Business relationship killers are lurking all around us. The clever killer goes undetected and may never be caught.

How can you stop the notorious business relationship killers? Gather the clues they leave behind and stop their reign of terror.

Understanding the Killers’ DNA

DNA slams the door on most killers. These dynamic pockets of unique information identify the whodunit in the murder of innocent victims.

If you identify the relationship killers, you can stop them in their tracks. Business relationships keep your business thriving. Why wouldn’t you protect them at all costs?

First, let’s look at what kills a business relationship and then what you can do to keep it alive.

5 Business Relationship Killers

Think about the relationships you have had over your life. From your childhood best friend forever (BFF) to lifetime partners. How many times was forever, and a lifetime cut short?

The same reasons your personal relationships ended are often the cause of death for business relationships. The following discusses five business relationship killers.

#1 – Lack of value

Even your BFF is going to let you down at times. But you are willing to kiss and make up if your relationship is too valuable to let go. Adults are less forgiving.

If you fail to give customers, colleagues, and business partners something they value, you kill the relationship. But a good relationship can also transform into a killer if you fail to keep filling the value cup.

Think about those rare friends you’ve kept all your life. It took more than a single childhood memory to value that friendship. The same is true for business. You need to keep on giving.

#2 – Take more than give

Do you know people who constantly ask for something? Yet when you ask them for something in return, that person goes missing in action.

Customers may not ask. Instead, they walk out the door. Beware of the undetected killer who sneaks in to attack the most innocent of requests.

Consider the information you share. If every offering comes with a price tag or the collection of personal information, customers may feel it is too much to give. In their eyes – too much taking – not enough giving.

But one of the most hated killers buries relationships in an avalanche of sell, sell, sell.

#3 – Delivery failure

How did you feel when you pinky-swore with your BFF only to be let down? When you make a promise to deliver, failure can become an evil killer.

• Sure, good relationships accept the occasional misstep.
• But becoming a delivery serial killer dooms your business’s future.

#4 – Too many excuses

The global pandemic was (and still is) a delivery killer. But aren’t you tired of the blaming the pandemic for EVERY delayed delivery?

Stuff happens. But you build good business relationships based on trust. A trust to do the right thing and take responsibility for mistakes. Sometimes when it’s not your mistake.

I’ll give you a personal example. I contracted with a business to handle some of the techie problems that occur in WordPress.

• Responding to a submitted ticket, the representative asked for additional information.
• I emailed a detailed response and sent two follow-ups when I received no response.
• The representative told me (three times!), “There was nothing sent on Wednesday. We are not making it up and respond to all your emails within seconds of receipt.”

In essence, he told me I was lying. Not good strategy. DUH. Well, I am not “making it up” – that was the end of our relationship.

#5 – The sound of crickets

Being the word nerd I am, I wondered how crickets became synonymous with silence. Our friends at Merriam-Webster describe the meaning as shown below.

So, the fifth business relationship killer is the sound of crickets.

Think again about your personal friendships.

• Did you stay friends with the person who never returned your calls?
• Or the one who made no effort to stay in touch?

Businesses express a lack of interest when they do not stay in touch or respond to communication.

3 Tips to Keep a Business Relationship Alive

So, how do you keep business relationships thriving? The following three tips will get you started. Practice them often and soon they become second nature.

#1 – Focus on helping

You were confident your BFF always had your back. No matter the situation, you could depend on her to be there with a helping hand.

Even communication directed at making a sale should focus on how your product helps.

• What problem will the product solve for your audience?
• How do they benefit from its features?

Sharing information with no strings attached keeps the focus on helping. So, when you are doing your editing, stop and ask yourself:

How does this help the recipient?

You demonstrate focus by listening and showing interest in what your customer thinks.

• Ask questions.
• Seek regular feedback.
• Summarize key points.

#2 – Be authentic

How good are you at spotting the phony businessperson? The one who pretends interest, but you know has other motives – usually self-serving. How can you trust someone you do not believe? The following are a few tips to keeping it real.

Share your story

• Who are you? What motivates and energizes you?
• What do you hope to achieve beyond sales, sales, sales?
• Make your story relatable but do not share everything – apply the litmus test question – why should they care?

What is your purpose?

People are sick of businesses in pursuit of the almighty dollar. They want to know how a company is helping make the world a better place. These are two of my favorite business stories.

• Bombas and its practice of donating one clothing product to homeless shelters for each purchase.
• Kind and its mission to be kinder to our bodies, kinder to our communities, and kinder to our planet – including launching the Frontline Impact Project with over $5.8 million in donated products during the pandemic.

#3 – Make it personal

How often as a customer have you felt neglected or overlooked? It’s like the friend you feel takes you for granted.

I worked for a dentist in a past life who had a brilliant, yet simple, process for making each patient feel special. He jotted down key facts about the individual.

• Birthdays
• Spouse/children/pet names
• Vacation destinations

Then he asked them about those details. Did you enjoy your trip to Italy? How is your son, Michael doing?

The patients were so impressed he remembered. 😊

Bullet Proof

Relationships are tricky. Ignore them and they disappear. Bullet proof your business relationships by identifying the killers and protecting your business against them.

• Focus on helping.
• Relate through your story and purpose.
• Make relationships personal.

What protection tips do you have? Please share yours in Comments.

BigStock Photo Credit

Canva credit

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Note: In 2015, SSB took a year-long alphabetic journey for better business communication. Each post contained an A-to-Z topic for creating better business communication. I decided to update each post. However, in the original ‘R’ post, Jennifer Mattern shared her expertise in a guest post about Public Relations. I did not want to lose Jenn’s still relevant post. So, I created this new ‘R’ post on business relationships for our alphabetic journey. 😊

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