Building relationships to grow your business
Today is the kind of day where I wish inspiration came out of my shower. I’m no business owner and I don’t have any sort of marketing degree behind my name.
I can tell you however, that a business is only as good as the client it serves, and no business gets far after losing the clients it had.
I promise you that not all of my thoughts come from the shower.
I do think out of the box too.
The key to success is building relationships that go beyond one-time projects and provides value to these clients on a consistent, ongoing basis. You have to learn the rules of the game and then you have to play better than anyone else.
Building business relationships are not like any other relationship with a partner, No. It is much more than that.
Money can’t buy one of the most important things you need to build your business, Clients. You can’t have a million dollar dream with minimum work ethic.
How do customer relationships drive your business? It is all about finding people who believe in your product or service. How are you going to do this? You develop relationships with people who don’t just understand your particular expertise, product or service but who are excited and buzzing about what you do.
Relationships have a short shelf life. “There is nothing i can’t do, except reach the top shelf. I can’t do that.” Don’t be that guy! For crying in a bucket, get the ladder and reach the top. One of the biggest mistakes people make is that they come home from networking events and fail to follow up. Make the connection immediately, It’s easier to keep a connection warm than to warm it up again once the trail goes cold.
I would now like to share my knowledge on how to build client relationships:
When you make the right connections you’re much more likely to be a success. E-mail marketing keeps a work relationship strong on a shoestring budget.
Build a reputation by giving away free insight. Come on who doesn’t love free things?
Make the E-mail interesting and worth the read, most important make connection with the same people that shares the same interests and goals as you.
Reward loyal customers and they will reward you, for example the CEO at Leads 2 Business will host a lovely golf day for all our clients. Make them feel special and appreciated.
Once you show them, that appreciation they will be around for a very long time.
The saying, “Give and you shall receive” goes a very long way when it comes to this.
Own it, this may be the most difficult skill to master because it hits home morally and shows your human side. When something goes wrong you may have to take the bullet even if it wasn’t your fault or the company’s fault.
If it was you or the company that was in the wrong being respectful and honest shows vulnerability and the ability to take criticism that goes with being wrong.
Step in without being asked, it is easy to help when you are asked. Most people will. People who build client relationships pay close attention so that they can tell when others are struggling.
Offer to help, not just to build a good relationship with your client base, but because you care.
With all this said I would like to remind you to be authentic.
Be genuine. Be real.
Here is a quote for the day:
By being remarkable, being genuine, you can be worth connecting with. And you don’t have to have it all figured out perfectly the first time – you can adjust.
~ Seth Godin ~
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Sources:
https://youinc.com/content/leadership/building-relationships-to-grow-your-business-in-five-easy-steps
https://www.forbes.com/sites/samanthaharrington/2017/06/30/how-to-build-strong-business-relationships/#76dd6859356f
https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/296469
I started working at Leads 2 Business in 2014. I was part of the Tenders Africa team and moved to Projects in 2019. I love every second of it!
