constant connectivity. The steadfast march of technology. The "know everything" environment. It's all changing the way you, me, and your customers perceive a company or brand. In some cases, our perception is influenced by word of mouth — recommendations from friends, online reviews, tweets, and Facebook rants. In other cases, it's our own experiences — both online and off — that shape the way we think about a brand.

Business customers increasingly control how they buy. They expect to engage with the companies they buy from through a coordinated blend of human and digital experiences and sales channels. It’s challenging for companies to create a fully-integrated experience. Especially when dealing with many prospects and customers (e.g., small and medium-sized businesses), it’s difficult for sellers to tailor solutions sufficiently to match each customer’s situation. And sellers often struggle to make the most of their sales engagements without access to marketing intelligence from digital interactions.

Strengthening customer relationships is a key way for sales organizations to improve sales performance and win more deals.