BUILD RELATIONSHIPS

This always brings me to one of my favorite quotes, an old English saying, "There's nothing as strange as folk." Boy ain't that the truth! Get to know something about the client or contact person with whom you are doing business. I always make it a point to look around the office or their surroundings for clues. Do they have children? Do they like to fish? Or maybe they have an interesting hobby or are a sports fan.

Always remember something of relevance that you've observed, so next time you visit or call you can start the conversation with a topic that you know this person loves talking about. Talk about an ice breaker! People will always talk about things they like outside of work, and its a great segway into the discussion of the work, service or product that you are providing.

When building relationships, especially online, always remember that it is extremely important to build your own brand, and your own unique selling proposition, mostly because you can't physically interact with your prospect, at least not yet. It is equally important to be the same person online that you are in face-to-face interactions. For me, this means being genuine and sincere and true to your values and the values you represent for your company. You've got to make people comfortable about who you are in order to get your most wanted response, whether that be a click to join your MLM opportunity, or to buy flowers from your floral web site. And with the advent Web 2.0 or Social Marketing, promoting yourself and your business online makes it easier to be genuine and your true self. So be yourself, have fun, and create and provide value in the information your online audience is seeking. Before you know it, those relationships you build online just may spill over into your offline life. Its happened for me it could happen to you, too.

There have been many instances where I've spent more time talking about a person's hobby or personal interests than the actual business about which I have come to inquire. And thats exactly how I want it, because there will never be an unresolved problem, if you have an excellent relationship or rapport with your customer or prospect. Understand, you are not going to get along famously with everyone, and thats ok. I don't have to be your friend to do business with you, as long as they're happy with the service or product you're providing everything smooths out in the end.

Believe me, after 20 years I know! There have been many business relationships that started out rocky for me. In fact, a lot of the business and contracts that I've had for several years started out on the wrong foot. And today, these are some of my best accounts, and are now my most friendly and cherished relationships. Thats right, go figure huh! The bottom line here is effective communication is a must and the only way to do this is through building good business relationships.

You must not quit, or give up, or feel discouraged when doing this. Like all relationships, good business relationships are built over time, so you must be patient. It will happen! There are many things that come with good business relationships, easy problem solving, referrals and one of my favorites - inclusion in company perks. I go on a free chartered fishing trip every year with a customer that I've had for 16 years. Oh, and by the way we didn't like each other when we first met, and now we're the best of friends. So build good business relationships. Establish your rapport with your clients and prospects, and you'll find that many of your problems will magically solve themselves...