Building Business Relationships to Last

Okay, you’ve made that great first impression. Now what? It’s time to build a strong relationship with this person. Your goal here is to begin asking questions and listening to find common ground.

Find out where they’re from, maybe their hometown, college, or even their favorite sport or team. This will build a stronger relationship and conversational material for future meetings or chats on the phone. The information you bring to the table in this relationship combined with your value, skills and beliefs can take this to higher roads.

What you put into this relationship is usually what you get in return. The greater the value you give this person, the stronger the business relationship will become. This will lead to possible future ties to more relationships with their clients or business partners. Giving them leads or introducing them to possible business relationships can also build a strong bond.

Not every relationship provides value, but this is something you might not know in the beginning. Consider it practice and learn from it. You might be valuable to them, and sometimes you have to give before you receive. It goes back to that saying, “When you help others reach their needs, in return you will too.

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