I just got off the phone talking with a dear friend that I haven’t talked to in a while. It is interesting that he called today because I was thinking of him recently, Reflecting on the fact that we have not spoken for way too long, and made a mental note to call him. He beat me to the punch, and I’m glad he did.
This call brought to mind important considerations for relationship marketing in business as well as in our personal lives. My friend has been going through a lot of physical challenges in the last year since we spoke. I didn’t know this. His voice sounded unclear, but it was also clear that he had weathered some major storms in his physical condition. We were able to reconnect quickly and were back at our normal joking and bantering back and forth.
This got me thinking about the importance of staying in touch with important people. This is important in both business and life. Somehow life and the “busy– ness” of life keeps us from staying in touch with important people. In business we need to continue to nurture important relationships. This is at the core of relationship marketing.
My friend and I have known each other for many years. We have many areas in common, but we also have some strong differences in key political and philosophical areas. We get along and are able to talk about those areas where we agree and we both derive enormous value from our conversations. This is in spite of the fact that we are diametrically opposed on some very hot political issues.
In the midst of the heated political campaign that we see today I think we lose when we abandon a healthy tolerance for opposing opinions. When we only seek to be around those who agree with us, particularly on political areas, we lose a richness of life which comes from hearing about other points of view. I’m not saying that you should disregard your closely held political views. I’m saying that a healthy tolerance and openness to hear other points of view, can enrich your life in unique ways. It can also help business.
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