I’ve been talking a lot about relationships lately. I hate to be on a soapbox about this, but I believe it’s really critical.
With the state of the economy, now is not the time to give in and go with the flow. Each of us can have a successful business and not even know the recession they are talking about is happening. Well, let me rephrase that. With the right attitude and relationships in place, we can all succeed no matter what.
Building relationships certainly isn’t the quick fix, but it is highly effective. You can be in a complementary industry, or not. Remember that these relationships need to be built just as any personal relationship - there must be mutual trust and respect. These are two qualities that are not given away - they are earned, and they take work to achieve. Another key factor is that you do this with a like-minded individual.
When you’ve done the legwork to establish your relationship, begin to strategize on how you can help each other. Tackling it from the standpoint of trying to sell your service to that person will have the opposite result - you must focus on helping each other. When you develop a plan, go out and DO IT. When you do it, the momentum that results will create more momentum. New ideas will develop. Business will occur. And it will be a win/win for all involved.
Stop to think about the relationships you have. Are they mutually beneficial? Do you have people in your corner who are trying to make things happen for you? If not, I’d suggest you list this as one of your action steps in building your business. You won’t be disappointed.