Human relationships are complicated. Personal viewpoints, past interactions, and current environment all play a role in each and every interaction. It’s no different in the business world. However, relationships are critical to doing business successfully. Time and time again professionals discover that a relationship was key to closing a sale, making a critical hire, or successfully securing a media story. So what relationships are important, and how do you build them to be strong and long-lasting? Here are some insights from GYC, an agency specializing in public relations in Las Vegas:
Co-worker Relationships
For any business to be truly successful in the long run, you have to provide an excellent product or service that solves a problem or fills a need effectively. In order to do that, you need to have a professional, talented, efficient and solid team of people who can work together.
The first relationships you should develop are those with your boss and co-workers. Colleagues who trust one another and are dedicated to helping team members succeed are worth their weight in gold. A team built on mutual trust and a common vision to reach the company or department goals will succeed much more quickly than one handicapped with jealousy, back-biting or dead weight.
Although you don’t always have a say in who’s on your team, you can do your part to make relationships as trusting and genuine as possible.
Customer Relationships
Attracting and keeping your bread and butter client is of the utmost importance. Although business intelligence and data mining technology have come a long way to help companies learn more about their customer, having that information in and of itself is not enough.
It’s important to understand as much about your client as possible, and this will take more than just crunching demographics and click counts. Find out where they spend time online and on social media. Become part of the conversation to learn more details, hear important worries, and collect additional tidbits of information to help you paint a more accurate–and human–picture of your customer.
If your business is one where customer transactions occur between professionals for larger deals, be sure your client relationship manager or account manager works on nurturing a real relationship. Most people can see when dinners, gifts, and promises are a facade for securing a sale only. Your client-facing professionals should be genuinely caring individuals who understand both business goals as well as how to engage and connect with other people.
Competitor Relationships
Navigating relationships with your competition can be a bit trickier and riskier. Obviously, both parties will have some ulterior motives in developing these relationships. However, smart and savvy people can show respect, appreciation and even partner with their competitors to build business create win-win promotional relationships.
In some industries, all players may be trying to solve the same larger problem. Ideally, all pharmaceutical companies should be focused on improving human health and all environmental organizations should be helping to preserve our natural resources. There may be conferences, training seminars or other industry-wide events that bring you and your competition together. Take these opportunities to build individual relationships. Offer congratulations when praise is due, and empathy in particularly challenging situations.
The world is small, and the business world is smaller. Someone who is your competitor now may be your boss, partner, or comrade later.
Affiliated Company Relationships
In most cases, many businesses work together to serve another company or organization. For example, a marketing department may have internal staff who work with contractors, freelancers, advertising agencies, graphic designers, event planners, SEO analysts, and public relations Las Vegas professionals.
Get to know all those people at affiliate companies over time. These relationships can help you deliver more orchestrated and effective programs for your mutual clients. They can also be great cross referral sources in the future. Pay attention to particular individuals who are talented in certain specialties as well as how they work with your team.
Some businesses today are actually moving to hire entire teams of people instead of individuals. The synergy that can develop with the right group of professionals can outweigh the talents of the individual. Work within your circle of suppliers, partners, affiliates and other related professionals to organically find those professionals that create a fabulous synergy, and then capitalize on it.
Local High-Profile Business Leaders
High-profile professionals become that way because they are well networked in the community. If you can find ways to get to know some of these key players in your local community, you’ll have opened up a large field of contacts, networks, and opportunities.
Find ways to serve these business leaders. For example, if you notice a business article interviewing these leaders and they discuss opportunities, challenges or visions for the future, find some way to respond. Send a letter with a related article or an email with a relevant attachment.
If you find that your paths cross professionally and in person, see if you can grab a few minutes during a social event or ask a thoughtful question after a presentation.
In some cases, you may find yourself involved in a similar hobby, charitable event, or family-related activity. Make a simple introduction and open a genuine conversation. Over time, there may be opportunities to deepen the relationship and bring up professionally related subjects.
Chamber of Commerce Relationships
Every business should be a member of the local chamber of commerce. This is a great community-based organization that provides plenty of networking and relationship-building opportunities. Although you don’t have to take advantage of every event, participate in all services or respond to each request, there are probably a few that would interest you or other colleagues in your organization.
Others in the business community will choose to come to the same events as you, and this will provide a common ground to work together and get to know one another. Once those relationships exist, there are always opportunities to ask or offer a favor, referral or bit of advice.
Community Relationships
Being part of the local community is important not only for business reasons but for human ones. Getting behind a non-profit or charitable organization helps you stay connected to others less fortunate and provides a way to share time, talent or treasure to make the world a little bit better.
If you get involved as a volunteer, helper or board member of a local non-profit, you’re sure to run into other professionals who are doing the same. Working together on a great cause is a wonderful way to build long-term, trusting relationships.
Again, it’s important to be genuine. Pick a cause that you’re truly behind, not just one that happens to have key business executives or customers that you want to meet. Once you start working together, over time, the conversation will naturally turn to other aspects of your life, including your professional life. It will be much more natural and real to ask for advice or make a suggestion within a real relationship down the road.
Our public relations company Las Vegas would love to develop a relationship with you. If you’re interested, contact GYC Vegas. Our marketing agency Las Vegas has been around for nearly two decades, serving clients in a wide variety of industries in the area.