When you talk to successful business people, they inevitably tell you that it is all about relationships.
This is been true throughout time. It’s true today, and it was true way back in the bazaars of the Middle East centuries ago. People like to do business with those they know, like, and trust.
To build success in business, you have to build quality relationships. This takes time, money and energy to do it right. More than anything, it takes the ability to listen to the needs of others and figure out creative ways to help them solve their problems through the products and services you offer.
You have to be where your customers hang out. Suppose I could put you in a time machine and send you back to the year, oh, say, 1920. The Great War (we now call it WWI) was over. Business was starting to come back, but we were heading for a depression (in 1922, not the one in 1929, but that’s another story).
How would you build your business in a new community in that era? You’d get to know where important people hang out and be there. If it happened to be the General Store in town, you’d be there. If it was the local church, you’d be there.
Be where your customers hang out
If you want to succeed in business, you have to be where important people hang out. And here’s the really important part — you have to provide lots of value first.
Okay, let’s get back to the present. The same principles apply today. We have just changed some technologies (like human beings have done through the centuries). Today, lots of people hang out online. They go to — and use — places like Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, Snapchat, Instagram, and a host of other wonderful places. Think of each of these places like the local bar at the corner of 4th and Main, or the popular church, or the “right” golf club.
Click Here to Continue Reading
