The Power of Personal Relationships in Business

I was recently meeting with a client with whom I have done business with for several years.  I always love our interactions because I know we will cover the business-of-the-day, but not before we talk about what is going on in our personal lives.  Our interaction is never forced, and it has become clear over our numerous engagements that we truly enjoy each other's company.  As a result, the trust we have built has allowed us to become more efficient in the business we conduct.  We are able to have very efficient and effective meetings because we have come to know that we both have the other's best interests in mind.

Sales organizations always try to reinforce the power of rapport building, but very few are actually successful.  I think this is why you often see many sales reps turning over so quickly, they fail to take enough time to truly develop meaningful relationships, and therefore, are unsuccessful.  The individuals representing these organizations fail to connect with the customer on a truly personal level.  They fail to successfully understand that trust is the building block of any successful business relationship.  It isn't enough to know the names of their children, remember birthdays, and how many siblings they have, but rather, the successful building of trust is built on a culmination of past experiences.

Think of someone who you truly respect and trust.  What experiences have you had with that individual that forged those relationships?  Were you teammates, business partners, is it your spouse or family member?  Now think about the defining experiences that helped to either strengthen or weaken those bonds.  Conversely, think about someone who you don't quite trust or respect.  Here too, past experiences can play a part, but also, lack of experience also plays a strong role.  Most often, past experiences that have tarnished trust and respect are hard to rebuild, but when mended successfully, can actually lead to even stronger bonds in the future.  Lack of meaningful past experiences creates a sense of indifference, and in the business world, indifference is just as toxic as poor past experiences. 


If sales professionals are to be successful in building long-term relationships with their clients, they must therefore focus on creating experiences that focus on building trust and respect.  If professionals can think of every interaction in these terms it will automatically lead to building better relationships.  Take this in contrast with someone who is simply out to remember names and dates so as to appear as though they are close with their customers.  Anybody who is proficient at using their Outlook calendar can accomplish this task, but it takes someone who truly cares about their customers to have something on their calendar that actually means something to their customer.  An invitation to a daughter's wedding, or a son's graduation.  These are the types of events that expose a person's vulnerability, which is a crucial aspect of building any relationship.

In summary, successful business interactions begin with the process of developing trust and respect.  From the cold-call to closing, business professionals need to be cognizant  of their actions and how it is either leading towards, or away from, trusting relationships.  By consciously keeping this in mind, sales representatives, and business professionals alike, should experience stronger results and deeper customer relationships.