Making Connections
Making Connections
We’ve all heard the saying, "People do
business with those they like, know and trust." It’s true! Business and
personal success is all about the right connections. These connections -
colleagues, employees, customers, friends and partners – and more importantly,
the people that THEY know, lead to new opportunities. But how do these
connections actually form?
Many of us instinctively recognize when
someone is only in it for themselves. These are the wrong connections, right?
Right! Here are some ways to find and cultivate the right connections, where everyone
involved believes in the principle of win-win relationships.
- Ask
questions first. Before you
launch into a hard sell with a prospect or a bragging session with a potential
new friend, take time to ask them about themselves or their business. When you
ask questions, you help your customer (and potential new friend) explain what
they’re looking for and recognize your interest in them as genuine. Questions
are fundamental to relationship building, and the more skilled you are at asking
them, the stronger the relationship you’ll create.
- Really listen. There’s nothing worse than feeling ignored,
or like you’re the distraction when it’s obvious that someone isn’t focusing on
the conversation. Really focus on what the other person is saying before you
respond. Nobody likes a person that seems to only be waiting for their turn to
talk.
- Remember
things. Do you remember when you would
walk into a local store and everyone knew your name? Or asked about your dog or
cat? Or mentioned they liked your new haircut? When you remember one or two
details about someone – a customer, a vendor or a friend – you show you value
that person. Everyone likes to feel important, and showing you took the time
and interest to listen to someone enough to remember these details is one way
to do that.
- Be honest. Be honest about yourself, your own business
and your capabilities. By creating an open culture, especially about your own shortcomings,
you encourage people to be honest with you. I’ve found this is one of the
biggest things that helps build trust.
- Talk about
yourself. Once you’ve done all of the
above, you can make it personal by revealing something about yourself. Just be
sure it’s something genuine your potential connect can relate to and isn't too
personal. It's important that the connection be real.
- Connect
Face-to-Face. While it's often much quicker
and less stressful to email a connection, face-to-face meetings create far more
meaningful connections – both for personal and business relationships. If your
potential connection is far away, consider using Skype or FaceTime to put a
real face to the conversation.
- Be patient. Like most important things, it takes time to
develop lasting relationships in your personal life and in business. So don’t
rush the process. We’re all busy, but expecting an instant connection with
anyone is unrealistic.
- Make time. The flip side of being patient is making
time to connect. Schedule lunch or coffee dates with friends and potential
business connections to strengthen the relationships. Attend networking events
yourself regularly without expecting an instant increase in sales. Ask your
employees and colleagues to leave the office periodically to attend networking
events at organizations. The fresh ideas you all will learn and new people you
will meet will inspire you all further.
Our real goal in making connections should be
to learn from, and build real relationships with people who challenge us to
stretch our thinking. Of course, friends, relatives and people who are just
like us are important, but to be truly successful and reach our full potential,
we should create important and meaningful connections with a broad sweep of
people. When we’re open to the universe putting the right people in our path,
we’re sure to find connections everywhere. Just sayin’.
About the Author
Sharon Dillard is the
award-winning CEO of Get A Grip Inc., a national franchise kitchen and bathroom
resurfacing company based in Albuquerque. For more information, call, click or
visit:
Call: 505.268.0929
Showroom: 11840 Cochiti Road SE,
Albuquerque, New Mexico 87123
Email: sharon@getagrip.com
Website: ‘Get A Grip’ http://www.getagrip.com/
Website: ‘Grip Gear’ http://getgripgear.com/
Blogs: ‘Just Sayin’ http://www.sharonjustsayin.com/
Blogs: ‘Eat with Gigi’ http://eatwithgigi.com/
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