
The value of relational capital
Last week something happened to me that shocked me. I was talking to a great person who I was asking for support for a strategy I want to implement, and he left me some guidelines and when we got to the moment of truthI asked him, “Okay, and for all this, how much are you going to charge me?” and he said, “I’m not going to charge you money, I want you to help me get into those business circles that you already move in.”
His words impacted me because they made me realize how far I have already come.
All the distance traveled and that, because it is already part of my life, I almost do not notice.
The more people you meet and who know you in a positive way, the more successful you will be at anything you try. One person, at the right time and place, can open a door that changes your life and saves you years of hard work.
I have a friend who is always in meetings, breakfasts, business meetings, etc. On one occasion (just to be funny) I wrote to her “get to work!” to which she replied: “I’m working! My job is to build relationships!” And that’s where I understood the true significance of having a wide network of contacts and good relationships.
This friend is a woman who is tremendously valued and esteemed by friends and strangers alike. While it is true that her job is to build relationships, she doesn't just stop there. She uses her relationships to CONNECT. She establishes herself as a CONNECTOR between her various circles and helps her friends and acquaintances to establish relationships that allow THEM to close business. She is that person who helps open a door and thereby save years of hard work.
Those people who are connectors love to serve because by serving, they also receive, it is about “Winning by Giving.”
I remember one time I gave the LEADER OF YOUR LIFE conference for Abbot Laboratories in the USA, where I spoke to them, among other things, about this very topic of Naked Relationships (Vincularte). And there was a question that I loved because I saw myself reflected in it. This girl asked me “but how can I build relationships if I am shy?” I told her “join groups, chambers, spaces where there are more people who share your interests, in the end, you have something in common, and it will be a safe space for you to start building relationships.”
My road has been long, however, I can realize that what I have sown is bearing fruit.
Your job, businessman, businesswoman, is to BUILD RELATIONSHIPS. Have breakfast with your clients and suppliers, join chambers and participate actively. And may your relationships serve to make life easier for other people the day after tomorrow, so you will become memorable and others will always, always, be willing to help you, recommend you and do business with you. If you need help, I invite you to the three-day retreat entitled Link Yourself.
Thank you for reading me.
–Dr Roch