How are you building strong relationships?
Communication is always an important key to successful relationships. How often do you communicate to ensure it is often enough and not too often?
Understanding each relationship and treating everyone as individuals instead of grouping them helps balance the right amount of communication. All of us have a threshold of how often we want to be contacted and when you understand this you will see positive results.
Those Little Things
What about the little things? Most relationships are challenged due to the little things. On one hand, these little things do not seem to matter. On the other hand, they make all the difference.
What little things do you do to maintain the relationship to set you apart from the rest?
We take pride in dropping off products to our clients. Most of the time it leads to a good discussion and an opportunity. This little thing strengthens and provides value to the relationship.
Make it Personal
What do you know about the other person such as their favourite sports team, hobbies, and interests? What do you have in common? Make a personal connection that is real and genuine.
When following up, ask about their non-business involvement. If their favourite team won a game recently, know about it and mention it or ask about the golf tournament they entered over the weekend. Wish them a happy birthday or happy anniversary and better yet, mail them a card instead of e-mail or text.
Consistent and Proactive
Make your communications consistent and be proactive. The conversation is about building the relationship first and adding the business dialogue afterwards resulting in a well-rounded relationship. Sell after the relationship is built.
This is where the rule of the three keys to success sets in: follow-up, follow-up and follow-up. As a leader, I cannot stress this enough: be consistent and proactive in all your relationships. By following this rule, watch your relationships grow stronger When someone reaches out for an update, you have not followed this rule effectively. Listen to what they are asking and adjust your communication to strengthen this relationship.
Always Challenging
Set the bar high and keeping raising the bar. Do not accept the status quo. Keep challenging by asking more questions such as “Can it be done better?” and “What else can we do to improve?”. Question the process and review how things are being performed. Keep asking how it can be improved to achieve excellence.
The beauty of striving for excellence is you never achieve it because you need to keep raising the bar.
Overcome Challenges
When there are challenges, it is very rewarding for one party to contact the other and share their concern. Working together on a challenge is the ultimate sign of a successful relationship. You actually do not have to agree; however, you both have to accept each other’s facts and move forward together.
Saying thank you and showing your appreciation is another way to maintain relationships.
How are you building your relationships?
