Being Liked Versus Trusted in Sales (What Actually Wins)
For salespeople in the printing industry, relationships absolutely matter. But relationships are not enough.
Many print sales organizations pride themselves on being "relationship sellers." In an industry built on long customer tenures, repeat business, and trusted partnerships, that makes sense. But relationships alone don't win competitive deals. Trust does.
There's an important distinction between being liked and being trusted.
A buyer may genuinely enjoy working with your salesperson, appreciate their responsiveness, and value the relationship. But when it's time to choose between vendors for a critical print program, packaging initiative, or enterprise contract, they're asking a different question: Who do I trust to deliver?
The highest-performing salespeople understand that rapport is only the beginning. They earn trust by asking thoughtful questions, challenging assumptions when necessary, uncovering business problems, qualifying opportunities honestly, and creating clarity around investment and decision-making. Those conversations aren't always comfortable, but they're what separates advisors from order takers.
For sales leaders, this creates an important coaching opportunity.
If your team believes "selling is all about relationships," they may unknowingly confuse activity with progress. They stay busy with meetings, lunches, check-ins, and networking, yet struggle to move opportunities forward. We often call these professional visitors—salespeople who have great conversations but don't create buying decisions.
Instead, coach your team to ask: Did this interaction increase trust? Did we learn something meaningful? Did we move the opportunity forward?
Strong relationships make selling easier. They open doors and create access.
But trust is what wins business.
In today's competitive printing market, customers aren't just looking for someone they like. They’re looking for a partner they trust to solve important business problems. Help your team build both, and you'll create stronger customer relationships and stronger sales results.
The preceding content was provided by a contributor unaffiliated with Printing Impressions. The views expressed within may not directly reflect the thoughts or opinions of the staff of Printing Impressions. Artificial Intelligence may have been used in part to create or edit this content.
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- Business Management - Marketing/Sales
Emily Yepes is a powerhouse sales trainer and revenue producer who lives at the intersection of sales theory and real-world execution. What sets her apart isn’t just her deep knowledge of sales doctrine —it’s that she’s still in the trenches, consistently ranking in the top 5% of over 400 Sandler sales executives worldwide. She brings that same performance-driven mindset to every training room she enters. Emily coaches the sales teams of printing and packaging industry leaders, including JS McCarthy Print+ Packaging, The Packaging School, Canadian Printing Industries Association, Norkol, ImageMark, and Sonoco on everything from prospecting and consultative selling to negotiation and account management. Her average training score? A near-perfect 4.9 out of 5—proof that her clients don’t just learn from her, they love learning from her. She doesn’t deal in hype. Emily brings a practical, psychology-based framework to sales, helping professionals rethink the way they approach buyers, conversations, and themselves. Her philosophy is clear: great salespeople aren’t born—they’re trained. With the right mindset, anyone can learn to breakdown buyer resistance and build real trust that lasts. Approachable, direct, and refreshingly honest, Emily’s training style resonates with sales teams at every level. Her sessions leave people not only inspired—but equipped to sell more and sell better.
