Book review: Relationships Are Everything!
Yes, I need those kicks in the pants. As an author and lecturer I like my time alone – reading, writing, planning. But I also run a business and the new rules of the game mean meeting people, building a network and growing relationships. There are a whole bunch of books about this – one famous one is Never Eat Lunch Alone. I picked up Mark M. Maraia’s book Relationships Are Everything on my Christmas trip to the USA and found it to be very useful, down to earth and practical. I like the ”things to do” in list form format.
Some headings that may intrigue you as they did me:
- How to maintain client relationships
- How can I improve the odds of meeting interesting people
- How can I network inside my own company
- How I can do to start new relationships
- How curiosity can improve my relationships
For example on this last point we are reminded about the importance of asking instead of telling. Perhaps we want to sell an idea, a product or our services, but telling what we do is not as good as asking what others do and to hear their needs. Yeah, sure, we all know the importance of listening, but do we do it in a way that makes the other person really want to see us, get to know us and to keep up the contact? It’s those long term relationships that can lead to mutual benefit. This book was a good reminder with many practical examples.
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