The numbers are mind-boggling. Social networking reportedly now eats up more than three hours of the average American’s day. Google logs more than one billion searches each day. On YouTube, 60 hours of content gets uploaded every minute, and over at Facebook, more than 800 million updates are recorded daily. We are becoming so wired technologically 24/7 that before we know it we’ve lost track of time and, sadly for many of us, we learn we’ve lost touch with some of our most important relationships both personally and professionally.
In 1990, United Airlines ran an award-winning TV commercial called “Speech” whose message – one on one is how business gets done – resonates to this day. From a customer perspective, the more transactional the relationship you forge, the easier it is to simply walk away. The deeper the bond between customer and service or product provider, the harder it is to break, and, over time, the more satisfying the relationship becomes for both parties.
In the US where relationships tend to congeal fairly rapidly, it still takes time and effort to reach a solid level of trust. The challenge is much more complex overseas as US companies operating in China today can attest. These companies operate in a business environment best described as “constant flux”. Signed and sealed contracts may be suddenly repudiated as a new partner jumps ship for a richer offer. Local and/or national regulations may be in full force one day and ignored the next. As Marriott discovered early on, the best way to keep abreast of upcoming changes in the Chinese business community is to nurture good Guanzi—good relationships—with those in the know.
To cultivate your relationships, you need to reorganize your time and schedule to make time for personal, face-to-face contacts. It takes a conscious effort to overcome the pressure of everyday problems and deadlines.
In my case, before heading out on a business trip—whether across the sea, or across town—I put together elaborate itineraries that expose me to the maximum number of people in the minimum amount of time. Along the way, I may be a trouble-shooter, a representative for my company at largely a public relations event, a salesman, an empathetic associate to a business colleague who recently experienced a set-back, a celebrant at another’s professional success. It’s the time you take, the personal nature of the service or concern you provide and the very real way that you show you care that matters most.
In a world that daily becomes less personal as technology expands its grip on the medium of human exchange, forming productive relationships with business associates can give you a competitive advantage. Outside the US and a few other Western countries, relationships are the single most important badge of entry into the realm of successful businessmen and–women. Become adept at relationship building and you will have an easier time solving problems, building your business and increasing your profits.
As I write this, I am leaving for Beijing/Shanghai and Dubai to press the flesh, build relationships and visit my overseas offices. I hope to have additional insights on my return.