This post is provided by Jason Dirkham.
If you feel as though your business relationships aren’t quite what they could be then you are not alone. So many business owners find it difficult to know what steps they can take to better their relationships with other people, such as vendors, customers and even employees. If you want to take a step in the right direction then here are some methods you can use today.
Be Yourself
The first thing you need to do is try and be yourself. Being yourself is one of the best ways for you to start positive relationships. It may also be easier for you to build and maintain relationships when they begin authentically. By being authentic, you may find that you can show your team members and your clients that they can begin to trust you. You can also be more authentic in the workplace by practicing your communication skills. Practicing active listening and showing your support for others is also the best way for you to move things forward here.
Develop Networking Opportunities
One way for you to begin an effective relationship would be for you to develop an effective networking opportunity. One way you can do this would be for you to host a charity event or to even take your team on a retreat. If you run a charitable organization then it could be worth looking into donor stewardship, so keep that in mind.
Ask Questions
Another thing you need to do is ask as many questions as you can. When talking to a new business connection, make sure that you ask questions that could help you with your relationship. It may be that you ask questions about someone’s relationship or that you ask them about their interests and thoughts on their job. If you can ask questions then you will soon find that it is possible for you to open up new collaborative relationships. Of course, in the future, this kind of collaborative communication may help you and your team to feel more secure when sharing personal issues which is so important at the end of the day.
Clear Expectations
Another way for you to start a productive business would be for you to establish clear expectations from the get-go. You need to share a company handbook as to how you want things to be done and you also need to provide training. If you can do this and if you can discuss your work responsibilities then this will help you quite a lot going forward. If you want to better your relationship with clients then another thing you can do is discuss a contract or even have an onboard meeting. During sessions such as this, you may find that you can work together on a project with ease, so you can build trust with everyone.
Find Common Goals
Consider finding shared interests and goals, so you can begin to improve on your positive relationships. If you have a client or a business partner then it may be that you end up connecting over a shared objective. For team members, you may decide to share your career goals or even your industry interests. Things like this are great as it allows you to bond with a new connection and it also helps you to establish a new thought process along the way.
Communicate Often
Communication is such an important part of running a good business. Consider contacting everyone within your business regularly and also make sure that you keep open communication with those who you have just met. If you can establish some kind of communication pattern then that can help you to build specific relationships and it can also aid you to have weekly check-ins too. The benefit of this is that it stops you from micromanaging people, and it also helps you to set clear expectations which is so important if you want to boost your overall level of communication.
Set Goals and Deadlines
Consider setting clear goals and deadlines if you can. This is the best way for you to set up a good business relationship. Of course, if you need some help when it comes to deadlines or if you need some support with setting goals then make sure you are involving the very people who are going to be helping you to achieve them. If you can do this and if you can take steps to give people support when they need it then they will help you in return, so keep that in mind if you can.
