Human connection is not optional.
For all the talk about automation, AI and hands-off selling, the basic truth has not shifted. People buy from people. Whether the price tag is five dollars or five million, trust and familiarity shape the decision.
In FMCG, this is obvious once you look closely. A customer standing in front of a shelf full of similar options needs a reason to choose one brand over another. That reason is often emotional. It comes from recognition, comfort and a sense that the brand fits the life they live. None of that is built by a dashboard. It is built through consistent behaviour, good communication and the people behind the brand showing up in a way customers can feel.
The sectors that rely most on repeat commission understand this better than anyone. Car dealers and real estate agents never stop building relationships. They do not disappear after the first sale. They keep in touch, they follow up, and they stay visible. They know that the next sale depends on how well they handled the previous one. For them, a relationship is not a tactic. It is the whole model.
Many FMCG businesses could benefit from the same long-term view. When the goal is a customer who comes back again and again, the relationship matters far more than the quick conversion.
What category buyers should really focus on
Inside the sector, there is now a noticeable divide. Some category buyers rely heavily on data and place all their weight on numbers alone. Data is useful, but it cannot replace judgment, store awareness or an understanding of how shoppers actually behave.
The best category work blends insight with instinct. It asks simple, practical questions. Does this brand resonate with our customer base? If not, why not? Does it make the aisle stronger? Does it help shoppers make easier choices? These questions require conversation with suppliers, time in stores walking the aisles and a willingness to look beyond a spreadsheet.
When category management becomes a power game, the results are narrow and predictable. Brands feel pushed, shoppers face sameness, and growth slows. When it becomes a genuine partnership between buyer and supplier, the range improves, and the shopper wins. That relies on people engaging properly, not hiding behind reports or data analytics.
Technology has delivered real gains, but it has also created a convenient hiding place. It is now easy to avoid picking up the phone, decline meetings, switch cameras off or push everything through text and email. This behaviour weakens the commercial relationship on both sides.
Selling has always rewarded those who make the effort to be present, reliable, and easy to reach. Selling is not a quick fix. It is a long-term activity built on familiarity and trust.
Whether you are selling a jar of jam to a shopper or a full brand portfolio to a national buyer, the principle is identical. Human connection will determine how often you win. Tech can support the work, but it will never replace the simple power of talking to people, understanding them and staying visible for the long haul.
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