This is directed to two supplier groups. The first are the ones who think they have good relationships with companies they have as customers but who still worry about how to do better with their sales teams.

The second is to those companies who feel their customers owe them big time for having their product, service or support. Their sales managers are probably yearning to know why their business is so hard to hang on to and generally not as good as it once was.

The answer is simple to both. You have all lost the art of selling, listening and asking the right questions.

Now I don't believe this is anyone's immediate fault – well, unless the company is run by accountants who have the perception that the sales department isn't worth the money. Little do they know value adding comes with spending time with customers, face to face.

That's the key folks, face to face. Not in smothering the customer with email after email – although sometimes that's necessary – but rather getting on your bike, car, tram, plane or bus and visiting the customer. Simply put, this art has been largely lost along with, and more importantly, the ability to ask the right questions – when the salesperson finally gets the desire to go and visit the customer.

I blame the electronic media. In this day and age it is all too easy to send an email, fax or, heaven forbid, a text. Your customers deserve better. They want to see the person who is bombarding them with all these electronic mails.

We are all customers at one time or other so just ask yourselves, what do you really want to do when you are undecided about something you want to buy? You want to ask some questions face to face. I don't care if its consumables or major capital equipment you are representing, it's the job of the buying department to hear your story and determine whether you are a contestant to be a supplier or not.

But don't just leave it at that. Ask the questions: Who else do I see? Where else can I go in your company to relay my message? What else can we provide? and How often can we make a time to ensure you are receiving whatever we provide you?

But wait; there is one more important thing to do – listen. It's that simple.

I recently heard a major company comment that they rarely see suppliers like they used to. And while these buyers are apparently busier than they were a few years ago (I wonder why? They're probably answering reams of worthless emails) they found it difficult to make a valued decision as the message, commitment, desire or the face in the email was not getting through.

Little wonder that companies are a little guarded when they get an email or fax or maybe even a nice letter of proposal that requests support for a company that has something new they might wish to trial or review in a specific application.

Have I lost you here? Let's say you are a company that has recently designed or developed a product, service or system that could fulfil a special need in the industry. You write to the companies you believe could be a target and then what do you do? Sit back and wait for an answer, send an email, maybe make a phone call? But what you fail to do is make an appointment and go and see that company face to face.

Let me tell you something for nothing, you will be surprised that this face to face thing may just work and lead to something else that may surprise you. You could even strike up a good working relationship built on trust resulting from getting to know one another and, above all, learning and building respect for each other. You cannot get that through the medium of electronic mails.

So as they say in the classics, get back to basics, create the opportunity and make and submit your call plan. I wonder these days if the modern age rep even knows what a call plan is let alone hears one mentioned in a sales department meeting.

Apologies to all those suppliers who say and do all the right things already. As I have said before, if you think you are on top of it then you are halfway there.