Forge deeper relationships

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How much time do you spend consciously working on your business relationships?

If you’re a new business development specialist, do you speed through “ice-breaking” as though it’s a checklist item in your sales process? As a sales and service professional, are you indifferent to whether you have face-to-face communication with your customers, beyond servicing their company’s needs? As a small business owner, how quickly do you transition into talking about what you do or how you can help rather than getting to know your prospects?

If you don’t care to know the people in your accounts—what problems they face, what they’re interested in, what drives them—throw in the towel now to save you embarrassment later. The race these days goes to the organization whose people emotionally bond with customers. And without a relationship, you sharply increase the likelihood that the account will shop around or at least entertain quotes from your competitors.

I have found that the best way to build rapport and trust with others is to set aside my “agenda” and ask questions about the other person. It’s as simple as that. I ask, I listen, I ask a follow-up, I listen, I look in their eyes, I listen, I think about how interesting this person probably is if I just got to know them better…

It really starts with how you feel about people in general, though we all occasionally slip into “Getting Things Done” mode.

Other resources for how to build trust: FranklinCovey, LearningCenter.net, Inc. magazine,