ADVANCED RELATIONSHIP-BUILDING SKILLSWhatever else needs to be done, however you try to exert influence over the relationship-building process, you need to be persuasive in your dealings with your potential clients, influencers and recommenders. By whatever means you attempt to put across your case, you should try to set yourself apart from your competitors or other contenders in the relationship-building process. It is only by being memorable and outstanding that you will be preferred.
You should bear in mind that other people are attempting to reach a similar position to yours. If you have researched and found that a particular person is an ideal business contact, it is safe to assume that others will have done the same. Assume that they are as professional as you are.
Building successful business relationships is a complex process. Contacts want to decide ‘their’ way whether or not to do business with you. They want to think about the proposition you are making to them, to assess it and make what they would regard as a considered decision. Their thinking, as we have mentioned, is made up from many differing viewpoints. If you imagine there are two identical cases on a set of scales, how do you end up on the winning side?
To be an effective persuader you should be able to communicate the following points to your contact:
- he is important and will be treated as such
- his opinions and position are respected
- he will be dealt with as a unique individual
- there are benefits available to him in dealing with you
- what the facts are
- any snags there are (and there usually are some)
- what compromises will be required
- how the relationship can work.
What Defines ‘persuasive’?
As an effective persuader your approach needs to be seen by your chosen business contact as:
- understandable
- attractive
- convincing.
None of these on their own is enough to secure a brilliant business relationship. They need to be strong enough jointly to set you ahead of any other parties trying to negotiate arrangements with your contact.
To be convincing and effective, your approach to rapport-building must be individually tailored to the other party involved in the process. If your usual ploy is to offer your business contact corporate hospitality to a sporting event, this is not going to cut much ice with someone who is mad about opera or the arts. Each business contact wants an approach which they see respects their point of view, matches their personality and interests and so generates more immediate response and interest.
Bearing this in mind will get you off along the right track. It should quickly show you the reason why the identification and preparation stages are so important. This is complex and there are many things to consider, including your own personal positioning.
If handled smoothly, the relationship-building process will appear well thought out and relevant – because that’s exactly what it is! Your contact will know that he is dealing with a professional who takes time and care over each contact he makes and treats each one with respect.
Make What You Say Attractive
Communicate clearly, make your words attractive so that your business contact wants to listen and is as keen to develop the relationship as you are. How do you do this?
Talk about the benefits. People do not encourage relationships in business just for friendship. It has to go further than that. They will want a clearly-defined purpose. If you explain the reasons why you want to connect with them and that there are advantages to you both, they will understand ‘what’s in it for them’.
The advantages, say, of a small specialist design group collaborating with a large architectural practice means that the small firm can be included in bigger projects than they would normally get involved in. The large company will harness external specialist expertise in an area they do not have covered in-house. Working together to bid for significant projects will result in a win-win solution.
Talking benefits in this way as you describe your ideas for increased working opportunities will support the relationship-building process. It is important to get this right. All contacts are different and in some cases you will be persuading more than one person of the advantages of such an alliance. For example, you could be required to influence a board of directors, or a group of partners in a professional service firm.