At the beginning of Kaylee Lynn’s sales career, she made it her mission: To arrive at her goals, she was officially going to leave her comfort zone.

Nowhere was this more evident than in the East Texas city of Henderson. It's a city with a population of around 13,000, known for its Heritage Syrup Festival, its quaint downtown and Depot Museum, and genuine small-town charm. Everyone knows everyone in Henderson. Relationships are everything.

Kaylee, who started at Datamax (then-East Texas Copy Systems) as a receptionist, has climbed the ladder steadily at this organization. After several months, she was promoted to equipment trainer, which helps her tremendously in educating prospects as customers. In 2019, she was approached with the options of moving to an IT Project Manager role or a Business Process Consultant.

“I felt like the sales role was a great long-term career choice and something I could enjoy doing. In my previous role as trainer, I was already comfortable with interacting with customers, and a great lead up to moving into sales,” she said.

Kaylee doesn’t just Create Raving Fans — she creates lasting relationships.

The Tyler Business Process Consultant embeds herself in surrounding smaller towns to nurture and develop prospects and customers primarily “people to people.” Prospecting is many things, but for Kaylee relationships reign supreme.

Which brings her to Henderson, where the company had a solid reputation, but she personally had little footing… at least at first. It was time to meet some folks.

“I remember when Rick Fedell handed the territory off to me, he told me ‘I’ve eaten a lot of sandwiches on the square in Henderson.' I wanted to make him and the organization proud, and carry on that tradition we had in Henderson,” Kaylee recalls.

Kaylee started with the local chamber. She met Bonnie Geddie, the Executive Director there, introduced herself, and expressed how sincerely she wanted to get involved. In that meeting, Kaylee noticed that the office was decked out in Texas Rangers gear. So she offered her a pair of Datamax Rangers tickets.

From there, Kaylee immersed herself in the chamber events and met anyone she could within the business community. She developed a friendship with Bonnie. Then, she became a Chamber Ambassador.

“I started going to all the ribbon cuttings. It was out of my comfort zone at first, standing on a soapbox and telling everyone what I did at Datamax. I was a nervous wreck,” Kaylee said. “It was really just about me putting myself out there. Bonnie and I formed a friendship, and she started referring me to people, and the more people I met, the more relationships I developed and the more familiar I became within the Henderson market.”

Over the past three years, Henderson is just one example of how Kaylee has left her comfort zone and become a mainstay in the business communities she’s served. She’s developed trust, camaraderie, and even friendship with her clients.

“I never want to come across as a ‘sales person,’” Kaylee says. “If there’s something we can connect on, I will feed off of that every time.”

But fortifying business relationships? For Kaylee, it’s more than being social. It’s strategic.

Fortifying Business Relationships: 5 Strategic Tips from Kaylee.

1. Check in Often.

In other words, reassure customers (or prospects) that you’re here for them.

“I usually try to bring some sort of small gift (like a few Datamax coffee cups), and just say I wanted to stop in and see how your copiers are doing. Keep it informal. I think they want to see that they are appreciated, the only contact from me is not just ‘sign this paper,’” Kaylee says.

Ask if they’re low on toner. Ask them if there’s something not being handled. “I want them to know I handle everything, I’m going to manage the account throughout the business relationship. I’m someone they can trust.’”

2. Know the Product.

Kaylee stresses this firmly: Take the time to truly learn our products and services.

“Whenever you are meeting with prospects or customers, if they have questions, you’re able to show that you’re serious about this job. You care about the information and helping them. This helps build credibility right off the bat.”

3. Stay Consistent… and then Follow Through.

“Don’t just show up or reach out when upgrades come up or they call you,” Kaylee said. “Show the initiative to show up consistently. As you get to know your customer, you’ll know how they like to be contacted.”

Kaylee keeps accurate activity notes in Sherpa, and sets a follow-up appointment after every visit, whether that’s two weeks or two months.

“Also, follow through with everything you tell a customer you’re going to do,” Kaylee said. “If you always take care of their little needs, the trust is there, then you prove yourself through that.”

4. Return the Favor.

“If a customer has a service I can use, I always try to do business with them,” Kaylee said. “That’s a big relationship-building step for me. I’m always happy to return the favor.”

5. Utilize the Referral Program.

“This (Referral Program) is just another building block of building that relationship, and another way to show customers that I appreciate them, by giving them that $200 gift card. Customers are routinely over the moon excited that we offer a program like that.”