Trust – The Foundation of Professional Relationships

Estimated reading time: 5 minutes

I recently received a newsletter from my web designer, where she described the importance of lifelong relationships. She recently experienced the loss of a peer, a mentor, and most importantly a friend and that pain was evident in her tone. What started as a professional relationship grew in time into a personal relationship. Over the years they shared successes and challenges and guided each other through the good times and not-so-good times. A learning and growth experience for both.

Why is this important and how can personal relationships even happen? Let’s talk about how relationships develop.  Whether it is peer-to-peer or provider to customer the relationship process is the same. In either event, they are to be treasured and often last a lifetime.

According to the American Institute of CPA’s (AICPA) it all begins with trust. There is no way a relationship can move from professional to personal without mutual trust. Once you trust a colleague or a customer, and they trust you, a bond begins to form, and you talk about more personal topics.

How do you know when to trust? You don’t. There are no written rules to tell you when you can trust someone. It is something you just intuitively know. As your trust and relationships grow you become a Trusted Advisor and the relationship becomes peer to peer. You are considered an expert with your peers or customers and have their best interests at heart. This is a heavy responsibility to bear so be sure you maintain the trust and confidentiality of the status you have earned.

In the world of relationships, eKoman offers several reasons why business relationships are more important than sales alone. A few of these are:

• It will promote friendship between business partners. Business relationships can turn into long-term or even lifelong friendships. Being friends with someone means much more than being their client, or business partner. With friendship comes trust, fun, and much more. By building good business relationships, you will have more friends in both personal and business circles and get more value from them, just like they do from you.

• Good Relationships Will Help Build Your Brand. The long-term success of your business largely depends on your reputation. If you are kind, polite, and attentive to your customers and business partners, you will ensure a good reputation for your company, and people will consider you and your company to be trustworthy and experienced.

• Ensuring Customer Satisfaction. Mistakes are common in business. There will come times when you disappoint a customer, or he misunderstands you. In such cases, it is important to resolve any issues. Most clients can easily forget past problems and get along well with you again if you treat them respectfully and listen to them. Even if customers are upset about your mistakes, you must establish a positive relationship with them going forward.

• Navigating Through Difficult Times. In difficult economic times, people. including your customers may lose money. However, if you have built a solid relationship with them in the past, they will still do business with you, no matter how infrequently or often. This is because small deals that will be made at such times will be made between friends.

The purpose of this article is to emphasize the significance of cultivating lifelong relationships, both personally and professionally. It describes how what begins as a business association can evolve into a connection, based on trust, mutual respect, and shared experiences. Trust is the cornerstone of these relationships that foster the transition from simple business transactions to continuing friendships.

The benefits of developing relationships are many. They foster trust and camaraderie among business partners. They protect brand reputation and ensure customer satisfaction. They serve as invaluable assets during challenging economic periods. They serve as a stabilizing force that goes beyond simple transactions to sustain a lasting partnership.

Here are just a few things that have guided me in my personal relationship journey. Yours may not be the same but make your list and then follow them.

• You will impact people’s lives. You may not know how or when, but you will. Make it good.
• Look beyond tomorrow. You can’t predict but you know it will come.
• Don’t forget to listen. You may be surprised at what you learn.
• Help people see things differently. It’s your job to help them see other ways. A different view may make a difference.
• Integrity and principles. Always be an example. Always!

As I think about my career, I recognize the value of the relationships I’ve been privileged to make over the past 25 years.  Many of these connections have gone well beyond professional boundaries and evolved into lifelong friendships. These friendships are invaluable and have enriched both my personal and business life. They are irreplaceable. It is important to remember that while business may come and go, the bonds of genuine friendship and trust will remain in both good times and bad.

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