Eliminate Barriers

We need to realize the importance of making friends and alliances in business and recognize obstacles in the process that may prevent us from being great at what we do.

Bringing down the walls with personal interaction and communication

Relationships are vital to everyone in your business…your employees, suppliers, clients and customers. Realizing someone has more importance to you than just submitting a number on a bid or writing a check for goods or services rendered is critical to being successful.

I have found that communication is key to maintaining long-lasting relationships.

Over the years I have been very fortunate having met many people with different backgrounds, and within a short time we became good friends. These are people I go out to dinner with, meet for lunch and even travel together. Not because we do business, but because we have become well-acquainted and have built a sustainable relationship.

Business relationships get better with a personal connection

You should take advantage of every opportunity to meet your customers in person. While technology is changing how we do business, nothing beats spending time with someone face-to-face. This is becoming a lost art. Conversations made over a meal, on the golf course, on a trip together or at a business conference are usually ones that can’t be accomplished on a conference call, in an email or even over Skype.

At a recent annual group trip one of the attendees called me to thank me for planning the event. He explained how the trip made it possible for him to meet people he may not have met otherwise. As he shared conversation over one of the planned meals a personal connection was made and a week later he received a phone call asking him to assist in their business.

If you use technology…send a text. Sending a text message in place of an email is a casual form of communication and typically generates a prompt response. Emails are not as effective and response time is usually restricted to business hours. Text messages are informal and a good way to reach someone before or after business hours. Plus, a nice thing about text messages is that it leaves a trail, which shows if-and-when your contact has become more at ease with you and your business relationship. The desired result is to take that relationship to a more personal level. What is more gratifying than seeing your business grow from a simple text about fishing, golf, how the kids are doing and other common interests.

Help others build relationships

All to often we are so concerned with making connections that we ignore the power of helping others in a similar situation.  Inquiring about a person’s business and introducing them to people you know who could benefit from their business has a positive effect on your own business relations.

I learned this from a master. When people would arrive at a morning networking event my friend was always there acting as the greeter, shaking hands and asking questions. Within a short-time after getting a feel for the person’s business and what they did for a living, he took them under his wing and introduced them to others in the crowd. In time the word got out, newcomers would seek him out. He had a talent for bringing people together whose businesses were a great fit and once they were formally introduced commerce followed.

My friend was accomplished at eliminating obstacles and building relationships. The return for him taking the time to help other people meet people was apparent. It became common practice for the people he helped to help him meet people they knew in return.  This became a never-ending process. 

As Ronald Reagan said in 1987 “Mr. Gorbachev, Tear down this wall” -- we should strive to do the same in business.