Tips on Building Stronger Business Relationships

 

Building a firm and strong business relationship is very paramount for New Entrepreneurs to maintain in other to have a strong Personal Brand. As the old saying goes, ‘It is not what you know but who you know.’ This is very true with Entrepreneurs because relationships lead them to Potential Investors, Clients, Suppliers and future Clients.

The Big Companies like MTN know the effect of keeping and maintaining Business Relationships. These are reasons why you would see them pay so much to have PR/Advertising companies manage their brands for them.

For Business Startups these are tips that would help you maintain your personal brands and build strong Business Relationships.

Trust and Rapport: Keeping in touch with people who have been with you before you started your brand, old school colleagues, ex-co workers, acquaintances, friends. These are people who knew you and over the years trust has been built, whom if you keep the rapport with are the ones who can put in a word for your brand.

Starting a virtual assistant firm, the fear of who would be the first clients clouded my mind. Going through social networks that I had opened in time past for leisure, I was so surprised to see people that could be of benefit to the firm in whom I had lost contact with. The word game here is consistent contact check through calls, emails, social networks, and even an invite for an outing.

Because people tend to be busy, make sure you always have a reason to meet. If you don’t, you can still stay in touch remotely. Ask a quick question over email. People will feel complimented that you’re viewing them as an expert and will be happy to provide advice.

Being helpful to a contact who is trying to pave way into doing or starting something, or someone who needs an advice on something. Contacts that you have been helpful to would do all they can to put in a word for your brand because you have won their trust in the help you gave them.

Researches that you have done in time past or just a word of support that you extend to a contact who reaches out for your help would go a long way to build a strong relationship for your business.

Offer relevant and mutually beneficial introductions. Provide advice, expertise or feedback. Share information such as events, articles or research that may be helpful. Promote your contact’s work by sharing it with others.

Per the law of reciprocity, when you are helpful to others, people will feel more inclined to be helpful to you.

You need to build a strong online presence on social network sites like Linkedin, Twitter. Try and post something as regular as possible on any of your social networks and your blogs/websites. Clients get tired and easily forget brands that are not in their face as often as possible. If need be you can employ the services of an Internet Content Provider, who supplies you with contents to post and you can also post upcoming events your brand is planning.

Building Relationships is one of the strongest points of a succesful brand which can not be taken lightly especially for an upcoming brand.

Wishing you the very best as you try this tips in the New Year.

Temidayo Ijaola

Business Development Manager

QuadCube

@quadserv