During my recent successful book launch, there was one thing that helped me to make the book into a #1 bestseller….that was relationships.
Building relationships is one of the activities in your business that makes being in business so much fun, enjoyable and fulfilling.
But you have to approach relationship building with a specific attitude and that’s what today’s episode is all about!
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Transcript
Hey lovely, it’s Yasmin from Tiny Time Big Results. In today’s episode, I want to talk to you about something that is a subject really close to my heart. It’s something that I didn’t do very well when I started my business, and it’s something that I’ve come to value immensely as the years have gone by.
It’s probably a topic you know is important, but you don’t realise how important it is going to be.
A couple weeks ago I launched my book, and as part of my marketing strategy, I had to enlist the help of other people to help me to get the word out and share the message that the book was now out, and that you could get these amazing book bonuses and all that kind of stuff.
So, I created something called a street team (imagine people going on the street sharing the news) but this was all done virtually. And it took a little bit of effort on my part to actually ask for help. I’m notoriously bad for asking for help.
But in this instance, I had a view of the bigger picture, and I knew that I couldn’t do it all by myself.
We can never do everything by ourselves.
And so that’s why today’s episode is all about how to build relationships that will help you to grow your business.
When I started out in business, I did not put enough emphasis on this. And it’s interesting because when I look at the list of people that actually helped me to launch the book, they’re all people that I have developed friendships with over the years.
It wasn’t a deliberate “I’m going to befriend you because you’re going to help me grow my business“.
These are all people that I really like.
I love hanging out with them, whether it’s virtually or whether it’s in real life. But it really makes a huge difference when you’re building relationships that grow your business, they’re relationships that you really enjoy, that they make being in business a lot of fun.
And I don’t think that we pay enough attention to how valuable relationships can be in business. Not in a case of, “I’m going to build relationships and you’re all going to help me grow my business, and I’m going to do nothing for you.”
First of all, that’s not what this is about.
Building and growing relationships are all about looking for the win-win.
And the reality is that it might not be a win-win in the traditional sense. You might not be thinking, “Oh well, I’ll be able to make more money because of that person.”
But it’s actually how do you help that person? It could be that you’re having a coffee with somebody, and you’re having a conversation, and something you say sparks something in them, or that they do the same for you, and that the win-win is a really beautiful friendship, or a mastermind buddy, someone that you can bounce ideas off. You can share their Facebook post for them, without being asked to do it.
And that relationship is like a series of reciprocal actions that take place, but without it being this defined activity of “I’m now building relationships.”
That is fake, that’s false, and that’s when you get all schmucky, and it’s not very nice, and the other person can actually sense that from you, because they get the vibe off you, that this isn’t actually a genuine, authentic connection.
It’s more a case of what can I get from you?
So if you want to build relationships that will make your business far more enjoyable, make it far more fun for you, that will be beneficial and will help to grow the business, then there are some key things that you need to be thinking about.
First of all, do it with the people that you really like.
The people that you resonate with. Don’t go after the ‘influencers‘ because you think, “Oh, they’re a big name. They’ll help me to get out there.“
Not a good idea because you can sense when somebody is not being genuine, and they’re being inauthentic, and you think, “Hmm, are you really cosying up to me because you really like me, or because you think I can do something for you?“
So build relationships with people that you like, and if you don’t like somebody, then don’t go out of your way to try and build a relationship, because you’re not for everybody, everybody’s not for you.
So be discerning with who you’re building relationships with, ok? Don’t always be thinking about going after the big names. I know I’m doing a lot of inverted commas in this video. I apologise but like don’t think, “Oh, that person’s got this many followers. I’ll go after them.” Because you don’t know. You could choose somebody who’s on a similar footing to you, where you are in your business, and that actually could massively explode your business much more than the supposedly ‘big name‘.
Let’s be genuine about this, and let’s build really great connections that are going to stand the test of time. Think win-win. How is this going to be a win-win situation? It doesn’t have to be about money, it doesn’t have to be about exposure or anything like that. It could just literally be somebody that you bounce ideas off, and they can do the same with you. And that is invaluable because being in business can be really lonely.
Here’s something I want you to really take heed of and have it close to your heart, okay? If you met somebody that you were attracted to, on the first meeting, and you suddenly started talking about marriage, and kids, and where you want to live, and all of that kind of stuff, you’ll probably scare that person off, a mile away.
They’ll think this is too heavy for me, and disappear.
It’s the same with building relationships.
Don’t go all in on that first meeting. Have a bit of a chitchat. Build relationships through Facebook messages, or text messages, or whatever it might be. Don’t go hell for leather, “Right, okay, so should we do a joint promotion or something?” No, no, no, no, no.
Patience is the name of the game. And not patience as a strategy, but just be patient because the best relationships, the ones that are going to be the most fulfilling and abundant for you, the ones that you allow to blossom in their own time, so be patient. I say this all the time. In business, we have this impatience, which is great because it really helps us to get things done. However, there is a time to take action, and then there is a time to just sit back as well, not to lean in.
It’s really important that you are patient.
And, most importantly, the ultimate point that I really want to make, is that when you want to build relationships that will help to grow your business, then make sure that you’re creating something of great value, for the people that you’re here to serve.
Because that’s what really attracts great connections for you because if people get behind you, and they believe in what you’re doing, then it’s so much easier, and it’s so much more enjoyable.
Create something of great value that is of a genuine benefit to our world, our communities, our people, and I promise you, you will have a ton of people wanting to help you, and to share that message, and you’ll want to do the same for them as well.
Remember, it’s all about win-win.
It’s not all about take, take, take.
It’s about what can I give, what can I give? How can I help you?
I hope that’s helped you today. Building relationships is a phenomenal way of growing your business, but it also makes it so much more fun, because you get to make really great friends. So, take that with you, and think about how you could make that work in your business and in your life.
I look forward to seeing you the next time!
Love and hugs,