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Have you ever heard a business or some type of public sector employer talk about "developing relationships"? Speech such as this sounds very odd. What kind of relationship are they talking about? Are you going to be their friend, buddy, chum? Or is it about applying language that sounds "fancy", but of which offers little true substance?
Often they'll use the word "foster" in conjunction with developing relationships, as in "We're fostering relationships". Is this not an odd statement. No one cares about your relationship with the community. They simply want a good product for a fair price. In most instances, they're not going there to be your friend.
Statements such as these are about as dumb as mission statements, where four or five sentences are stretched into one massive sentence-paragraph, all with the purpose of sounding fancy. Much like the "relationship" talk, however, most of it is fluff.
It sound really odd to me. I have never in my life heard of anyone in any setting use this term. I'm not really sure what they mean by it and if you asked them, their reply probably wouldn't make any sense either. Maybe they just came back from a 3 martini lunch. It sounds like more than fluff to me.
Have you ever heard a business or some type of public sector employer talk about "developing relationships"? Speech such as this sounds very odd. What kind of relationship are they talking about? Are you going to be their friend, buddy, chum? Or is it about applying language that sounds "fancy", but of which offers little true substance?
Often they'll use the word "foster" in conjunction with developing relationships, as in "We're fostering relationships". Is this not an odd statement. No one cares about your relationship with the community. They simply want a good product for a fair price. In most instances, they're not going there to be your friend.
Statements such as these are about as dumb as mission statements, where four or five sentences are stretched into one massive sentence-paragraph, all with the purpose of sounding fancy. Much like the "relationship" talk, however, most of it is fluff.
Do such statements sound odd to you?
Not really. Because unless your entire business is based on selling widgets at the lowest possible price (The can't-win business situation otherwise known as the Commodity Trap), then you and your customer have to have some kind of interaction. People do business with people, and the more you understand about your customer, the more you can offer them what they need in the fewest number of steps, then the more they trust you in return. It doesn't mean you don't have to be pals. You don't have to socialize with them. But it does mean making them feel good about doing business with you.
I mean, just reflect back onto your buying decisions over the past few years. Have you stopped going to a restaurant because the owner was rude? Conversely, did you keep going to a place that cost a little extra, but the owner knew your name and took care of you? That, my friend, is a relationship. Within a mile of me are three dry cleaners. I tried each one of them when we moved to the neighborhood. The one that now gets all my business is the one who knows the way I like my shirts (Medium starch. I don't even have to tell her) and knows me by name. What's more, if there is a problem, they address it with a good attitude. Heck, it might be a quarter more for each shirt, but I just don't care. It's worth it to reward someone who believes in good service.
Want an even better example? Your banker. You can either bank with some huge retail megabank where employees are shuffled around every year, or you can do business with a bank where the branch officer has been there for years and knows you. Having built and sold two business and as an owner of several commercial properties, I can tell you which kind of bank I want to do biz with.
I've had some client relationships that have lasted for twenty years. During that time, these clients could have bought from someone for less. But they couldn't have bought from someone who understood them better. And the few times a long-time client did make a price-driven decision and took the business elsewhere, they almost always came back. For you really can't put a price on trust, efficiency, and truly being mindful of the customer's needs.
Almost every movie that has ever been made in Hollywood has been the result of "relationships." I'm totally serious. All you have to do is look at production histories and read a few books on the industry. The same is true at the top of nearly every corporate ladder. You get five minutes to see J.P. because someone who knows J.P. thinks you won't waste his time.
One of the biggest mistakes anyone in management can do is NOT play politics. Invariably, someone without a brain will warn a new recruit "don't get involved in the politics around here." The key is not getting involved with PETTY politics, but to play the larger game for keeps.
"Relationships in the community" means paying basic dues to keep in the good graces of those who control zoning boards, have the ability to cut tax breaks, and keep the police working for a business rather than against it.
People buy from people they know, like, and trust. Period.
Yes, it is very important to "develop relationships". Never downplay the importance of networking. That's a mistake many new businesses make thinking their new, better, cheaper product will be a hit but don't understand the whole marketing/networking requirements.
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