Business Relationships Depend On Many "Little Things" And One "Big Thing"
Growing, vital businesses are built on grand strategies. But having a grand strategy is just not enough. A grand strategy needs to be implemented and then constantly reinforced to maintain momentum; that is when the vastness of a grand strategy becomes difficult. Ultimately, most grand strategies boil down to relationships and relationships depend on the interaction between people – one-to-one.
There are many relationships, both internal and external in a business setting. These relationships exist whether they are consciously strengthened or unconsciously ignored. Either way they send a message about how one person values another. It makes sense that, in a businesses relationship, one should strive to create strong bonds. It makes working together easier and more pleasant, selling and buying faster and less stressful, managing smoother. Respect, ease of communication, more pleasant working conditions, faster flow of information, and easier negotiations all result from strengthened relationships. The bottom line is that it is easier to implement the grand strategy when people have strong, positive relationships inside and outside the company.
These one-to-one relationships depend on many “little things.” It is a personal note to a first-time client, a birthday card to a member of the staff, a congratulatory phone call or “high-five” to the salesperson who just won a key account (see “personal note” above), a “welcome to our company” message to the new hire, a social event with a key vendor, a pizza party to a department that far exceeded its goals. Each relationship building “little thing” demonstrates personal respect, reliance, and caring as well as gratifying the recipient by being noticed.
“Little things” by themselves are just that – little. But they are like individual bricks that are joined with many other little bricks to create a wall. When the walls are joined with other walls, a strong structure is created. Use “little things” in the same manner – join them, brick-by-brick, into a culture that shows respect and caring. When those little bricks become walls that then become structures, the grand strategy becomes much more attainable… and it’s all built on “little things”… but don’t forget the mortar between bricks – the mortar is a smile – and that’s a “big thing!”
Larry Galler coaches and consults with high-performance executives, professionals, and small businesses since 1993. He is the writer of the long-running (every Sunday since November 2001) business column, "Front Lines with Larry Galler" Sign up for his free newsletter at http://www.larrygaller.com Questions??? Send an email to larry@larrygaller.com
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