Earlier I wrote about how to get into unsold accounts (amongst other things). I said “Show up. Ask questions. Network. Show up. Ask questions. Network. Repeat. Repeat. Don’t stop. It takes work, it takes time, and there are no shortcuts.”

A big part of showing up and doing the hard work is about the slow build. The trickle of information, trust, knowledge, education, support, and reliability that can only build up with time.

The frustrating part for a salesperson is when she builds the trust, information, support, and reliability and yet ends up losing business to somebody coming in out of the blue and selling wine to her customer. It’s infuriating to watch, and many people take it personally. Anger is the behind the scenes emotion.

If you are a wine buyer (retail or restaurant) take the time to analyze who your best sales reps are and why they are your best sales reps. And notice when you allow new people in out of the blue. And feel what that does to the others.

In other words, recognize who is consistently doing the slow build for you. They are the ones that will have your back when you need it.