business relationships

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You own a business and so you should know that the only way to gain any traction and success is to talk about it.

I tend to hug everyone I meet, and I have learned it is not a great idea. There are people who simply do not want to be hugged. It is a horrible feeling when you hug someone, and you feel their whole body get tight and you know they are saying ‘why is this guy hugging me’. Please be cautious of this because it may be costing you business.

I read an article recently that suggested that you let the lady take the lead when it comes to hugging. I am not sure I agree with that, because I have a lot of male friends that really don’t like being hugged, by a male or female.

My friend tried to start a conversation this week with one of his referral partners at a networking event and the person told him ‘thanks, but I am all set. I am happy with the person I am working with’. We all have business relationships that we are happy with, but when you say you are all set, it hurts your chance to develop a referral relationship with the person you are speaking with. This happens all the time.

Kevin Willett reminds you not to skip the initial phases of building your business relationships.

If a stranger walked up to you and asked you to marry them, I am guessing that you would say no, simply because you do not know anything about them, they are a stranger. Most people would not walk up to a stranger and ask them to get married.

Do you still need business cards? The short answer is yes, you do.

I am seeing many people request that you just connect with them on social media rather than exchanging business cards. The challenge with this idea is many people are simply not active on social media, so connecting with them will not help you build a relationship with them.

Many people don’t like to network because they’re just not comfortable with small talk. We’ve all had those painful conversations where we exchange one-word answers. When I’m talking with someone, I always try to find at least one question that will make the person smile and open up to me.

Kevin Willett says just a few minutes of your time may pay benefits for years.

I have learned that the best way to stand out at a networking event is to try to add value to every person I meet by offering to introduce them to someone I know or by sharing knowledge I have that they may benefit from.  I have been able to build some great relationships by focusing on helping the person rather than trying to sell them anything.

Here are a few additional things you can do after the event to add value: