‘Business Development 101’ with Marilyn Mendell. Part 4: Building Lasting Relationships

A business development professional must have four qualities: a high standard for ethics, an amazing ability to forecast and carry out plans, impeccable manners and an understanding of the nuances of societal order, and finally plenty of empathy. Kindness to others along with appreciation for what people have done often develops long lasting friendships and loyalty.

A person can be a tough negotiator and still be fair and say thank you. The two are not mutually exclusive. Probably no other part of business development is more important than building lasting relationships. As with all segments of doing business honesty and integrity must overarch every aspect of the profession and that includes making strong bonds. Caring about others in a totally genuine way comes from true leaders. People who insist on giving more than they get constantly receive more than they ever anticipated.

Read the rest of the blog here.