The best foundation for any business starts with personal connections
It's the people, stupid. In the world of business, it is always about the people, whether at the end of the day, beginning or somewhere awash in the middle. Even more critically, it is the relationships we form with people — the ones we build, nurture, placate, applaud and bless. Without these, nothing really matters and nothing really works.
Whether a business is establishing its beachhead or it is an established enterprise of many decades, there are four lessons to survival: being nimble or agile; being consistently innovative; being coachable; and building and nurturing meaningful relationships. There are lots of other important activities for business survival: good bookkeeping and accounting, good sales, cost-effective operations… but all either support, serve or are the result of this tripartite pattern that connects to a business that can survive, strengthen and sustain over time.
Let's set aside the first three for another discussion and focus on people and relationships. Here is a recent example of my own: My family was excited by and graced with a visit by relatives from South Africa. We invited brothers, sisters and cousins to join in a fine feast. I rang a local market to inquire about meat and poultry. Yes, they had what we wanted. Then two minutes after hanging up, the market rang me back. “We only have two chickens left,” a woman said. “Would you like us to hold one?” “Yes, both please. Thank you. How did you know...?” “Caller ID,” she said matter-of-factly.
Upon my arrival at the market, the two birds were wrapped and waiting. The market owners clearly were making and valuing a connection with me as a customer more highly than the particular transaction. They knew absolutely that one good transaction would lead to others.
Some months ago, after growing frustration with my mobile phone reception I called the company, ready to do phone battle. To my surprise, I found I was speaking to someone who understood my frustration, apologized that her company had not addressed the issue satisfactorily and found a way to make it right. Wow! A relationship builder from a huge multi-national corporation. She created an environment where I felt good about my decision to engage with and stay with the company.
No doubt we all have horror stories of how we have been ignored, glared at, hung up on, or treated like so much of a commodity. If you are like me, you go out of your way to avoid going back or doing business with these companies.
This relationship building is most effective when practiced and honed between you and your employees (if you have them) and your business advisers and professional services team (attorney, accountant, suppliers…). Your clients and customers will feel the outward projection of good relationships from within and respond in kind.
Building good, really good, meaningful relationships is hard work that requires a lot of attention. It is not particularly natural for many of us. Some contacts with clients and customers may be quite brief — a phone order or a texted query. The manner and tone of response, though brief, can, does and will determine whether this person wants to continue to do business with your company and you.
Whether your business is doing well or struggling, do something proactive. Take a client, prospect, co-worker, or employee to coffee. Work together, collaborate on ways to strengthen existing relationships and build better ones inside and outside of the company.
Don't dismiss the value of a conversation on the golf course or over lunch. These are just two places relationships are initiated, developed and secured. They can just as readily be over the phone, through social media or across the sales counter.
We have many resources to draw upon for sharpening our relationship capabilities. One source is my organization, the Association for Consulting Expertise, but there are many others, including trade associations, the Small Business Development Centers, Maine Center for Entrepreneurial Development and social networking sites such as the LinkedIn Maine Entrepreneurs group.
It does not matter whether we are in financially challenging times or in times of prosperity. Nor does it matter whether your business is large, small, has a physical address or is totally online. Our daily bread is the value we build and hold onto with our business partners, associates, employees and, absolutely, our clients and customers. Trash these and our businesses go down the drain. Work steadily to strengthen those you have and build new ones and your business will survive what comes.
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