Last month I talked about benefits and shared values in collaboration, as well as marketing and other types of creative collaboration. Any kind of collaborative relationship requires maintenance, but so do other, less formal relationships and relationships in the making.

Developing a solid relationship with colleagues, clients, and prospects cultivates long-term and widespread business networks that are highly beneficial for all parties concerned. We all know that selfish networking — the kind where someone thrusts their card in your face and blurts out their elevator pitch without breathing — is a dead end street. There is no relationship…and there’s a good chance there never will be.

The other, more effective approach is to feed and grow potential business relationships and consider them an investment. You can’t be best friends with everyone, but you can identify those with whom you have a synergy, focus your energy, and stay in touch.

The Don’t
Every once in a while I get the latest, updated resume from a woman I met many years ago and who is now self-employed as a virtual assistant. I have not spoken to “Joyce” in years and between emails with her resume attached, I never hear from her. I don’t actually know what services Joyce offers these days because I never open the resume. She invariably asks me to pass along her resume to anyone who might be interested, which I also never do. Why would I? We have no relationship. (After some thought, my best guess is that the biennial email is her version of “marketing” — and I’m guessing she gets what she paid for.)

The Do
In contrast, many years ago I interviewed with a man I wanted to work for, but the firm had a bad reputation so I chose another job. I told “James” the truth, and thought that was the end of it. A few months later James called to tell me my info had been correct, he had chosen not to remain with the firm, and thanked me for my honesty. We stayed in touch for a number of years, keeping tabs on what each other was up to, and connecting each other with our respective networks as appropriate.

Many years after our first meeting, largely on the strength of our relationship, James became a long term and highly lucrative client — something he had not previously been in a position to offer. James remains someone whom I respect, and whom I would again connect with my network if the opportunity arose. It didn’t take a lot of effort overall, but the payoff was enormous.

Moral of the story: Any relationship can whither and die from neglect. All it takes to grow one, is to feed it occasionally.

Liz Gaige
Market Navigators Consulting

I met a woman this week who discovered, much to her surprise, that her weekly networking group provides fewer leads for her coaching and personal development business than do her social connections, including people she encounters through parenting activities.

Summer is a great time to try a softer sales approach and do some one-on-one market research. It’s also a great time to explore how your social and extra curricular activities can intersect with your business.

“Whoa, Nellie!” you say, “No one wants to talk business at the soft ball pitch or at the beach.”

“Whoa, Nellie!” I say, “If that’s true, why is so much business done on the golf course?”

First, it’s not immediately about selling. It’s about relationship development. Get to know the people around you and find some common ground.

Second, it’s not immediately about selling. It’s about educating (a.k.a. marketing) people about what you do.

It doesn’t have to be an elevator pitch – in fact, it’s much better if it’s not. Instead, since you now know a little bit about your friend, tell her a story about a successful project that illustrates what you do and how you do it. Or share a success story of how your client made progress because of your work together.

Do what women do naturally, and do it with a purpose:

1. Be curious, ask questions.
2. Share information that might benefit.

I’ve had many experiences over the years where a lightly planted seed resulted in a client down the road. Give it a try, you never know what might turn up.

- Liz Gaige
Market Navigators Consulting