Flashy websites, great products, skilled technicians are all great assets to a company, but without a few key qualities, the competition could still squelch your highly qualified company. These fundamental qualities have always been the cornerstones of successful businesses and are not difficult to foster but without them…, almost certain death!
- You must be a pleasure to work with, friendly and approachable.
- Your work must be of the highest quality.
- You must turn your work in on time – meet your deadlines or come in ahead of them!
Simple, yes? While two out of three of these will probably keep you afloat, at least for a while (for instance, if you do great work and are a joy to work with, clients might forgive a missed deadline), you are in danger of being eradicated by any competitor who has nailed all three of these excellent business qualities.
In fact, one of the critical actions you can take for your business is to cultivate personal relationships.
- Make a list of the people who are most critical to your success (consider employees, investors, suppliers, customers, etc…) and refer to it every week.
- Make REAL contact with each of them regularly. Pick up the phone and see how they are doing. Be genuine. Do it on your way to or from work so you aren’t distracted or taking away from your “busywork”.
- Build a friendship. People like to do business with people they like – so meet for a meal, go to happy hour,…
In the event that something does go wrong and your company drops the ball, time spent cultivating this friendly business relationship can save the day and the deal! And certainly, word-of-mouth advertising is going to really benefit from your taking the time to extend this hand of friendship in your business relationships.