11 Nov 09 Keeping Long Term Business Relationships
Forming long-term business relationships is a very important practice. Without them, you are force yourself to replace the resources you would have from a trusted business relationship. But how do you maintain these relationships? Well first, you have to think the right way; you’re not looking for friends, but associates.
Keep track of all your personal associates. Keep a good record of when and where you first made contact, how often you usually keep in contact with them, and the last time you had a meeting. Usually programs like Microsoft Excel are good for forming a quick chart that you can change and read on the fly. All of this can be useful later.
You have to keep using your business contacts so that they do not forget about you, but don’t call them everyday. Keeping an accurate record of how often you communicate allows you to keep on that system, so that you maintain the relationship by keeping up with them as often as you should. You can also keep track of their opinion of you this way. If they usually call you right back after an attempt to contact them, you are high up on the importance list. If you find they do not usually make an effort to contact you, you’re not that high priority.
Make your contact time count. Remember, you are not friends; the whole purpose of this relationship is to keep advancing each other professionally in some way. So keep your messages short, and to the point. Provide valuable information quickly, and they will return the favor, and turn to you more often.
But make sure that the business relationship is a two way street. It’s called a relationship for a reason, both of you are looking to benefit from what the other offers. So if your contact is there for you, make sure to return the favor. That’s one of the most important ways to keep a business relationship over a long period.
Tags: Accurate Record, Business Contacts, Business Relationship, Fly, High Priority, Last Time, Microsoft, Microsoft Excel, Term Business Relationships, Time Count
23 Sep 09 Approaching A Business Client
Whether you own a personal business, or work for a company where independent clients are your target, you need to know how to approach them. By not knowing how to approach a client, you run the chance of ruining a potential business relationship, through a lack of knowledge. That’s no reason to lose out on potential business, so do your research and make sure that doesn’t happen. It’s not too hard to develop your relationship building skills, you just need to know where to start.
Firstly, do what research you can about your potential client. Find out what you can about them, before making your approach, so that you can formulate a strategy specific to them. By doing your research you already know what parts of your business apply to them, and you can focus on highlighting those positives. Tailoring a pitch to each potential client gives you a better chance of getting their attention, and capturing their interest.
Whether you are approaching through a phone call, or an in person meeting, make sure that you stay professional. Keep positive and courteous, through your speech and demeanor. That will reflect in your pitch, and the potential client is more likely to respond positively in return. Never underestimate the power of positivity.
Finally, make sure that you know your stuff, concerning your own business. It’s not enough to highlight the points that apply to a potential client, you also need to know the answers to their questions. You never know what they’re going to think of, so keep a broad range of knowledge on hand about your business. By knowing the facts, and even having a guide for yourself, you can quickly supply the answer to any questions they may have. This helps to show that your business is organized, and helpful in working with a client to get them the solution that they need.
Tags: Better Chance, Business Client, Business Relationship, Business Work, Demeanor, Independent Clients, Lack Of Knowledge, Own Business, Personal Business, Phone Call, Pitch, Positivity, Show Business, Target
