We had the Small Business Marketing Analyst for a major package moving organization in recently to conduct a workshop.  We were reminded that sometimes it is the relationship that counts when doing business.  A representative from a company in our area attended the workshop.  The company had a critical shipment that had to arrive at the destination by a specified time or they would not be considered for the project they were hoping to get.  They sent the materials to arrive in time.

Then the winter weather came. Roads were closed and almost everything shut down.  The internet tracking showed the packet was in the town where it needed to be, but not yet to the required location.

We all do business on the internet.  Companies make it easy for us to do so.  Sometimes we forget that having a relationship with a real live human can be worth a lot.  The facilitator told us that there is an account manager for our local area that we should make it a point to meet with.  Not only will they help companies to understand what services they offer for small and large shipments, but they can help us in a pinch.  Could they have helped in the shipment situation above?  No one can tell for certain, but they may have been able to determine exactly where the package was.  They may have been able to call in a favor and moved the package forward.  Who knows?

My point is that we forget when the Internet makes things so easy to learn more about the people within the organizations we deal with all the time.  We need to take the time to build the relationships that we can call on when we need the extra help.  Think of the companies you do business with the most.  Do you know anyone at that company that you could call if you needed something special?  Business is really built on relationships.  It might be worth your time to start building a relationship with that organization’s people now – before you need something special.     

Wishing you all the best in all your business relationships –