Okay, you’ve made that great first impression. Now what? It’s time to build a strong relationship with this person. Your goal here is to begin asking questions and listening to find common ground.

Find out where they’re from, maybe their hometown, college, or even their favorite sport or team. This will build a stronger relationship and conversational material for future meetings or chats on the phone. The information you bring to the table in this relationship combined with your value, skills and beliefs can take this to higher roads.

What you put into this relationship is usually what you get in return. The greater the value you give this person, the stronger the business relationship will become. This will lead to possible future ties to more relationships with their clients or business partners. Giving them leads or introducing them to possible business relationships can also build a strong bond.

Not every relationship provides value, but this is something you might not know in the beginning. Consider it practice and learn from it. You might be valuable to them, and sometimes you have to give before you receive. It goes back to that saying, “When you help others reach their needs, in return you will too.” Some people can take their relationships for granted, but if you’re patient, you will realize that you might benefit from it too.

Communication with your relationships monthly, or even weekly, will have an effect on taking that relationship to the next level. Just a simple hello on the phone or an email to keep you in the loop with them will help. Heck, send them a birthday card or holiday card.

You don’t want to lose this relationship or let it dwindle because of not staying in touch. If this relationship starts to fade, it can sometimes take a long time to get it back – more time than you initially invested in creating the relationship.

One important thing and a rule of thumb is:
Treat this relationship like you would like to be treated.

I know this is common sense and you probably hear it all the time, but apply it and follow it. Often, we forget the most common things and try to move too fast or right by them. Go back to basics no matter how many times you do it. It’s worth it in the long run. Here’s to your future connections.

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By Joseph Jablonski
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This article first appeared in the September 2008 issue of the MarketingDotCom newsletter. You can get a free copy of the latest issue for the price of shipping at http://the7figuresecrets.com

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