Do You Want to STRETCH Your Business Relationships?

If you haven't heard this saying then it's new, but if you have heard this saying then is it true?  Do People Do Business With Those They Know, Like and Trust?

Yes they do, but I have learned one more thing from attending networking meeting and spending countless hours either at Starbucks or Caribou coffee conducting one on one meeting that will help you stretch your business relationships to the next level and that is;

People do business with those they Know, Like, Trust AND CONNECT with.

Connecting with someone is the most important element in this equation. Let me explain why.

There are many stages to building business relationships. And people do business with people they know, like and trust.  From there relationships are cultivated over time by investing time, giving value, and showing effort.

In the Know, Like and Trust formula, the first step is getting to KNOW the other person's business. This is where you learn the basics of who they are and the product or service they offer. If you have done any networking you are very familiar with this initial conversation.

The second step, LIKE, is where you to start to know them personally. Do they have a family? How do they spend their time away from the office? You can tell a lot about a person when you find out what they do during they off time.

The third step is TRUST. During this stage you will discover both their business and personal ethics. How do they respond to problems? Do they take care of their customers? Listen to how they talk about their clients and family. Are appreciative of the business or does it seem to be more of an inconvenience? Does there seem to be a lot of drama around them?

Now, how many people do you know who pass in all of the above stages? These are people you can say you know them... like them... and trust them. And you are probably doing business with them, or referring business to them.  But in order to stretch your business relationships to the next level so they are raving about you word of mouth you have to include another step.

And that fourth step is CONNECT WITH. This is the most important of all because without it you won't get the business, you'll just know about their business and they will know yours, but no business will take place, no referrals will come. Let me give you an example that made it very clear to me. As I mentioned, I make it a point to put in my fair share of networking hours meeting people. Many of these have been referred to me by either a client, or a person that I have retained for my own business.

When I have an opportunity to refer, I know a lot of people that I KNOW, LIKE, and TRUST, but I only refer the people that I made a CONNECTION with.  This connection was made by building not only a business or client relationship, but also a personal relationship.

This was part of my own personal step of building an effective relationship with the people I came in contact with, and not only did business increase, but my referrals increased, and it was easier because someone else blew my horn and that alone speak volumes, more than any words, speech, or presentation I can do say.

So I tell you this for you to look at your business contacts and focus more on connecting with each person and you will see that it will change the way you spend your time with your business and the rewards will come pouring in.

Stretch your relationships, you'll be glad you did

Ron Broussard
StretchYourself

Make a CONNECTION! #stretchyourself