As a business owner, your desire is to develop and keep your professional relationships. But how do you do this successfully? To start, look at your personal relationships — these will provide perspective into how a business relationship is also created and maintained. Ask yourself the following questions: How do you meet and keep your friends? How do you react to comments or criticism? How do you show you genuinely care?
Take a look at these following tips; they will help ensure you that you and your professional relationships will not only last, but THRIVE!
Make an Appealing First Impression
First impressions mean everything! A first impression sets the foundation for your business relationship. Are you projecting yourself in a manner that will make somebody want to shake your hand or invite you out to a business lunch? How you act, and even how you dress, will make a difference in your future relationships. Dressing professionally can be highly regarded in the corporate world, for example, but what if you are dealing with a business owner in fitness, construction, or gardening? Dressing too professionally can create a negative first impression because they may not immediately relate with you. Dressing professionally without going over the top will allow you to create a more comfortable business relationship.
Compatibility is a Two-Way Street
Your next step should be determining if the potential relation is a good fit for you, your personality, and your company. First, determine whether they have similar goals and values. Are they loyal and do they have integrity? What are their future goals? How do they treat other people? Even if they might be a good fit for your company based on the facts, take the time to determine if YOU are a good fit for THEIR company as well. In those first few moments of conversation, you can often determine whether it will benefit you more to pursue this relationship or refer them out to another company.
Disagreement is Positive
At some point, disagreements are inevitable in any business relationship, but don’t view them as negative. Instead, look at disagreements as opportunities to discover new ways to communicate and reinforce the relationship. Sit down and talk it out. What went wrong? Can we fix this disagreement and continue the relationship? If you take the time to address the problem and mediate the situation well, then it will actually strengthen your professional relationship. At this stage, it is also important to go back and reevaluate your compatibility. If it has changed drastically, don’t be afraid to walk away if it is no longer a good fit.
Compromise Changes
In the natural progression of relationships, people and circumstances change. Sometimes this can affect compatibility (and agreeability – see the notes above on disagreement). Maybe it’s time to go back to the drawing board and look at your original agreement or reason for forming a professional relationship. What drew you to this company in the first place? Reassess your relationship periodically. Continue to evaluate where you are both going and make note of things that need to be worked on. After a year of this, you will see significant progress in your relationship.
Be Proactively Aware
For each of your professional relations, their needs will be different. Think about your professional relationship while driving to the meeting, or before they get to your office. Figure out what each of their needs are and when they need it, and you can discuss at your meeting how to proactively get things implemented.
Communicate to be Remembered
There are many ways to communicate including emailing, phone calls, texts, social media and face-to-face interaction. With so many ways to communicate and so many things to communicate about, it is easy to forget that people like to feel special. The key to successful communication is thinking about your business relationship and doing something out of the ordinary to show them what it means to you. Don’t be afraid to call them and ask to grab coffee. Remember their order and surprise them at your next meeting. Clients love it when you think of them. Constant communication will keep your professional relationships alive and fresh. Even if they are long distance, be sure to continually contact them and do things that will show you are thinking of them.
The most important thing to remember is if you remain genuine in your relationship, it will make a difference in the long run. Listen intently and show interest in growing their business. Strive for perfection; even though mistakes might occur, use the suggestions above as ways to improve. As your relationships grow, so will your business!