12/19/2007
Rules of Business Relationships – Series Recap
My 8-post series, Rules of Business Relationships, covered the essential qualities of strong and long lasting business relationships. To summarize -
Rule 1 – The golden rule of sales relationships – Never further your interests at the expense of the other party’s.
Rule 2 – Transparency. Hidden agendas make for unhealthy business relationships.
Rule 3 – Confidentiality. Information sharing is good, provided it is being shared for a good business reason. Gossip is always bad.
Rule 4 – Closure. In business, when you leave things hanging, you wind up hanging yourself.
Rule 5 – A touch of the personal. There’s a fine line between impersonal and too personal. Learning where it is is imperative.
Rule 6 – Penny wise, pound wise. Minor disputes can derail relationships, so stay focused on the big picture.
Rule 7 – The customer is always right is always wrong. Business relationships flourish when partners find complementary objectives.
Rule 8 – Simplicity. Simple ideas generate energy and results. Complex ideas generate confusion between business partners.
I hope these observations helped. They’ve certainly helped me. What advice do you have for building strong business relationships?
8 Responses to Rules of Business Relationships – Series Recap
Brad,
I’ve really enjoyed this excellent series, and our discussions on the topic have been lively and intellectually stimulating. Thanks for these great tips!
My advice for building strong business relationships? Read Brad Shorr’s Word Sell, Inc. Blog and do exactly what he tells you!
Jeanne
Hi Jeanne, if only I could get my wife to follow your advice!
There’ll be a new series coming up soon – hope you like that one as well.
Brad,
All I can say to your first comment is, “We’re talking about BUSINESS relationships here.”
And, to your second, “No question about it: I know I will!”
Jeanne
Hi Brad,
This series was very helpful for my new sales endeavor! I agree that developing real relationships with customers is the ultimate goal, and from that comes rewards beyond money in the business world.
A book I recently read that underscores some of your ideas is “The Go-Giver” by Bob Burg and John David Mann. It’s a great parable about a person changing from being purely a go-getter into being a go-giver and thereby adding value to people’s lives. The lessons in this story can be applied to business and just everyday life. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
Cheers & Happy Holidays! Thanks for the great blog!
Linda
Hi Linda, glad the series helped you out, and thanks for the book recommendation. Parables are an enjoyable way to learn.
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