Business success is about who you know and, more importantly, who knows YOU!

Planning, strategy, marketing, visibility, and innovation are the unnoticed engines that drive success; it’s relationships that make the real difference.

Why Business Relationships Matter

What was the last big opportunity that you experienced in your business? Was it an outreach that led to a business partnership? Was it a referral? A past client calling to ask to do business with you again? Or did a random connection introduce you to a fantastic opportunity? For most business owners, the most significant successes result from business relationships – not random chance.

Strong relationships open doors to:

• Referrals and WOM (Word of Mouth) marketing.
• Trust and credibility in you and your business.
• A supportive network.
• Collaboration and affiliations
• Opportunities for expanded business.

When you focus on building meaningful relationships, you aren’t just growing your contact list – you are creating an ecosystem of support and connections.

Key Ingredients for Strong Business Connection

Authenticity. You know the mantra: “People do business with people they know, like, and trust.” Show a real and genuine interest in others. 

Consistency. A one-time conversation at a networking event isn’t enough to build a relationship. The best business connections are a result of follow-up and staying in touch. 

Reciprocity. Share helpful resources, make introductions, support the work of others, and be generous in the giving. Asking before giving is a sure way to stop connections from happening!

Active Listening. Listen more than you talk. Learn to ask thoughtful questions and show that you value what others have to say.

Intentional Connections. Strong networks are built on connections with people who align with your values, complement your skills, and serve with .

A business card doesn’t equal a relationship! It takes intention and attention to convert contacts into connections.

• Follow up. Make it your practice to send a message mentioning something about your conversation.
• Stay in Touch. Be aware of the ways that you can engage. Whether it’s on social media or an invitation to meet for coffee or event, you need to take ownership to deepen your connections.
• BE a Connector. Look for opportunities to make introductions. When you bring value to your business relationships, your connections will reciprocate.

Reach out to someone in your network and ask if you can support them, celebrate a win with them, or simply reconnect. The ripple effects of this action can be transformative.  

If you’re up to the task, here’s my challenge to you: Build ONE Stronger Connection this week!

If you’re eager for MORE ways to create connections and attract clients..

Consider joining my Facebook group, Networking Ninjas, where we take networking seriously!

The post Connections Drive Success first appeared on Lane Business Consulting.

Now you’re working from home and those serendipitous meetings don’t happen. Now you need to take conscious action to be visible. This might seem strange and unnecessary, but it isn’t! When I was working for a high-tech company years ago, I was one of the first employees to be working remotely. I realized early into this experiment that I had to take responsibility for staying visible. I arranged for Monday morning check ins and communicated with my peers often. There were times when I thought perhaps I was too communicative, but my strategy turned out to be on target. My team, peers and manager never considered me to be “remote.”

Think about your situation

Are you sure that your work is recognized and considered to be part of your team’s work, and that you are contributing productively to the team’s outcomes? In meetings, are you part of the conversation? How can you know the answers to these questions? Observe your own behavior and ask your manager for feedback.

There are many articles and books being written about the effects of the WFH caused by the pandemic. Businesses that thought they would not need to consider the WFH option are now realizing the benefits and will likely not bring their workforce back in full force. More and more, some hybrid will be in effect as doors open to let people decide on what form their work will take as we move forward.

Visibility strategy

One of the effects of WFH is isolation and disappearance of the employee. Managers are encouraged to be aware of this possibility and engage even more often with their staff. Both managers and employees need to have a visibility strategy that works for both.

When employees feel noticed and visible, they are more engaged and productive. Visibility is important for career advancement and promotions when they are warranted. Some ways to assure your visibility are to speak up in meetings and offer ideas, be willing to help colleagues on projects, and volunteer when opportunities present themselves. Showing that you are engaged and care about your team members goes a long way to ensure inclusion and recognition.

Read more blogs here

The post Be Visible ~ Even When WFH (Working from Home) first appeared on Lane Business Consulting.

To quote Albert Schweitzer, “ To educate yourself for the feeling of gratitude means to take nothing for granted, but to always seek out and value the kindness that will stand behind the action. Nothing that is done for you is a matter of course. Everything originates in a will for the good, which is directed at you. Train yourself never to put off the word or action for the expression of gratitude.”

While we might have feelings of gratitude for various happenings, encounters, positive impacts, etc., the expression of appreciation is still necessary. Training ourselves to be consciously aware of our environment and the people around us promotes more positive connections and experiences. One way to increase our own happiness and that of others is to express gratitude.

Our busy world seems to be promoting a lack of gratitude awareness, and that distances us from each other. A texted TY just doesn’t do it in the same way as a spoken “thank you for your business.” A return to the basics taught to us by our parents can reconnect us with the very real moments in our lives, no matter how small, that deserve to be noticed with a grateful heart.

A recent experience recommitted me to express gratitude. Having spent many hours assisting a colleague with a project (at no charge, by the way), I learned on a Facebook post about a great result that took place directly as a result of the help I’d provided. I realized that the absence of acknowledgement was a painful experience. I used the incident to escalate my own resolve to express gratitude for kindnesses, favors and attention, and genuinely show my appreciation.

As you go about building your businesses through networking and marketing, build in a big dose of gratitude, expressed in ways that show you noticed.

The post A texted TY just doesn’t do it! first appeared on Lane Business Consulting.

If “Sally” serves as a Cheerleader for you and your business, how does she do that? Does she open doors for you? Does she sign your praises to the right people? Does she give you great advice?

Cheerleaders are an important part of the game. They invest time, practice, and energy to help the players achieve their winning goals. Support of the players goes a long way to encourage play and the heart to win the game.

As a player in the business game, it is important to identify and recruit a team of Cheerleaders and acknowledge the big part they play in the winning of your game.

The post C = Cheerleader first appeared on Lane Business Consulting.