Strong, lasting mutually beneficial relationships are an important key to your life and career success. But building these types of relationships can be difficult. As a career mentor, I’m often asked about how to create strong business relationships.
To help you understand how to get a relationship started on the right foot, I turned to Ann Marie Sabath, a business etiquette expert.
Here are Ann Marie’s seven tips for getting relationships off to a positive start.
- Use a greeting and form of thanks in the first 12 words you speak.
“Good morning, Mr. Smith. Thank you for taking time to meet with me today.” - Make the connection by asking individuals something they shared with you the last time the two of you spoke. “How was your trip to Seattle last week?”
- Be proactive rather than reactive by being the first to say hello.
- Acknowledge people when they are within three feet of you with eye contact, a smile, a nod or a verbal thank you.
- Remember the power of a handshake at the beginning of a conversation and when departing.
- 6. As you leave a conversation, mention something you heard the other person say during your encounter. “It’s been nice talking to you. Have a safe trip back to Chicago.”
- Anytime you visit with someone for more than 15 minutes, send a thank you. It will demonstrate your attention to detail and will be the beginning of your relationship development process with that person.
If you follow these seven rules consistently and constantly, relationship building will become second nature to you — and that’s a good thing.
Check out Ann Marie’s website, www.ateaseinc.com for more helpful business etiquette advice.
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