Build an Ecosystem of Valuable Relationships
By Dan Coughlin
30
2017 Issue 2 | THE SCORE
What is a valuable relationship ? A relationship is where two people know each other ’ s name and something about the other person . A good relationship is where two people know each other ’ s name , something about each other and care about each other . For example , I have a good relationship with my neighbors . We know each other ’ s name , we know something about each other ’ s kids , and we ask each other how those kids are doing .
A valuable professional relationship is where you know each other ’ s names , you know something about each other , you care about each other , and you provide each other with the Three I ’ s : information , insights and introductions . Information entails what the other person could know that would be useful in his or her work . Insights are tips that you have learned through your experiences that can help the other person succeed . Introductions are when you introduce two people who can potentially add value to each other .
What is a business ecosystem ?
Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines an ecosystem as “ everything that exists in a particular environment .” Everything a person needs to survive and thrive is in his or her ecosystem : air , food , water , protection , other people , etc .
A business ecosystem is all the relationships you need to survive : employer ( which could be you ), employees , customers , suppliers , prospects , connectors , etc . Your ecosystem consists of all the valuable relationships you have in it . The strength of your ecosystem depends on the quality of the people in it and the quality of the relationships you have with those people .
Your sales come through your ecosystem .
You don ’ t sell anything through a cold call or at networking event . There is one and only one goal for making a cold call or attending a networking event and that is to begin a new relationship . All you want to accomplish is to get to know another person ’ s name and something about the other person . Hopefully you will be intriguing enough that the other person will get to know your name and something about you .
From there , you can show interest in the other person . You can actually genuinely care about the other person .
From there , you can build a valuable relationship with the person where the two of you will exchange information , insights and introductions .
Then you will become part of each other ’ s ecosystem . You will learn what the other person has to offer in terms of products and services and why they are of value , and the other person will learn what you have to offer in terms of products and services and why they are of value .
When you have a need or know of someone who has a need for the other person ’ s products or services , you will begin to move the sales process forward for him or her . When the other person has a need or knows of someone who has a need for the products and services that you sell , the sales process will move forward for you .
Focus on building your ecosystem of valuable relationships .
Building an ecosystem takes time and effort . You have to be intentional about it . You will build many relationships that do not directly lead into sales for you . Keep building your ecosystem anyway . Keep building valuable relationships where you exchange information , insights and introductions .
It ’ s fun to do that . It ’ s fun to meet new people and to add value to them in some way . This makes life more interesting , and you will learn along the way . This is how you build a healthy environment to work in . You just meet a person , learn his or her name , learn something about the person and then casually exchange information , insights and introductions . And then continue to do this with that person and with other people .
You just don ’ t know what you don ’ t know .
Please remember this phrase : you never know who will open a door for you , and you never know how big the room will be . Please put that phrase somewhere so you can see it every day . As you meet people , don ’ t try to predict if they are going to buy a ton of products and services from you or if they are going to introduce you to some great customer . Instead just focus on building a relationship and then a good relationship and then a valuable relationship . That ’ s it .