Building business relationships can be tricky in today’s marketing world. No matter what industry you’re in, you’re going to have to deal with a variety of issues. You may be honest with people, you may be friendly, but getting past that initial introduction can be tough. How do you nurture a business relationship so that it creates sales, or at least helps you succeed? That’s the million-dollar question, and everyone may have a differing opinion on the matter.
There are several things that you can do today to help nurture business relationships. It may seem a bit difficult to work through at first, but if you’re honest, and sincere, the following could very well help you gain the upper hand. These are just some of the tips that you’ll find repeated by others. Of course, you’ll have to put in a little work of your own, but they are definitely positive in terms of relationship building within business.
Providing Value
The first thing that you need to do is simple, provide an inherent value. You may ask yourself what you could possibly provide in terms of value. The easiest thing is simple, expertise. You’re an expert at what you do, and at some point the people you meet are going to have questions about what you’re doing. Even the most obscure of industries require expertise and examples. You’re going to find that you will easily find yourself helping others with expert knowledge that they cannot just look up online. Furthermore, people in business are more likely to call someone that is an expert than to look at Google to find answers. There’s a personal authority and touch that comes this way, and you could be that “go to” individual, if you can provide value. Value and expertise is just one of the ways that you can cultivate business relationships, but it’s not the only way.
Asking For The Sale
In regards to sales, you’ll have to work with asking for sales outright. There’s a few ways that you can do this. You could go outright and ask, but that’s a bit pushy. What you should do instead is work with influence marketing. Influencing decisions starts with focuses on showing how you’re doing well with certain elements. For instance, look at the problems that others may have with their business. They will look to you to see how you have solved similar issues, and that’s where you can come into frame and sell them on something you do. If you provide a service or product for business, you have to pay attention to the problems that they may have. If you can do that, you’ll be come a very valuable friend to have. You’ll also get calls from others that are having similar issues, and that business relationship can grow into a huge benefit for you as well as others.
Figuring Out The Word “No”
You’ll get “no” a lot. Whether you build a relationship or not, you’ll get declined for a sale and you can do one of two things. The first thing that you can do is simple, walk away. Many people give up because they hear the world “no” about a sale. The goal in cultivating relationship sis to figure out why someone has declined. Why has someone said, “no”? There’s a reason why they are declining, and the goal you should have is simple, figure out why. Is it price? Is it convenience? Do they already use someone else? You have to create a value to them that extends beyond just business. Perhaps it’s a friendship that you need to create? Perhaps you’ll need to stay in contact, or support a cause. There are always reasons why a “no” is stated, and sometimes you have to figure it out so that it flips to a “yes”.
Continuing Communication
Perhaps the biggest tip that you should take with you today is simple, keep in contact. Sometimes in business, people forget that they are dealing with other human beings. Learn to stay in contact. Stay in communication with others, and make sure that you do not just vanish. Use social media, and even call from time to time to see whether or not people are interested in having a drink, going out to lunch, or perhaps take a meeting in regards to discussing some news or business of note. The more you show up in a person’s contacts, the better off your relationship will be, and the benefit that you pull will rise. You may even find that the initial “no” will turn to a “yes” faster.
Thank you for your attention!
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