October 9, 2018 |

Young Professionals Miss This

People do business with people.  Beyond that reality, people do business with people they like.

It’s always been that way.  My guess is that it will always be that way.  I’m fine with leveraging technology to facilitate the transaction…but the transaction and the relationship are two very different things.  Jeffrey Gitomer says, “If you make a sale, you earn a commission. If you make a friend, you earn a fortune.”

You say, “I’m not in sales, Kent.  What does this have to do with me?”

It has EVERYTHING to do with you.

Like it or not, you’re always selling.  The way you speak to others, the way you carry yourself, the way you do your job.  The way you behave in meetings.  The way you interact with your boss, your spouse, your children.  Selling and building relationships are powerfully linked.  It probably doesn’t feel like selling to you.  Trust me, it is.

Relationships require investment.  Personal investment.  Emotional investment.  Time investment.  They require context and place.  Fewer and fewer people want to make the investment in relationships.   We’ve convinced ourselves that we’re too busy.  We’ve convinced ourselves that it doesn’t really matter; that we can get what we want without making the investment.  Sometimes we can…but not with things that really matter.

People may say that you can build a relationship via text messages…via email messages.  Nah, you can’t.  The real test of a relationship doesn’t come when things are easy.  When everything is going smoothly.  The test of a relationship comes when things get sideways.  Or when it’s time to negotiate.  (Side note: Millennials are now attempting to negotiate job offers via text message.  No.  Not gonna happen with me or my Firm.  There is no way one can effectively negotiate via text or email.  Context and nuance are lost.)

You can do whatever you want – it’s your life.  If you want to truly be successful in life and in business – and if you want to make positive impact on others – build relationships.  Invest.  Commit.  You might be pleasantly surprised.