Relationships And Business – Diametrically opposed?

I have had some interesting experiences recently that highlight for me the value in building relationships. These were people who I initially had no business involvement whatsoever, although we meet through a business forum. We connected as “friends” first and then as friends. We never tried to recruit each other, or to sell to each other.

Some time later we have found ourselves in a position where we can work together.  It has just been a natural progression and not forced in any way. But there is potential for good rewards for all concerned.

Recently I was talking to a young man doing a business training program at a local polytechnic. He is being taught in the business management class, that good business managers are less about relationships and more about efficiency. He is also doing an entrepreneurial class which does teach more about the value of relationships to the entrepreneur. It is good that the business owners are being taught about relationship building, but where have we gone wrong that managers are not.

It is as Robert Kiosaki predicted going to be the downfall of Western businesses. You have a boss (manager) who cares only about efficacious production figures. Their bonus/reputation is built only on how much they produce and at what margin. The workers do not factor into the equation. And because the type of managers this system breeds are either insecure (more intelligent people threaten them) or they are natural power trippers (they like to abuse their authority) there is no flow of information from the lowly worker to the corporate box office.

A more beneficial relationship is as Kiosaki describes with the Japanese business world. Where workers are listened to by their superiors and a family type relationship is fostered. Not only is productivity improved by a naturally more pleasant work environment, but also by the adaptation of the system by the workers for the workers.

There are many ways in which good relationships build stronger businesses. To be teaching otherwise is backwards and typical of our way of business management. The “us” and “them”relationship has failed for decades and yet we continue to encourage it.

No matter what job you have, or what stage you are in life, today is a perfect time to start working on building your relationships. You never know where they might lead you.

I was reading Seth Godin’s blog today and one line made me laugh.

When you talk to yourself is anyone listening?

We all want to talk about ourselves, and although you may deny it, you only really discover just how true this is when you are with someone who just won’t quit. They leave you no opportunity to speak up and before long you either start trying to talk over the top of them or you walk away (or wish you could).

So we like to talk about ourselves. But do we stop to listen to what we are saying about ourselves? This was the point that Seth was making. How are we presenting our self to others, and what do we really believe about ourselves?

I watched a movie last night that had a punchline of “Who are you? And what are you going to do about it?” (in slightly more colorful language). Do you really know who you are and what your potential is?  If you do, are you making the most of that potential or are you drifting through life being tossed to and fro?

Today would be a good time to stop and listen to what you are actually saying about yourself if you have not done so recently. What we truly believe about ourselves will influence the way we conduct ourselves and the decisions we make. Often we may think we know we feel about ourselves but our actions reveal thoughts.

If you can’t hear what you are saying about yourself ask some close friends to tell you what you are saying about yourself!

Today I went to two hardware stores. They are both large stores and they are next door to each other.

One store has a greeter at the door (a pretty young lady today) the other does not. I went into the store without a greeter at the door and wandered up and down the isles for 5 minutes  looking for an item. I was only approached by a member of the store staff because they wanted to walk past me and I was blocking the isle.

The store with the greeter was holding workshops for children during the school holidays. Today they got to decorate a small flower pot with paint, then a small candle was given to them to put in it. They were also given a blow-up tool with the company logo and were able to choose a cardboard box to put their treasures in. Total cost to children = $0.00.

Of course I went shopping while the children were busy being entertained. I was approached by several staff during the course of my browsing. The experience was entirely different from the other store. Guess which one is the most popular store with the general public?

There were a few staff members that I noticed even in the user friendly store that were more interested in personal conversations than making sales. So they could use some kind of monitoring system to ensure everyone is pulling their weight.

Amazingly there are many stores that do not train their staff in how to spend their time. Perhaps equally amazing is the attitude of the staff. In a time of recession you would think they would be doing everything can to ensure they have a job next week. This would include proving that you are a valuable member of the team, and making sales to ensure the profitability of the business.

You can tell those who go to work with an employee mentality. They believe the company owes them, is probably screwing them, and they are always looking for a way to get something for nothing. Entrepreneurs, even when working for other people, will be looking for ways to improve productivity and increase sales. A smart company will make sure they invest in these staff to retain them. A company that looses staff members with this aptitude will not only loose the benefits that these staff members generate, they will be giving their competitors a boost in productivity or may even be creating new competitors if the entrepreneur starts up their own business.

Tip for employees:

No matter your role in the company you have the ability to make yourself indispensable to the company.

Tip for employers:

Train and monitor the performance of your staff – then provide good staff an incentive to stay.

A Business Plan In Time Will Save You Nine (Thousand Dollars Or More).

The following forum post is all too common with people starting out online.

I know where the poster is coming from – I have been there too.

What I wish someone had told me before I was in that position:

Making money online is no different to making money offline. You have to develop a business plan. Take your time and get this part of the process right or you will waste a lot of money.

Once you know what your goal is, and you have a plan to get to that goal, then you can start investing in programs and tools to expedite your journey. Do not buy anything (no matter how good or how much hype surrounds it) unless you understand exactly how it will fit into your business plan. Do not change your business plan to accommodate such purchases as this will cause you to deviate from your goal.

The gentleman in the above post had all the right motives for taking the action he did, but he didn’t have a plan in place to begin with. He is now in the position of having no disposable income to promote the business that he has just bought into. If he had a plan in place he may have chosen a slightly different route. After all, there is a lot a person can do with the $10,000 to $25,000 that he has most likely invested in the tools mentioned (depending at which level he bought into the programs).

It doesn’t matter how good the program/tool is, if it isn’t the right fit for your talents and expertise it will not benefit you at all. Just because your neighbor achieved success with it does not guarantee you will. Fully investigate how these things work before you buy in. If they will not explain the mechanics of the system upfront then keep shopping, there are many systems and business opportunities to choose from.

It is better to have “missed out” on a great deal (as the marketing will tell you) than to have spent all your money on a great deal that will give you a zero return on your investment. I have seen many cases where people have been encouraged to buy into programs using Other People’s Money as a “leveraging tool” only to find themselves paying off a huge credit card debt with no extra money coming in. It can literally take years to recover from these situations (or worse still, it can bankrupt a person).

Unfortunately, there are all too many predators out there wanting to relieve you of your money. Not all of these people are sharks who enjoying preying on the weak and gullible, many are those who were taken in and have no other way out but to recruit others and collect a commission.

If you are reading this before you have made these mistakes, remember:

• Set your goal.
• Create a business plan (get help with this if you have not done it before).
• Stick to the plan – do not get side tracked even if it means missing out on a once in a life time opportunity.
• Only buy tools/programs if you know exactly how they will benefit your plan (and you have the skills to apply them).

Please don’t let me see you making forum posts like the one above!