Put Your Heart into Your Relationships

Business is all about relationships. Relationships with your customers, your prospects, your vendors and your own company. Relationships are difficult. Relationships are risky. Putting your heart out there can get it broken. You must put your heart into your relationships if you ever wish them to succeed, though.

There are a lot of reasons why relationships fail. Sometimes there’s simply not a fit. Most of the time relationships fail because they’re treated as disposable… where each party doesn’t value the relationship equally. Some think that a relationship is 50/50. That if you do your part, I’ll do mine. A relationship where the two parties are only doing half of what they could be doing isn’t a relationship at all. That’s not putting your heart into it.

Relationships fail when we don’t put in 100%. Building a successful relationship requires you to be fully engaged. Put in 100% because you love what you do, and you love serving the other party. Anything less will lead to failure.

This year is the year that you need to rethink your relationships and putting your heart into them. It’s the year to give 100% to providing advice through your blog. It’s the year to give 100% to your customers regardless of how much they pay, when they pay, or whether they appreciate what you’re doing. Putting your heart into it will fulfill your needs – not just theirs.

The Golden Rule says to treat others as you wish to be treated. Someone told me that there’s a Platinum Rule… and that’s to treat others as they wish to be treated. It’s time to treat prospects, customers and vendors as they wish to be treated. Put your heart into it.

Measurement is important to see what works, what your prospects and clients want, and to apply your resources appropriately. You still have to put your heart into it, though, to make it work. You still have to put 100% into those relationships if you hope for them to succeed.

This year is the year to put your heart into.