Opportunities for doing business can increase if your values match the values which your customer holds. So what are the best ways for doing business through relationships? Here is the list of the ten best ways that I have come across through my own and others personal experience:

1. Always listen to the other person
   
2. Give away information that will help the other person in writing
   
3. Dress professionally
   
4. Have a business card that is not homemade
   
5. Provide many ways to contact you including your web address and email
   
6. Have a nice looking website with good content
   
7. Always answer your emails and queries promptly
   
8. Create touch points that are meaningful
   
9. Build the relationship before trying to sell
   
10. Be focuses on your expertise and do not try to be everything

Your message must be clear and concise yet it must create an excitement about what you have to say and what services you provide. The next topic will give you a list of the best ways to create that excitement.

The first point is always the most difficult for people as we all have a tendency to want to talk about our own business and what is happening within our own world. I always remember the sales folks I want to avoid because they cannot stop talking about how great their product is. I could not care less about the product, what I want is what can that product do for me and how can it help to solve my problems.

Bette Daoust, Ph.D.

Bette Daoust, Ph.D., has spent 25 years in various technical and business leadership roles. Dr. Daoust brings to the table a successful executive career combining many years working with government, non-profit and for profit organizations in a broad variety of industries. Her positions have included executive, financial, marketing, sales, and service management. She has worked with such companies as Peet?s Coffee & Tea, Mobile BIS, Cisco, Accenture and Avaya in the field of knowledge management.