Building relationships is important. Perhaps even necessary if you want to have a successful business. Most successful businesses have excellent partnerships with fellow business people and helps to be able to sell the products and service you are providing.

There are three types of business relationships:

• Customer
• Potential Customer, and
• Fellow Business People.

Building relationships in business with the customer is the ultimate thing you must do or you won’t have a business at all. You have to be able to let the customer know that they are appreciated and that you need them or they will go to someone else.

They want to know that it isn’t just their money that you love. You can do this by occasionally sending them a tip or some sort of freebie, sending out coupons on their birthday, sending out a card on the holidays with a note of thanks, etc.

Whatever you can do to make a customer feel special will go a long way to building relationships in business and will ultimately get you more customers, as your regulars will recommend you.

Building relationships with potential customers is also needed to be successful. Without a steady stream of new customers, you won’t be able to grow your business or make more money. Be sure to contact prospects, send them an email asking how they are doing and give them a few tips or pointers, maybe a coupon or two or just to ask them if they are still interested in what you are offering. subtely of course with a special invite only promotion.

Don’t be a bother, but at the same time, remind them that you still are in the business and still would like their support if they are interested. Maybe you could offer a short free trial or other incentive, and soon these potential customers will turn into your regulars.

And last, but surely not least, is building relationships in business with your fellow business people and those in yours and related fields. If you do this, you learn from each other what is possibly new in your area, you may be able to get new customers if a non-competing but related business partner gives you some contacts, you can teach them things, and a host of other possibilities.

Without each other, businesses can’t survive, so nourishing these relationships can reap big rewards, and who knows, you may even make a few good friends along the way.

All in all, building relationships in business is one of the most important things to do if you are selling something or providing a service. So, whether it is with a current customer, a potential customer, or a fellow business person, building relationships in business is a must for you to succeed and thrive.