Business Really Is Personal

by Kori Rodley Irons | More from this Blogger

06 May 2007 12:28 PM

In my years of working as a fundraising professional there was one tried and true rule that we reminded people who were working to raise money--"People give money to people, NOT organizations." This is a good rule to remember in our home businesses too--people form relationships and spend their money with businesses where they feel connected to the people. We can definitely use this reality to help us build our own home businesses!

I do not mean to suggest that we should be paranoid and confuse business relationships with personal ones, but in reality, people get attached to people and not necessarily things or products. Think of the places you spend money and the services you purchase--your beautician, where you do your banking, where you make other purchases--chances are, there is a personal relationship that keeps you coming back again and again. This is the very business basic we want to foster and understand in our own home businesses.

Basic social skills can make all the difference in helping people feel connected to you--remembering their name and their preferences, showing an interest in them as people (family, hobbies, job title, etc.) and dealing with individuals in an open and friendly way is really what it takes to build those personal relationships. If possible, find ways to attract prospects using your existing customers. People are much more likely to respond to a referral or request from a friend than from "cold call"-type marketing. This why "bring a friend" and "tell a friend" type promotions work so well for so many different types of businesses.

There is nothing radical about fostering relationships and finding ways to focus on the "personal" in business, the most successful businesses (both small and large corporations) are successful by understanding that people do business with people--NOT companies!

See Also: Are You Better at Facts or Relationships in Business? and Negotiation is Key to a Successful Relationship

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