Do You Like Your Industry Partners?
One of the benefits of owning your own business, being an entrepreneur, or the executive that makes business decisions for a company, is you get to pick who you work with!
When all things are equal, we want to work with people we like. When things aren’t equal, we still want to work with people we like. Picking people you like to work with sounds like it should be easy. The reality is, one of the primary reasons business relationships fail is one of the partners ends up working with someone they don’t like.
When you are passionate about what you have to offer, you tend to believe it is right for everyone. You want to do business with everyone. Let’s be honest, your business, your product or service may be right for everyone, but everyone may not be right for you and your business. There is no getting around it. You will not like everyone and not everyone will like you.
We’re talking about people. We are all different. As children, in our first play groups, we start off with a circle of friends and before long some of us are on the outside looking in. We develop friendships through trial and error.
This trial and error magnifies when our hormones start to kick in and we shift from having friends to having boy friends and girl friends.
It doesn’t take much experience in the marketplace to see that working with people you like doesn’t work out 100% of the time either. Almost every time an employer makes a job offer it’s to an applicant the decision maker “likes.” (The exceptions to this general rule are when the position has such high technical skill requirements that the selection pool is very limited and when the employer is in dire straits and hires a warm body because the need is so great.)
I know what you are thinking. This “trial and error” process sounds like doom and gloom, as you are trying to build your Alliance Team. After all, you only want to meet and build relationships with the best people for you, for your business, and for your clients.
The bottom line is if you don't like them, your clients aren't going to like them, and they will make your business look bad. At the end of the day, there is no process to determine if you like someone. It's 100% a gut feeling; you'll just know because it feels good, seems right, and will be easy.
The longer time you spend in getting to know someone, and the more experience you have, the more you're going to like them. Relationships take time and experience to grow.
Time is a huge factor as well as timing. Just because you don't like someone today, doesn't mean you won't like them tomorrow. They might not be good for your business today, but tomorrow is an entirely different story.
Never burn a bridge. At the end of the day, you have to decide.
- Do I like this person?
- Do I like this person for my business?
- Do I like this person for my clients?
If you answered yes to all three of those questions, you're on the right track. They could be the right person for your business. Don’t take the decision lightly. It's crucial you don't force relationships. If you start working with the wrong person, it will be a waste of time and painful because you'll have to start over again.
Here are more questions to help you determine if they’re the right person for you:
- Are they working full time in this business?
- Do they show up to each meeting on time?
- Are they trying to help you grow the business?
- Are they dressed appropriately for their industry?
- Do they return your phone calls, emails and text messages in a timely fashion?
- Would your clients benefit greatly from their product and service?
- Does their business compliment yours?
- Would you meet them for lunch, dinner or a few beers?
At the end of the day, you'll know if you like them or not. What's important to do during this stage is to stop and think about it for a second. Ask yourself some questions to ensure it's the right move. You’ll work towards building lifelong and life-changing relationships.
If a person is not right, it might not be the right time.
It’s important for you to visit the training section at www.businessnetworkingformula.com and watch the video on “Do You “Like” Them?” You can also download and print the above questions to help you in your screening process.
After visiting the training section, if you are still unsure of how to proceed, you can click on the “help” button in the lower right hand corner. You can also ask for help from the leader at any of the BNF meetings, one of the networking coaches, or through the BNF Members! Facebook page. At BNF we all want to help one another. Remember, each member, regardless of their networking experience, started out as a beginner.
I want to close with a couple of thoughts on your evaluation process of potential Industry Partners as you work on building your Alliance Team. First, if you are struggling to find individuals you like, reflect on your own ideas and beliefs. Make a list of the things you do not like about certain individuals. Do you see a pattern? See if you can identify a belief or two that may have benefitted you at one time but no longer serves a purpose. It could be by changing one or more of your beliefs you’ll discover that a different perspective will change your opinion of others.
Finally, the best way to ensure you are getting people you like to become a part of your Alliance Team is to make a list of all the qualities you are looking for in an Industry Partner. Be as specific as you can be. Then, go through the list and check-off each quality you possess. Any quality left unchecked circle it as a reminder to get to work on developing that quality within yourself. Like attracts like. If you want someone that is punctual, you need to be punctual.
At BNF, we believe in you and your business. We are committed to helping you master the art of networking if you have the passion and desire to do so. It’s not going to be easy but if you make clear goals, turn your learning into study and your study into improvement and results, anything is possible.