Here's how you can nurture and maintain professional relationships in the marketing field.

Active listening = marketing superpower: Don't just hear, truly understand colleagues & customers. Unlock insights & predict trends: Listen to go beyond the present and shape future strategies. It's a two-way street: Ask questions, clarify, and engage with the information shared. Build relationships & become a game-changer: Active listening fosters strong connections and marketing success.

Active listening builds strong professional relationships. It shows respect and interest in others' ideas. In marketing, it offers insights and helps anticipate industry changes. Engage fully in conversations to understand and connect.

Active listening ensures that you have multiple perspectives. This helps broaden your scope and arrive as marketing strategies that address the top most priorities/issues. This makes you more approachable and fosters fruitful collaboration to achieve overall organisational goals.

Regular communication is key: Stay connected with marketing contacts to avoid forgotten connections. Multiple channels: Use email, social media, or even meetings to keep in touch. Focus on value: Share valuable content and ask for feedback to keep the dialogue flowing. Find the right balance: Don't overwhelm them – aim for consistent, but not constant, communication.

I often do this. A marketing consultant might share leads with a graphic designer in exchange for help creating presentations. A sales rep could partner with a customer service rep to provide better support to clients. The key is to identify how your skills and experience can complement those of others and vice versa. By building these mutually beneficial relationships, you create a strong network of colleagues who can support you and help you achieve your professional goals. And let's not forget, it's simply more enjoyable to work with people when there's a sense of mutual respect and exchange of value.

True relationships are not one sided. The same goes in marketing. Some of the strongest, most effective professional relationships I have come from sharing leads and collaborating on projects with other marketers. Collaborating on projects with other marketers also opens up doors into industries that you might not have experience in and vice versa. For example - maybe you have a lot of experience in B2B marketing but it’s your friend who has the lead. By partnering, this gives you a potential competitive edge to complete the project.

Mutual benefit fuels marketing relationships: Share leads, expertise, or collaborate on projects. Don't be one-sided: Think about how YOU can also help your contacts. Build a win-win network: Focus on creating a supportive environment for mutual success

COVID-19 restructured the work environment for many individuals. A lot of organisations have adopted remote/hybrid working models putting all the more emphasis on personal touch to teamwork. Workations, power breakfasts/brunches are the new ways of meeting your coworkers. Showing genuine interest in your coworker’s lives ensures you’re connected with them beyond work boundaries. This develops healthy working relationships that enable you to support each other through tough professional situations and makes the struggle a tad bit enjoyable.

Personalize your marketing connections: Celebrate wins, acknowledge milestones, and show empathy. Humanity strengthens bonds: Marketing is about both brands and people – show your human side! Keep it professional: Maintain a balance between personal touches and professional conduct.

Build trust in marketing: Consistency, honesty = foundation. Be reliable, keep promises, be transparent. Trust = opportunity: Earn trust and open doors to recommendations, referrals, and future collaborations.

Networking events are essential for maintaining professional relationships in marketing. They allow you to meet new people and reconnect with existing contacts. Set clear goals, such as learning trends or finding collaborators. Engage meaningfully and follow up to keep connections strong.

Chris Kempczinski, CEO of McDonald's shared some golden nuggets of wisdom on networking in a recent LinkedIn post. Here are two of his pointers that are applicable to all kinds of professional relationships: 1. Build your network when things are going well. People are drawn to positivity, and when you're thriving, you naturally exude that energy. 2. Prioritize authentic connections over forced ones. Real relationships go the distance, not superficial ones. 3. (Bonus from me!) If you can't connect with someone on a personal level, focus on building trust. Some of my closest colleagues were those I would not socialize with, but we share a strong foundation of professional trust.