How to Build Sales Relationships in 2025

Mapping Relationships: The New Frontier in Sales w/ Jessica Robertson

In today’s sales world, finding leads isn’t the challenge—finding the right leads is. Prospecting has become tougher than ever, and the old playbooks no longer work. On this episode of the Sales Hunter Podcast, Mark Hunter sat down with Jessica Robertson, CRO of Orbb, to talk about how sales teams can adapt.

The Challenge of Quality Leads

Mark Hunter opened by pointing out the obvious: salespeople waste too much time on leads that go nowhere. The problem isn’t just finding leads—it’s finding the right ones and gaining real conversations with decision-makers.

The CRO Evolution

Jessica Robertson, CRO of Orbb, noted that CROs face constant change. With average tenure around 18 months, leaders can’t rely on old playbooks. High-volume dialing and spray-and-pray tactics don’t work anymore. Information is everywhere, intent data is easy to find, and the real challenge is keeping up with change.

ICP, Intent, and Access

Mark framed success around three essentials: a clear ICP, strong buyer intent signals, and access. Without access, the first two don’t matter. Jessica agreed, adding that reaching the right persona has never been harder, even as companies refine their ICPs and value propositions.

Mapping Relationships Over Territories

Jessica argued that companies need to prioritize relationships over territories. Cold calls and emails still happen, but they’re far less effective. Real opportunities come from mapping connections—investors, advisors, employees, and alumni—far beyond what a CRM or LinkedIn profile shows.

Moving Beyond Spray-and-Pray

Standard cadences no longer cut it. Jessica emphasized that relationships require personalization. If you know someone, you can’t treat them like a mass email target—you have to engage based on the connection you share.

Building a Sustainable Funnel

The most scalable funnel comes from relationships. Jessica explained it’s better to ask every customer for one or two referrals than to lean on one super-connector for dozens. Spreading the effort builds goodwill and creates a compounding effect as networks expand.

Start Building Early

Jessica urged salespeople to invest in relationships early. By serving, learning, and connecting authentically, they create a long-term advantage. Mark added that every connection opens a relationship—and every relationship expands future opportunities.

Technology Meets Relationships

Orbb was built to make relationship mapping practical. By blending first-party and third-party data, it shows companies who they know and how to reach them. Jessica summed it up best: your next deal is closer than you think.