You may have heard the saying, “It’s not about what you know, but who you know.” Relationships have long been the lifeblood of human civilization, and it’s still true today, especially in the business world. You may be the top in your class, but if you don’t create lasting business relationships, your chances of getting your dream job may be limited. Here are some ways that you can build effective and enduring relationships.
Make Personalized Connections
One thing you can do to build effective and enduring relationships is to make personalized connections. Personalized connections do not mean simply handing out personalized business cards. Personalized connections come from face-to-face communication, where you establish a real connection with someone. Be friendly. Friendship is one of the most valuable things you gain as you build effective and enduring business relationships, but that can only come from making personalized connections.
Cast a Wide Net
When looking for business relationships, cast your net a little wider and look outside your field as it is important to have a variety of business relationships. For example, someday you might start your own business someday and need an accountant. If you don’t work in accounting, it would be difficult to find an accountant you trust. To prevent this, it would be beneficial to have already established a business relationship with an accountant you know and trust. One way that you can cast your net wide is to complete your LinkedIn profile. Completing your LinkedIn profile with a catchy headline can make you 40 times more likely to get contacted. The more you spread your net, the higher your chances of making connections in a variety of different business fields.
Be Authentic
Being authentic is perhaps the most valuable thing you can strive to be in building business relationships. By being authentic, and letting yourself be slightly vulnerable, you allow other people to connect with you, human to human. Often, when people meet someone at a networking event, they go straight into their pitch as they are just trying to grow their business. It’s important to try and grow your business, but you’ll be more successful if you are authentic.
Building effective and enduring relationships is not an easy path, but it is a worthwhile one as the relationships you build could be lifelong. Take the time to get to know people and you might find that they change your life.
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