Here's how you can cultivate and nurture lasting connections with clients and stakeholders.

Without doubt it has been proven that active listening is the cornerstone of developing healthy and quality relationships which plays an incredible role in attaining all round development!

?? Focus on presence: Avoid distractions to engage in talks fully. This demonstrates your regard for their time and input, making them feel appreciated. ?? Reiterate Key Points: Rephrase?critical information to affirm comprehension and clarify expectations, thereby ensuring alignment. ?? Pose Open-Ended Questions: Prompt detailed answers to foster a more in-depth discussion. This indicates a genuine interest in their ideas. ?? Follow-Up Thoughtfully: Recall information from past talks to reinforce your concern for their needs and thoughts.

Active listening is foundational for cultivating lasting connections with clients and stakeholders. It goes beyond simply hearing words; it involves fully engaging with the speaker, understanding their concerns, and responding thoughtfully. By actively listening, you demonstrate that you value their input and are genuinely interested in their needs. For example, during a meeting with a client, instead of thinking about your next point, focus entirely on what they’re saying. Studies show that active listening builds trust and strengthens relationships. Think of it as the difference between hearing your favorite song and actually knowing all the lyrics—one's just noise, the other's pure connection!

A hallmark of active listening is being able to paraphrase what you've heard the person say. When we paraphrase, we act like an external mirror that verifies that they were understood. One of two things happen when we paraphrase, either we do it successfully and the person lets you know, or you didn't do it successfully and the person fills in the holes you missed. It's a win-win situation that we all should uphold.

La ESCUCHA ACTIVA, como muchos otros términos se ha vulgarizado y en realidad, en mi experiencia como mentora, las personas no entienden el significado real de las palabras. Generalmente creen que es poner atención y no distraerse... sin embargo esta es una conclusión muy pobre. La escucha activa va mas allá... y para que esta juegue a tu favor, te recomiendo que cada vez que recibas un resultado por parte de tu equipo te tomes el tiempo para preguntarles cual fue su raciocinio para llegar a ese resultado y que variables utilizaron -independientemente de que sea correcto o no- esto no es importante, lo importante es saber como las personas llegan a conclusiones y utilizar esta información para tu desarrollo en la generación de ideas.

En esta época de vida, postpandémica, es verdad que las personas estamos necesitadas de un trato más personalizado. Desafortunadamente durante y después de la pandemia hubo un quiebre en las relaciones personales y, posiblemente sin darse cuenta la frustración y la tristeza son cada vez más evidentes. La solidaridad, la escucha activa, la empatía y el respeto son cualidad que las personas cada vez más, están ansiosas por recibir a cambio. Si además de tus servicios, pones especial atención a proporcionar un servicio al cliente personalizado, integral y genuinamente interesado por el bien de tu cliente, experimentarás grandes diferencias y seguramente clientes asiduos y leales.

Adding a personal touch will make a difference. People love it when you remember the things that matter to them, so personalize your interactions with simple things like remembering important dates, interests, achievements, and whatever else is important to the individual.

? Customize solutions to their needs: Create solutions that directly address each client's specific issues. This indicates your dedication to knowing their business and?fostering trust and long-term loyalty. ?? Track key milestones: Celebrate your client's accomplishments. A simple message praising their accomplishments can strengthen the bond, making them feel appreciated beyond the transaction. ?? Personalized Communication: Take note of personal preferences, such as communication styles and favored themes. To demonstrate that you are paying attention, bring up these things throughout conversations.

A personalized approach in interactions helps build strong, lasting connections by making clients and stakeholders feel valued and understood as individuals, not just as business entities. This could mean tailoring your communication style to their preferences or remembering personal details like their favorite hobby or milestone events. For instance, sending a thoughtful message on a client's work anniversary shows that you care about them beyond just the professional relationship. Research indicates that personalization fosters loyalty and deeper connections. It's like receiving a birthday card that’s handpicked for you rather than a generic one—thoughtful, meaningful, and much harder to throw away!

If you actively listened well, this part will be much easier. When we listen to absorb what a person is saying, we are able to process and discern their core values. This is why paraphrasing can be an important activity not just for the person you're trying to paraphrase, but for you as the paraphraser as well. By paraphrasing, you are sharpening your understanding of what they value, and this will be clearly valuable in customizing your approach, as opposed to just providing them what you think they want.

I have been in the coaching industry for 12 years now and I am delighted to follow up with my clients over the years and see the amazing opportunities coaching has opened for them, not only in the moment, but also 8 or 10 years later. I think that when we genuinely love and respect our clients, follow-up come naturally and without effort and they can bring us so much joy.

?? Customized Thank-You Notes: Following discussions or teamwork, write a sincere note of gratitude recognizing the contributions made. This particular gesture expresses gratitude and emphasizes the importance of their collaboration. ?? Regular Check-Ins : Reach out with brief, friendly check-ins. A brief call or email demonstrates that you are attentive and committed to their continuing requirements, keeping you front of mind. ?? Project Updates : Send brief, pertinent updates regarding any projects that are shared. This keeps stakeholders informed and indicates your proactive attitude toward growth and achievement.

??Determine Your Core Principles Early: Have à direct conversation about values. Establishing a foundation built on respect and common objectives is made easier when you are aware of your client's values, such as honesty, creativity, and community service. ?? Communicate Values: Present your common values in conversations in a consistent manner. To?ensure alignment at every touchpoint, emphasize moral decision-making, progressive strategies, or social impact initiatives. ?? Incorporate Ethics into Ideas: Create solutions that are based on common values, making sure that your products and services align with theirs, and transforming the?business into a partnership.

I think that common values are more than just a foundation for partnership but can be a powerful way to co-create. When we and our clients share common values and commit to these values, it creates a unified direction that guides decision-making and problem-solving. This alignment not only strengthens trust but also streamlines collaboration, and can be the perfect environment for co-creation.

Yet another area where active listening will get you where you need to be. When we listen to absorb what a person is saying, we are able to process and discern their core values. This is why paraphrasing can be an important activity not just for the person you're trying to paraphrase, but for you as the paraphraser as well. Once you understand the clients' values, you can take that chance to reflect on how similar they are to yours as well. You can even reflect on how beneficial theirs is especially if you DON'T share them. Even though we're pretty stable in our values, we don't always stay the same. We can adjust if the buy-in is secured.

Cultivating lasting connections typically start with a conversation. Whether that is by reaching out and starting a conversation, working on a project together, or being intentional because you admire or like something that person is doing. Either way it starts with you reaching out or it may just come organically through other means. Start the conversation, then be interested in more in what they are interested in than you trying to make them interested in you. You will create a quick connection and lasting impression on them from the jump. After the connection, continue to nurture the relationship in the future. Reach out to continue to connect not always when you want something. The connection will grow and the respect will as well.

Continuously delivering value through high-quality work, insightful recommendations, and even helpful solutions will help cultivate and nurture connections.

Engage in opportunities and events to meet new clients and stakeholders while nurturing the existing relationships by being authentic.

For me networking needs to come from the heart. It's not so much about having effective networking skills as it is about tapping into your heart and genuinely connecting with other people. When you manage to do this, networking will feel natural and you will build relationships with ease and for long-term, without a "skillset"

Para mí, la palabra clave es COLABORACIóN. La diferencia entre la creación de redes y el Networking es la colaboración. Hay muchas maneras de hacer networking. Lo que más recomiendo a mis alumnos es que, al asistir a un evento (cualquiera que sea), es fundamental investigar hasta donde sea posible, el perfil de las personas con quienes se quiere conectar. Esto te dará la oportunidad de entablar conversaciones direccionadas. Es importante destacar que en términos de networking es fundamental tener una estrategia para crear y mantener un networking sano, creativo y COLABORATIVO.