A client told me this recently:
“Our customers feel so safe with us, they can literally call and say –
‘We’re giving this order to your competitor.’

Because for years, they’ve done the “irrational” things:
Welcomed prospects who kept buying from others.
Shared know-how freely, even with people who couldn’t afford their product for the next 5 years.
Never mocked “basic” questions.
Made time for conversations, even when targets were slipping.
And invisible psychological safety is formed.

The prospects learned:
“I can be honest with these people.
I can tell them my doubts, my risks, my internal mess…
I can even tell them when I don’t choose them.”
They just allowed the customers to be themselves.

Because the opposite is what most of us see in sales:
Prospects start ghosting not because they’re rude, but because they don’t feel safe enough to say, “Not now” or “You’re not the right fit for this one.”

As a sales leader, the job is not to chase a yes/no on every proposal.
It’s to build a space where your customer can tell you the uncomfortable truth:
“This time, we’re going with your competitor.”
If you can hold that conversation with grace, that’s also full points on the KRA.