Lessons from the Corporate Life – 10 Tips on How to Build Relations for Successful Small Business

I have been a practitioner of information technology implementations with some of the best that the Fortune 100 companies. And many of what is contained in this blog about making money on the internet as well as other publications like the ProdigitalTips – about Software for Personal & Business use, comes from my long experience in implementing business processes & systems in some of these large multi-billion dollar corporations.

What works for such large corporations may not work for the small business or for the one man entreprenuer. However, the basic facts & the tricks to a successful business remain the same.

In this series, I shall share the lessons I have learnt over the ages from working with these Fortune 100 companies.

In this website I keep talking of the future of the internet & how the small business & professionals could make a lot of money by adopting tools & tactics that are used in large profit making companies. In this part of the series, I shall share 10 tips to build successful relations that could help you build your own internet business.

1. Build Relations Objectively – not all relations are useful when you want to make money on the internet. Choose the people who have the ability & the intent to help you succeed & build trust with them. Not all relations are healthy or helpful. Build relations from your heart & maintain relations with your brain.



2. Spend Time to Build Successful Relations – business success depends on how strong your relation is with someone. Strength comes from the trust & you have to devote time & energy in building the right relation with the right people.
3. Take Referrals – you can build successful relatitons through referrals. However, once you have the referral you have to invest the sme amount of time to build your trust with them. Do not hesitate to ask for referrals from your trusted friends & co-workers.
4. Don’t Always Talk Business – give importance to the social aspect of a relation too. It is just not always business & money. Develop a social relation with your colleagues, partners, co-workers & build an overall good relationship.
5. Keep Committments – promise what you can & keep your promises. This is a simple way many people measure your sincerity & honesty. Without being sincere, you are nothing more than a talking salesman.
6. Walk That Extra Mile to Make Things Work – if you want effective people to come & help you, you have to be effective for their success as well. “Give before you ask” is a principle I have learnt in my corporate life in GE. And you often need to walk that extra mile to make things work for someone’s success.
7. Credit Others for Their Contributions – Word of Mouth marketing is still the most effective. Look at how many corporate promotions happen just because the supervisor heard good things about their subordinates. Giving credit to co-workers & colloagues for their help make you a trust worthy colleague & people will not hesitate to help you in your success.
8. Handling Conflicts Objectively - conflicts are common in any relations. While you cannot avoid them, conflicts also show the strength & maturity of any business relations. The best way to handle conflict is to criticize the action & sympathize the person. Again, go beyond the normal to help someone resolve conflicts.
9. Constantly Be in Contact – “Out of Sight is Out of Mind” is so true. While you try to build more & more contacts, be sure that you maintain constant contact with the key relations. There are numerous tools & technology to help you write emails & greetings to help you be in constant contact with your relations.
10. Be Transparent & Upfront – this is one of the most gifted qualities that can help you build & keep great relations. You would be seen as someone honest & truthful if you are transparent & speak the right words. This does not mean that you upset people with harshness. It only means that you share information & facts in a way that people understand your statements & ideas objectively & understands your point of view without taking them personally.

These are the 10 simplest tips I have learnt from my corporate life to building successful relations & maintaining them to be helpful in your personal online business too.

I would love to hear any other tips that have helped you to build great relations in your career & business.