subject: Why Relationship Building Is The Key To Small Business Success [print this page] It amazes me how many people are afraid of losing a deal, losing the next big thing, to the extent that they are willing to comprise what they stand for and what their values are. These people have bought onto themselves the need to sell at every opportunity, to sell nonstop and to sell no matter whether it is ethically or not. There is a fear, a doubt, a part of them that is caught up in the game of sales.
Imagine if you could live in a world where people came to you, where there was an endless amount of business, sales, and referrals and in a world where relationship was king.
Does that world exist? Is there really such a place?
Well for those business owners in that world, they know the world does exists and they also know it is a pretty exclusive club to get into. Exclusive, not because of whom you are or how much you make. Exclusive because you have to think and act a certain way. A way in which most business owners do not, or do not know how to, a way which is the opposite in most causes to what the years of business training has provided.
In the world of relationship building there is no need to sell, there is no need to be rejected constantly and there is no need to continue chasing prospects to the extent that they do not answer your calls. In fact in the relationship world over 85% of people you speak to do business with you. Is that the world you want to be in?
Building relationships with others is not certainly new, it is a forgotten skill, and it is a skill that has been lost in the hustle and bustle of society and the need for results immediately. Relationship people when done correctly can open a whole new world to other people, other contacts and other opportunities. It is what successful businesses and successful business owners know and it is the secret to their success. So how do we change and be a relationship builder?
Well the first part of becoming a relationship builder rather than just a sales person is your attitude, it is a mindset and it is the way you think and act. People building relationships do so not because it will provide them with more business, they do so because they want to. This also provides a big return. Relationship builders are people who try and add value at every opportunity they get to another persons life, rather than just being interested in making a sale. Relationship builders have people so interested in them because the way they think, act and what they do, they are never short of a prospect to talk to.
Think about it, would you rather speak to a person trying to add value to your life or a person trying to sell you at every opportunity?
With social media, the internet, cheap phone calls all over the world, it is easy to be a relationship builder, it is easy to show how much you care and that your value is sky high, it is easy to create business and do business.
Does your business care enough about their prospects, customers, clients and community members to wish them a happy birthday, to send a card of thanks, a small note or gift or just a phone call to say hi, how you are going. Most people in business do not see these items as important; they do not see these as money making activities.
Without naming this big company, they spend more time on building relationships with their clients, having fun days, evenings, sending movie tickets, wine, cards then they do on the phone. This has them #1 in their industry and controlling their market with over 47% of the business.
The power of social media allows you to send messages to your friends and fans in minutes, it tells you and allows you to wish them a happy birthday and it allows you to make them feel important by connecting with them.
Do you take advantage of such tools, do you take advantage of relationship building or are you just constantly selling, selling and selling.
