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Relationship marketing
The relationship between the company and employees, the company and customers, the company and business partners is no longer only a question of transactions, but more and more of interpersonal relationships. Ray Krock (founder of McDonald's) already knew a long time ago that: "no one needs to lose for us to win!" Kotler, one of the foremost marketing authorities, also advises: "Build good relationships and profitable transactions will follow." Wise managers keep in line with this. They move the bulk of business operations towards building relationship marketing and creating good, "win-win" relationships.
Why are good relationships important?
For one simple reason - people do business with those they like and trust, with those they feel comfortable with. Take a look at some of the most successful people in the world. The biggest stars are in particular those who have best mastered dealing with people, those who are willing to listen and adapt, to fulfill their expectations. Based on a study, the Carnegie Institute of the USA has come to some interesting figures: only 15% of job success is due to technical skills, while about 85% is due to the ability to deal successfully with people.
Success is based on relationships. Therefore, spend more time and energy expanding and fortifying these relationships, bring a little more honest emotion into your work (as opposed to financial calculations only) and deals will start to close all by themselves.
Relationship bank
Life consists of very simple exchanges: In order to receive, you have to give. And the more you give, the more you get back. This is how things work in regards to friendship, marriage, even to business relationships. At every business encounter, you are actually entering into the "relationship bank". Depending on your methods and words, you are either adding or taking away value from this bank account. Every time you fulfill a promise, show gratitude, help from the heart or simply proceed in a civilized manner, your account of good relationships grows. Every time you put your selfish interests and personal benefit first at the cost of others, your account empties.
Respect, trust, loyalty, image, reputation, success... none of this comes of its own accord. These days, all of this must be earned.
From the inside out
Your company is like your organism. It's "outer look" in large part depends on how it "feels inside"! Therefore, don't live in the false belief that you will be successful, have a good reputation and build successful business relationships with external partners if relationships within your company are not in good order.
Sam Walton, founder of Wal-Mart, says that no more that 1 or 2 weeks are necessary for employees to start behaving towards customers the way the employer behaves towards them. Bill Marriott (owner of the Marriott chain of luxury hotels) too believes that satisfied employees are the most important things for success: "When employees are happy and satisfied, they serve guests well and happily. Satisfied guests return to Marriott hotels, and this return visit creates such a level of profits that satisfies shareholders."
Top-notch results come from top-notch motivation, which emerges in people working from the heart. However, satisfaction is an inner feeling and, consequently, cannot be forced on someone just like that. It must be gradually built through principles that inspire, values that stimulate and interpersonal relationships that bring a sense of fulfillment.
Still think that these are only "trivial" things and that money is the only motivator, ask yourself how organizations such as Green Peace or the Red Cross succeed in "forcing" thousands of people to work so devotedly for them?
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