Month: August 2021

5 Tips To Create Win-Win Relationships

Posted on by promotorasys

5 Tips To Create Win-Win Relationships

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For your business to succeed, you have to create strategic relationships with people in your industry. When you network, you need to develop and cultivate mutually beneficial relationships, also known as win-win. If you are unsure how to grow these, we have provided some advice for creating win-win business relationships.

5 Tips for Successful Relationship-Building

Keep People Separate From The Problem

When there is a business issue with a colleague, do not see the other person as your opponent. Try to ignore any personality differences and keep your focus on the issue at hand. You should also try to recognize the perception of the other person for it to be easier to find common ground. 


Make sure that all communication with the other party is perfectly clear and there aren’t any misunderstandings. The best tactic is to use active listening techniques, which include listening carefully, looking directly at the person, and allowing each person to finish before responding.

Keep Your Focus on Interests, Not Positions

There are reasons why people have a difference of opinion. A particular issue may be seen differently by someone with a different cultural background. When you let people know that their interests are considered, they are more likely to be more receptive to a different point of view. 


This is why you need to see others for their interests and not the position. The person who you are negotiating with may be under pressure in his or her position to reduce costs. Find that common interest between the two of you such as increasing your team’s productivity.

Create Options for Mutual Gain

If there is an understanding of each other’s interests, you may be able to come to an agreement. If that is not possible, consider a new position and negotiate from there to explore your options. 


It might come time for you to brainstorm and come up with new solutions to your problem. Hear all suggestions offered, then develop the best ones into proposals to bring to the next meeting.

Have Criteria That Is Objective

You cannot just state a random bunch of facts. These facts can be interpreted differently by different people depending on many factors such as their background. But you can not choose facts that support only your position. Your information must be objective. 

 

You need to set a sample of objective criteria to provide a framework for your discussion. This could include many factors such as legal standards, contractual terms, mission statements, and more. When you can agree on standards, it demonstrates a commitment to reaching an agreement.

Have a Best Alternative To A Negotiated Agreement Ready

A Best Alternative To A Negotiated Agreement (BATNA) is your favored fallback position if you cannot get everything you want in the initial negotiation. It can help you discover a new course of action. This is much better than if you had the typical “bottom line” or deal-breaker where all negotiations would ultimately stop. This way, you are not in a fixed position and you can come up with these alternate solutions that you had prepared. 


PS Inc. offers a wide variety of business consultant and customer relationship management services to help facilitate successful business collaboration. Contact us today to help you create strategic partnerships through business networking.

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3 Tips To Be A Valuable Networking Partner

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3 Tips To Be A Valuable Networking Partner

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The best way to grow your business is by networking. When you successfully network, you pave the way to mutually beneficial business collaborations.

3 Tips for Valuable Relationship Building

Ask Questions and Be Inquisitive

When networking, it is best to keep conversations flowing. Drop the small talk about irrelevant things like the weather, and start a conversation about your mutual interest. When speaking to the other person, you should ask open-ended questions. This keeps the conversation flowing. 


Take some time to get to know this new lead. While speaking with them and gathering information, think about how you and this potential connection can add value to each other’s business. Make the conversation about how you can help each other out. This is much more effective than a quick introduction, handshake, and handing off a business card that they might eventually discard. You want to make sure you stick in this new connection’s mind.

Take A Lot Of Notes While Networking

How do you organize all this new information about your new connections and their business? One of the best ways to keep track of all the information you receive at networking events is by taking notes. These notes will help your future self remember pertinent details about the people you meet and their businesses. 


These days, the best way to take networking notes is with a notes application on your phone. You can quickly type in important details about this new connection while the information is still fresh in your mind. Jot down a few bullet points or something interesting you learned during the conversation. For example:

Georgia Thomas:

  • Met at Business Travel Show, London

  • Works in Marketing at Sabre

  • Raised in New York

By doing this, you can jog your memory when you reach out to reconnect with this person. You also set yourself up for a successful follow-up that is valuable and deepens your connection.

Follow Up To Confirm The Connection

After the connection is made, it is now time to implement a successful follow-up. This valuable connection will help strengthen your relationship, and it reminds the new contact who you are now in their network. 


For example, if you reach out to this new person via a LinkedIn connection request, be sure to add a quick personalized note to that request. Add a detail that you had learned about this connection in the note. 


Dear Mike, I hope the rest of your week went well. Congratulations on your anniversary at XYZ Corporation. 


This personal touch shows that your connection means something to you. You took an interest, listened to them, and showed that you are interested in continuing the relationship. 


Conclude your message with the suggestion of a connection and mention what value you can add. Including an open-ended offer of support or mutual networking support shows you want to help this connection. 


If you are unsure how you can establish yourself as a business that people want to create strategic partnerships with, we can help. PS Inc. provides several network management and business networking services. Schedule a call with us today to get started.

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Get Your Network to Work For You

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Get Your Network to Work For You

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To grow your network, and therefore your business, you will need to practice proper network management. You can use these tips to help you create strategic partnerships with those in your network.

How To Get Your Network to Work For You

Offer To Help Anyone Anyway You Can

The experts say the best networking tip is to help others first. Chances are that they will return the favor. You should always ask your new contacts to disclose a challenge they may currently be having. You may very well know someone who can offer a solution. That is the foundation of a successful relationship. 

 

This is the first step in creating credibility in your network, which will grow over time. You create this credibility in many ways — when you verify facts, keep appointments, act on promises, and render services. A failure to live up to any expectations you have set can ultimately squash the potential of a budding relationship.

Be A Person Who People Know

Create a business image for yourself that will help people remember. This, in turn, will generate business and opportunities. People tend to call on someone who is not just an expert on a topic, but someone who has been known to make others comfortable. 


Besides in-person networking opportunities, a social media presence is also extremely important. If you post industry-related relevant articles on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc., you can provide value to your connections virtually. This also helps to establish yourself as a person in touch with pertinent business issues in your industry. When you write your own articles or post comments on social media, you keep yourself in people’s minds.

Think About How Others Feel

Sometimes you will also have to try to put yourself in someone else’s shoes. Not everyone is going to come into your new relationship with as much enthusiasm as you might. This person may be overworked or going through some personal problems. This will require learning how to read people and their body language and signals to determine and plan your relationship strategy. 

 

For instance, if you know someone is currently swamped with work, you can decide to call on them after hours. When you leave a message, it is less intrusive than if you called them during business hours. Plus, this person will not be distracted and interrupted when you try to speak with them. This new connection can listen to the message and get back to you when it is convenient for them.

Grow and Maintain Your Network

When you grow and maintain your network, your opportunities for business collaboration increase significantly. While you grow your network, be sure to include a diverse group of people into the fold. People from different industries, nations, and socio-economic backgrounds can offer many contacts and possible solutions that might not have been on your radar. 

 

To grow and maintain your network, you must:

 

  • Be sincere to gain credibility and establish long-term relationships

  • Be very active on email marketing and social media such as LinkedIn and Facebook to pass on useful information and show that you are involved in your industry

  • Offer to help with a little tact and a little humor.

PS Inc. offers many relationship-building and business-networking services. We can help you establish long-term business relationships. Schedule a call with us today to get started.

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How To Determine What Value You Bring To Your Network

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How To Determine What Value You Bring To Your Network

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Let’s face it: You meet many people at networking events. It can be very easy to forget people while networking. It isn’t practical to remember every single person you encounter, because with so many new interactions, they all can become a blur. 


How can you set yourself apart from everyone else when business networking? Networking is the best way to create strategic partnerships that lead to mutually successful business collaborations.

How To Add Value To Your Network

Be a Service To The Community

One important part of networking is reciprocity. Your focus should be on giving and helping others, as it will come back to you someday. This helps build strong and authentic relationships. 


It can be very satisfying to connect two people who can add value to each other’s businesses and lives. When you are giving, don’t expect anything in return. When people notice you helping others with a passion, they may be influenced to reciprocate.

Share Experiences, Both Positive and Negative

Business people network not only to get new connections but to gain knowledge from others’ unique personal and professional history. This is an opportunity to learn from someone who has experienced something you have not. Share whatever insights you have with this connection. If you had learned a lesson from a past mistake, pass this information on to someone in a similar situation. Your insights may provide them with the tools to prevent a similar problem in the future.

Share Your Resources

When you find a valuable business resource, no matter if it is an article, a tool, a conference, or something else, share this with your network. There may be some people in your network that can benefit from it in some way. When you regularly share tips or other useful work strategies, people will notice you. Your network will start to see you as a person who wants to help improve the quality of their business and lives.

Share Opportunities

Share business opportunities with the people in your network. If you have a new assignment coming up, think about who in your network can contribute. If you share opportunities within your network, this shows an element of selflessness that helps build the relationship with the connection.

Share Opportunities

Networking is truly a two-way street. Your network should not consist of gathering multiple contacts where you are the only one reaping any benefits. When you are a source of contribution, you raise your value immediately. This gives you the power of building a strong business network. This network outweighs quality over quantity.

 

You can ultimately support your success when you create a way for people in your network to succeed, as well. These individuals who you helped will contribute to your life professionally, and perhaps personally. 


PS Inc. can help you develop lead generation strategies, network management, and many other business consultant services. Contact us today so we can help grow your business.

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5 Secrets to Growing Your LinkedIn Network Organically

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5 Secrets to Growing Your LinkedIn Network Organically

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LinkedIn is a great tool for networking, but growing your network can be time-consuming. Some people are tempted to take the easy route and buy connections, but this is frowned upon by both LinkedIn and networking professionals. To get high-quality connections that will be valuable to you and your business for years to come, you have to put in the work and grow your network organically. 


Network growth is very important, and some organizations need this to happen quickly to maintain progress. You can speed up this process by following our 5 secrets to growing your LinkedIn network organically.

Secret #1: Set Monthly Goals

You can’t measure your success if you don’t have goals. This is why it’s important to set monthly growth goals. These goals need to be specific and achievable to ensure that you can measure them accurately. If you are starting with 500 connections, a potential goal that you might set for yourself is to reach 750 connections by the end of the month. To some, this might seem like a lofty goal, but it just depends on how much time and effort you can put into growing your network. If growing by 250 is not achievable for you, set your goal for whatever you think you can reach within the month. 


Check on your progress each week so you know how you are doing with reaching your goal. If you notice that you aren’t adding as many connections as you planned for one week, then you know you will have to put in a little more effort the following week to make up for it. 


Having goals helps you to have a clear vision of what you want to achieve and helps push you to get there.

Secret #2: Post Often and Make Your Posts Visually Appealing

The more you post, the more opportunity you are giving your connections to engage with your content. As your connections like or comment on your posts, their connections will see their activity. If your content is engaging and relevant, it opens the door for these second-degree connections to engage with your content and potentially send you a connection request. 


One surefire way to make your content more engaging is to make it visually appealing. You can achieve this by adding relevant photos or videos. People are more likely to stop and read your post copy if they see an image or a video that piques their interest. 


The number of times you post per week is entirely up to you and what you can commit to, but we suggest posting anywhere from three to five times per week. This keeps you relevant and in the news feeds of your connections, and it will hopefully encourage them to engage with your posts.

Secret #3: Engagement, Engagement, Engagement

If you want your connections to engage with your posts, you need to engage with theirs. Networking is all about adding value to relationships, and one of the easiest ways you can do that on LinkedIn is by adding comments to your connections’ posts. These comments need to be thoughtful and relevant to the topic. 


Commenting on your connections’ posts allows their connections to see you and engage with your comment. You can also take this opportunity to engage with other comments on the post so that you can start building connections with people you aren’t connected to. If you find that you connect with someone whose comment you’ve commented on, you can take that opportunity to send them a connection request. 


Regular engagement with your current connections allows you to form secondhand relationships with their connections and boosts the likelihood that they will want to connect with you because they see that you add value to the conversations that you participate in.

Secret #4: Use Keywords in Your Profile

When you’re setting up your LinkedIn profile, you want to be thoughtful about the keywords that you use. If you are interested in forming connections with people in a specific industry, you will want to use keywords specific to that industry in your “About Me” section. You should never use keyword stuffing; however, adding keywords that are relevant to you and the people that you wish to connect with is encouraged. 

 

These keywords will help people outside your network find you when they are looking for new connections. For example, if someone is looking to connect with fellow small business owners, they will search for the keyword “small business owners.” This will generate a search result of more than 680,000 LinkedIn users. If you have a well-written “About Me” that contains the keywords they searched for, you will rank closer to the top of the search results.

Secret #5: Don’t Be Afraid to Promote Yourself

If LinkedIn isn’t the only social media channel you use, then don’t hesitate to promote yourself on other channels. Encourage your connections on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Clubhouse, or other platforms to also follow you on LinkedIn. If you are sharing valuable content on these social platforms, then they will be more likely to connect with you because they can assume you will be sharing relevant content they will enjoy on LinkedIn, as well. Don’t over-promote yourself, but one or two posts per month encouraging your followers to join you on LinkedIn is acceptable. 

 

Also, if you have a website, you will want to ensure there is a link to your LinkedIn page there, with the rest of your social media page links. This will be valuable to help drive traffic from your website to LinkedIn. 


Organic growth doesn’t happen overnight, but if you follow these five secrets, you will see your network start to expand. You have to be willing to put in the time and energy, but it will be worth it in the end. 


For help getting started with growing your network visit our website and download a free copy of 5 Secrets to Double Your LinkedIn Connections in 30 Days.

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