You know, having been in business for over 23 years, I’ve seen a lot of wannabe business owners make some pretty big mistakes in this department. Especially those who are working “Side – hustle” businesses while still in their day jobs. So, why is this?
Sometimes it’s the way they are taught. Other times it’s because they have become so desperate to make a sale, they resort to dishonesty or even complete rudeness. This is, in my book, the quickest way to end your chances of that sale. So, if these methods do not work, how do you build business relationships?
Authenticity
By far, authenticity is the first thing you must have if you want to build a solid business relationship. Whether that be with a potential client or even a teammate or business partner. Being honest and upfront with your intentions means that there are no hidden agendas. If you want to gain the person as a customer, building rapport and being completely real with them will take you much further than any other method.
Trust is a big thing in building business relationships. If you do not have trust, you have very little. So, when you are embarking on this, be sure that you build that trust. It only takes a short while to do this, but it’s a long time ruined if you destroy a business relationship due to mistrust.
Find Things You Have In Common
If you’ve ever heard the phrase “Like people, like people,” you could be forgiven for being a little confused. However, when you ask yourself, how do you build business relationships, this comes into play. Like any other relationship you create, you have to like the other person, don’t you?
The same goes when you build business relationships, whether it be with your customers or colleagues.
You are not going to be able to work well with people you do not get along with. That’s why it’s essential to make sure you know the type of person you want to work with. You can then build that relationship based on common ground and a mutual like for one another. That brings us to our next point.
Build Mutual Respect
People not only do business with people they like, they also flock to do business with people they respect.
You should be aiming for precisely the same thing when you are looking to build business relationships. So, how do you build business relationships based on mutual respect? Well, that’s easy.
By merely showing courtesy, kindness, compassion, empathy, and building a solid rapport with the other party. This, in turn, will create respect in the relationship. Once you gain that respect, you will find people opening up to you. From there, you can form an even stronger bond. Ideally, you want to get to the point where the other party is a “raving fan” of you and your business.
Show a Bit Of Vulnerability
There is nothing wrong with showing a bit of vulnerability to potential business clients and colleagues. It really goes hand in hand with what we’ve spoken about above. When I tell this to my clients, many of them look at me sideways. They ask me.
“Yeah, but how do you build business relationships by being vulnerable? Isn’t that showing weakness?”
When they say this to me, I stop them immediately. There is no weakness in being vulnerable. Being vulnerable makes you real; it makes you relatable; it makes people empathise with you, especially if they’ve had similar experiences in their business lives as well. So, don’t ever be afraid of letting your guard down and using vulnerability to build relationships.
Showing Support And Security
Let’s be really honest here. Being in business is scary, isn’t it? Knowing that 80% of companies fail in the first two years is a frightening statistic. So, how do you build business relationships when many people are really quite afraid?
By showing them that it’s safe to do business with you.
You can do this by showing them that you’ve really got their back. That you are there for them and that you will meet their needs. There are so many cowboys out there these days that it really can be challenging for people to trust. We find it all the time in our business. So many people have been burned already. Some of them come to us, really unsure. We build these solid relationships with them by assuring them of their safety and then showing them precisely that.
Be Personable
This one is pretty straightforward, isn’t it? You have to be nice to the people you want to do business with. Times are tough right now, and more people are entering the business space. The noise is almost deafening. By not being a pleasant person to deal with, you could be losing customers much faster than you are gaining them. This is a sure-fire way to end up in the 80% of fails we talked about above.
So, how do you build business relationships in this “new normal?” The same way we’ve always done it. By following the points, we’ve made above.
If you are real, authentic, honest, and have integrity, you are halfway there. By knowing your target customer and knowing that you get along with them, so you can build rapport with them.
Respecting your clients, colleagues, and other potential business connections. We are all different, but that can be a great thing because that means we are all great at different things. Being prepared to be a little vulnerable and being prepared to assure your clients when they show their vulnerabilities. This is how you build business relationships.
We’d love to build a business relationship with you. If you are interested in knowing any more about us, then reach out. How do you build business relationships? By taking action and making things happen.