The Importance of Building Long-Term Relationships in Business
Introduction
The world of sales has changed.
Gone are the days with endless cold-calling and spam emails – because let’s be honest, that’s borderline harassment! To be successful in sales you have to play the long game. It’s about understanding the way in which your avatar thinks and the moves they make. Because at the end of the day, money is a trust currency. You don’t just hand over your hard-earned money to strangers. There needs to be a level of trust built between you and your client so that when the time comes for them to be making those big decisions, you are the clear, trusted choice.
And that’s where building relationships comes in. Every step you take in building a stronger relationship with your client, the bigger their trust for you will be.
Why do business relationships matter?
Creating a relationship with both new and potential customers allows businesses to offer a more personalized and enticing customer experience. And it’s exactly the quality of the experience you offer that will determine whether or not you’ll establish long-term business success.
In a recent study, 86% of customers claim their experiences are just as important as the actual product or service they purchase.
This means businesses are not only required to provide products or services their customers need, but they should also deliver a great end-to-end experience across every touchpoint.
Building Long-Term Relationships in Business
So how do you build these long-lasting relationships with your clients? Well it starts with YOU.
Your business should be aligned with your values and integrity. Your passion for your industry should shine through in every product you offer, every communication you make and every campaign you share!
There should be a seamless integration between you and your business. They should be one and the same. If you don’t feel that your business aligns with your values, take a read of our blog post ‘How to Define Your Brand Essence’, which will guide you through translating your core essence into all areas of your business.
Ultimately, to be successful – your business needs to establish positive relationships with its clients.
Follow these relationship-building steps to ensure that when your clients need a service – you are the easy choice!
- Be Authentic
Authenticity can make or break your business.
Great products are the bricks to build your business, but your values are the foundation holding it together. Without a genuine approach, your business basically has no support system.
Great products will bring customers to you. But it’s your core essence that keeps them around.
Let the love for your craft show. Passion translates. Radiate energy and inspiration through every step of your customer journey. If you enjoy what you do, clients are going to want to work with you.
Establish core values (and stick to them). Don’t try too hard to be catchy and full of ‘sales talk’. Aim to have open, honest communication with your clients. This helps build long-term, trusting relationships, ensuring your business has the longevity you desire!
Keep in mind your business is always growing. And if at any point it doesn’t feel like ‘you’: stop, regroup and reflect. Establish your core essence and then get back to creating magic.
- Don’t be afraid to get personal!
Part of building a long-term relationship is getting to know each other. Remember, your clients are humans too! The more transparent you are, the easier it will be for them to trust you.
Don’t be afraid to share your true self and opinions with your clients – as well as making you relatable this can also really help mutual growth! Sharing your vulnerabilities can not only increase your relatability but also increases trust levels. Vulnerabilities don’t make you weak – there is a strength in sharing past failures or mistakes with potential clients. It shows that you are capable of growth (and that you’re also a real person)!
- Take things offline
In a digital, tech-centric world designed to streamline communication, losing our personal connections is all too easy. The difference between a video conference and talking to someone in person can go a long way toward building trust.
Covid permitting – invite your clients out to dinner! The power of wine and dine works in business relationships too! Get to know them over a great meal and start to understand their motivations. This will make doing business further down the line a much easier transition!
Conclusion
Just like your personal relationships, business relationships take time to develop. It’s an investment. And as with anything you invest in, it compounds over time. It’s a process that turns every touchpoint with your client into an opportunity for communication, trust and mutual growth.
Play the long game. Take your time getting to know people without the intention of selling anything to them. Build those relationships and trust so that one day when the potential client requires a service, you are in their mind as a respected, trust-worthy choice.
Ready to build a long-term relationship?
Is your business currently single and ready to mingle?
Because we would love to enter into a ‘business relationship’ with you. 😉
Do you imagine the world as it should be?
Do you believe in elevating the human experience at a core level?
Then we want to hear from you!
If you’re open to growth opportunities for not only your business, but for yourself as an individual, then we might be a great fit for each other!
Our team prides ourselves on quality of service and creativity – and we expect the same from a partner. 🙂If you’re feeling committed to investing time into boosting your business then we would love to partner with you! To learn more about ‘Watt’ we can offer you, feel free to explore our website for more information 🙂
How To Define Your Brand Essence (And Make It A Digital Marketing Masterpiece)
Introduction
In a world where talk is cheap, you may think that you need to be everywhere, marketing on every social channel to be successful. But less is now more!
We believe the real trick to digital marketing is clearing away the noise.
We’re debunking the myth that in order to reach customers, you need to be churning out endless campaigns into the void – hoping that they stick! So what makes it stick you ask? You.
Your brand’s core essence is the real glue that holds your business together. At this very moment, you might be losing the core of what you’re offering because customers are being blinded by the colors and bold statements of your campaigns. In reality, it’s YOU that sells your business.
Why is this so important?
A brand’s essence is intangible for your audience. It’s unique to YOU and most importantly, creates a trusting and reliable bond between you and your customer. When they can see the real you, they are more likely to want to build a business relationship with you! When people hear your brand’s name you want it to light an emotional spark within them so they immediately know exactly what you stand for as a business.
Let’s look at some success stories. For example, when people hear the word, Disney, they automatically associate the brand with a magical, family-oriented experience. You trust them. And that is what is going to generate sales for a business. If you trust the company, you trust them with your money.
So what’s the key?
Clear the channel. Refine the core essence of your business. Revisit the real reasons why you started in the first place, your true values, and figure out the exact message you want to be getting across to potential customers online! Your main priority should be translating your essence digitally in a fuss-free, natural way, so your customers can see what’s beneath the surface.
Now taking things back to basics might seem like a tough feat, but by following our simple steps you can start your journey of defining your core essence and turning it into a digital marketing masterpiece!
Let’s Begin!
Step 1: Take a trip down memory lane
Some people get so caught up in logo designs and website building that they lose the essence of why they started the business in the first place. Look back to where your company came from. What were your main motivations to start your business? What inspired you to sell the products you are selling or offer the services you are offering? What did you feel was your ultimate purpose as a brand?
A really great way to figure these things out is to go around your business and speak with the key people within your company. Comparing their different stories and versions of how your business began can give you a real insight into the kind of business you are running.
Step 2: First Impressions
The main part of defining your core essence is to understand how people see you. What words or feelings pop up in their minds when they hear your brand’s name? And more importantly, are these the feelings that you want to be generated? If not, it might be time to redefine your essence! While you don’t necessarily want your clients to define you, it’s important to realize how you come across in the current marketplace. A brief audit can give you a chance to pinpoint any characteristics that you currently have aligned with your company (and gives you a chance to eliminate any that don’t resonate with you).
A useful (and slightly weird) way of doing this is to imagine you are writing an obituary for your company. Write a list of all the things you think people would say about your business, the good and the bad, and look out for any trends!
Step 3: USP
Think about what makes your business special. Part of this comes from comparing your business with competitors and figuring out all the ways in which what you are offering is different. Once you’ve figured this out, think about why these differences are useful. After all, a car with square wheels might sound unique, but it doesn’t necessarily make it appealing!
Make Your Core Essence Digital!
Once you’ve figured out what makes you tick, it’s time to translate your core essence into a digital masterpiece! We make it our business to help clients achieve digital greatness, ensuring that their core essence doesn’t get lost amongst the crowd and shines through every campaign they are running!
While there are a few techy things that really make this process successful, there are a few steps you can take to start the ball rolling in sharing your core essence with the world!
Step 1) Interpret your core essence
Develop voice, tone, and design guidelines for your brand. Think about the kind of voice you want to be heard on your digital platforms, ensuring it speaks to your brand’s identity! Your logo, brand colors, typography, and graphics, etc. should also all be representative of your core essence!
Step 2) Define your aligned focus
Take a look at all your current content on digital platforms, including emails, social media, and ad campaigns. Identify where you need to be more consistent and what core message you want to be sending. Lastly, make sure your entire team has this aligned focus when producing content!
Step 3) Paint your core essence into a digital masterpiece
Once you have identified your core essence, create templates for your team to use for all types of communications e.g product updates and promotional emails – and always make sure your voice and design guidelines are used throughout!
Step 4) Launch your digital essence into the world
Spread your essence amongst all digital platforms, continually adapting to your customers and creating content you are passionate about!
Want to hear more?
At Watt Advertising, we specialize in all things digital marketing and Google Ads (in particular how to share your essence with the world!) If you would like to speak to a member of our team about how you can better define your core essence and translate this into a digital masterpiece then please contact us!
We are currently offering Google Ads audits, where we explore the current message your marketing campaigns are sending out – as well as your landing page, keyword research, and more! Fill out the contact form on our website and we will get back to you soon!