Building Relationships

Sometime ago, there was a customer I had a working relationship with. There had been the typical problems but because I worked through them, he has now extended a credit relationship and is out helping sell our brand.  Ever so often I have had to weigh costs vs. benefits in and of a relationship.  You’d be surprised the relationships that appear to be squat and the ones that are really meaningful. For instance, I ran into a guy a while back that had contacts from around the country in just about every business you could imagine.  At the time I didn’t know that and he got on my nerves at first.  After a while just sitting and talking, I realized he could bring incredible value to my organization and that’s exactly what he did.  A few months later he had us in front of a major auto manufacturer.  Exposure for great customer service, it’s no question. Relationships are an investment for the long haul. Even in your personal life you shop at the same stores or buy the same clothes because of the perceived value.  The same works in B2B relationships. The enterprise is also consolidating their supply chains.  No one wants to bounce around from supplier to supplier.  So how exactly do you build that relationship?  Phenomenal customer service! This means even when it’s not profitable the customer is always right.  In one instance I drove all the way from the north side of town to the very east to drop a package off outside of town. Just because my supplier missed his mark I had to maintain my word. As a result I now have one less supplier and one more person in the sales force with the most powerful marketing material: word of mouth.  Phenomenal customer service also means keeping in contact. Just like you send friends and family Christmas and birthday cards, you should also maintain some level of contact with your customers. Call friends, call customers.  Invite friends over, invite customers for round table discussions with the same amenities: wine, cheese, chocolate, Paninis, etc.  And now for the perfect prescription in chronological order: Going above and beyond, professionalism, Thank you letters, newsletters, casual phone calls and or offerings, discounts, and last but not least, Christmas socials (everybody likes those). As every business is different, so are the methodologies.  Do what works, after all you know your customers the best, or do you?