When working with clients and other businesses, no matter the industry, it’s imperative that you retain good relations with them to secure a continuous working relationship. This symbiosis between organizations serves to benefit everyone at every level, as both companies can become stronger by supporting each other with guaranteed and priority services, as well as discounts too.
For business owners that choose to go at everything alone and reserve their contact with other companies to overt professionalism, free from friendliness and any sense of a human side, they can end up actually harming their business in the long run. This restricts their growth and prevents the discovery of unseen opportunities that could have greatly benefitted them. So, what are the best ways in which you can improve and maintain a healthy business to business relationship today?
Unite Your Businesses Through Branding
A great way to show your dedication to working with another company is by including their branding in your own products, if they’re happy for you to do so, providing them with a free source of advertising. It might also be a good idea to promote their services via your own social media channels or work together on a joint marketing campaign, both assisting their outreach, as well as showcasing your business relationship with your audience and other businesses in the area.
Starting Your Relationships From The Top
The best people for you to work closely with are those that are running the business. It’s very important to get on the good side of executives or owners of another business as this budding friendship will grant you access to other contacts of theirs, as well as providing you with a better overall relationship with the entire company. This tends to happen on both sides too, providing your team with better access to theirs, and ultimately leads to a more cohesive work environment for all, as everyone will understand the needs and restrictions of the other side.
Offer Your Assistance Wherever Possible
It’s important to showcase everything that your business can provide for your partners, and why it’s worthwhile for them to continue to work with you as opposed to a competitor. Nobody is under the impression that this is a situation in which both organizations are working together out of charity and kindness, and that it’s sometimes beneficial to choose someone else’s services over one you have a good working relationship with. However, it’s possible to reduce those chances by ensuring you’re a useful ally to have by going above and beyond whenever you can.
Provide Access To Your In-House Services
One way in which you can do more for your business associates is by offering your in-house services at a reasonable price or even just the cost for materials. Printing services can be quite expensive for example, and if your business spends a lot more time producing hard copies compared to a business you’re working with, you could offer access to this service in the times that they do require it.
Another great idea is to assist in the creation of their industrial or retail packaging. Purchasing an automated packaging machine such as those from Blue Print Automation not only will open up your own access to quality, professional packaging materials, it provides you with the means to offer another B2B service, further improving your relationship and demonstrating your usefulness.
Learn Everything You Can About The Other Business
It’s important to understand exactly what this other business does, from the products and services they offer, to the way in which their business runs. Similar to you helping them with in-house services, you may find that they have ways in which they can help your business too. Developing these shared services between one another is a perfect way to encourage mutual success and will only make you both stronger.
Nurturing A Partnership Out Of Work
As you get to know your partners, it may be worth developing that relationship out of the office, such as going for a business lunch to exchange ideas and discuss work in a friendlier, more relaxed environment. This is the perfect opportunity to introduce yourself and your partner to other businesses associates too, creating an even stronger alliance of companies.
Strong Communications
Finally, you should ensure a great level of communication between you both, no matter if this is regarding positive or negative events. If a business partner found out that you had been struggling financially for example, and you hadn’t informed them of this struggle, they may feel as though you don’t trust them or don’t have confidence in fixing the issue, putting your continued relationship at risk.
Honesty and transparency is important in any business relationship so remember to always be truthful and humble in your dealings with other businesses. As well as this, try to maintain regular contact with your partners, as forgetting to do so is one of the biggest ways for your businesses to drift apart along with the benefits of having a strong and healthy, professional alliance.
