Establishing business relationships is an essential but often overlooked part of a professional’s life. We’ve all heard the saying – it’s about who you know in the business world. To a certain extent, this is true. It’s why there are so many seminars on networking and the like, as you never know who may open what door for you.
However, the idea of building professional relationships can be intimidating or overwhelming. The more you think about it, the worse it gets, right? The good news is that plenty of tips and tricks help you succeed. Here are some tips on building solid business relationships.
Stay Updated
We all have that one friend we can go years without talking to, yet pick things back up as if no time has passed. You can’t do that with business relationships. To maintain a business relationship, you must stay in contact with them. This means regular check-ins, hellos, and the like.
That doesn’t mean you must overwhelm them with hundreds of emails or texts a week. But it does mean you can’t let too much time pass between chats. Business relationships are prone to fraying without regular contact.
Keep Commitments And Promises
Ideally, one should always strive to keep their word, especially in the business world. This means keeping your commitments and following through on promises. For example, if you promise a contact to get them some information by a specific time, you better be sure to do so!
More reliable people will find it easier to build and maintain business relationships. This is because people know what their worth is and know they can rely on this person.
Be Yourself
One of the best pieces of advice you can get for building any relationship (professional or personal) is to be yourself. For one thing, relationships do better when they start authentically. Second, you want to attract people who enjoy the person you are – not the false person they think you are.
There are various reasons why authentic relationships matter the most to us. People want to be near those that make them feel comfortable. It is challenging to feel comfortable near somebody who is clearly being false. It gives off the feeling that they want something from you.
Practice Networking
Yes, networking is an essential part of finding and building relationships. The best way to get better at networking is to practice. This means going out of your way to attend networking events, jumping on opportunities when you see them, etc.
Remember to keep in touch with new contacts made. As mentioned above, this is a critical step in building professional relationships.