Your future: only as good as your relationships

Someone once told me, “your future is only as good as the relationships you keep.”

In business (and life), so much of our confidence and happiness comes from having the best possible relationships – those that are supportive, creative, productive, and satisfying.

Having the personal autonomy to create value for others while surrounded by people with a positive outlook is very important to me. Everyone wants to feel important, valued, and receive honest appreciation (when it’s earned).  We all want to be in situations we enjoy and that energize us.  At Fruition, these values are also reflected in the type of relationships we strive to have with our clients.

Recently, however, I found myself in a situation with a prospective client that was less than ideal.  As a result, after spending time and effort getting to know them as well as finalizing their plans to create a new web presence – we parted ways.  It’s unfortunate too, as I felt we really could have made a positive impact in their organization.

Nobody likes to lose business.  Yet, how many of us slug through these similar situations?  My guess would be a lot.  Why?  What pot of gold at the end of the rainbow justifies the means?  Typically, these types of relationships create more work and stress.  In the long run, they do very little to improve your business or create referrals.

Our biggest enemy is the belief that “we can’t afford to lose these relationships.”   In truth, what we need to say is there is no way we can afford to remain in this unsatisfying, energy-draining, and unprofitable situations.

Like you, we strive to first establish a solid human relationship with our clients.  In my experience, if people don’t first value the human relationship, they won’t accept, trust, or see value in the solutions that go along with that relationship.

About the Author:

Mitch Fanning is VP of Strategy & Business Development for Fruition Interactive, an authorized member of Social Media Club, and founding member of Social Media Club Niagara. He’s spent 10 plus years working with businesses of all sizes, from global brands including NBC.com to Canada’s fastest growing Internet companies ranked in the 2009 PROFIT 100.  Follow Mitch on his adventures in new media at [mitchellfanning.com].

Photo credit: hashmill