Business Relationships - Are they worth the time?

In today's day and age, we're all busy, right?  I mean we can use that excuse 'til the cows come home, but the reality is that everyone is, so it's not really an excuse anymore is it?  We live in a technological age, and we rely upon our Blackberries, iPhones, and PCs and Macs to communicate more and more.  Don't get me wrong, I consider myself a huge techie, and I can't live without my Crackberry; I communicate everyday through texts and emails.  However, I have to consciously make an effort to meet with my clients face to face.  An email and text are great, but I am confident that in order to build a solid relationship one must be willing to meet in person.  This also means calling our clients back on the phone which, if you're like me, find extremely difficult sometimes.  

Relationships are what make or break a business.  Our company, Lockard Companies, was founded in 1951, and our growth has been based solely upon business relationships.  If you know me well, you know I like to use the phrase, "it takes a long time to build a reputation, but it only takes a day to screw it up."  Isn't that true?  I mean, the purpose of building relationships doesn't mean to just carve your piece out of a deal and run.  It means to grow the pie, dig deep, and learn from the other person.  People continually ask me, "how in the world are you getting all of these business opportunities?"  My answer always seems to be the same - relationships.  In fact, I believe in relationships so much that I have asked our managment team to think about adding relationships as one of our company core values.      

I had the privilege of serving as chairman of the Networking Advisory Board of the CCIM Institute a couple of years ago, and one of the things that I had to keep hitting home is that people do business with people they know, like, and trust.  Does that happen overnight?  Absolutely not!  We must build upon our relationships.  There are a lot of people that I have been building relationships with for over the past five to ten years, but have yet to do a deal with them.  Should I give up on those relationships?  Not in a million years!  It takes time.  Isn't it true that good things come to those who wait?  If we go into a business relationship expecting to get something out of it immediately, we are sorely mistaken, and you should probably consider the relationship already dead.  Don't go into a business relationship asking what can I get out of it, rather ask yourself what can I give to this relationship to make it better and grow.  If it grows, everyone wins, and future business is usually inevitable. 

Be willing to invest time with someone today - it's definitely worth it!    

Are You A Risk Taker?



Webster's Dictionary defines the word risk as 1) a possibility of loss or injury; and 2) someone or something that creates or suggests a hazard.  

It blows me away that nowhere in the definition of the word do you see anything positive.  Every single version I could find only showed negativity.  Is that how you view risk?  I think most people go through life thinking risk is a negative thing rather than looking at it positively.  

What ever happened to going out on a limb?  When did we lose that willingness to get that big win?  Please understand, I'm not a gambler, so I am not talking about going to the Blackjack table and risking it all to hopefully get a big win.  I'm talking about risk in the business world.  Do you believe enough in what you are doing, that you're willing to take a risk now and again?  Do you think you may have a creative way to solve a problem that is outside of the norm, or is way outside of the box?  

There is a huge difference between what I would call a dumb risk and an intelligent risk.  Hopefully you and I don't take too many dumb risks in our careers, or else all of us would be cleaning out our desks and updating our resumes.  Intelligent risks, however, are totally worth it in my opinion.  The key is to make sure that the downside potential is limited, and the potential upside is basically unlimited.

If you run your own company, or are a manager of a department, do you have an atmosphere where employees are able to take risks?  Do you stymie them from spreading their wings, or do you encourage them and back them up for the risks they take?  If they feel like they will get shot down, written up in their personnel files, or just plain fired, than you need to communicate that you're willing to support them in the risks they take.  That doesn't mean to support them in dumb risks; they must be well thought out and intelligent risks.  What's the downside, right?  In addition, they must be willing to see YOU take risks!  If you don't take risks how is he/she going to feel that it is an accepted practice at your office?

A great leader should not be risk averse, rather he should be willing to take an intelligent risk now and again.  Taking risks is like visiting a big city that you have never been to for the first time. You're going to feel out of your element at first, but hopefully you'll begin to enjoy the challenge of getting around in an unfamiliar place and start to feel comfortable being uncomfortable!

Benefits Of Being A CCIM

Last October, I was in Orlando at the CCIM Business Meetings, and was interviewed by some CCIM staff members for some video promotions they were doing for the Institute.  If you are in the commercial real estate arena, and/or would like to get involved in commercial real estate, then CCIM is a great organization to begin your quest. 

If you are a CCIM Designee, I would love to hear why you chose to become a CCIM.  For me, it was a matter or either pursuing my Master's Degree or obtaining the CCIM Designation.  I chose the CCIM path because I wanted to push myself in my own career, and be one of the few commercial real estate practitioners who have the coveted CCIM Designation.  It was a choice I will never regret.  I would highly encourage you to do the same!   You can visit CCIM's webpage at www.ccim.com.  

Here's the video:

 

Vision - What Is It Really?

"A great leader's courage to fulfill his vision comes from passion, not position." - John Maxwell

I absolutely love that quote by John Maxwell.  He really hits the nail on the head.  Too many times leaders lead because they want the position rather than leading from passion.  Leaders have to have vision.  They have to be willing to look into the future and have a sense of where they want to go, and where they want their organizations to go.  That vision must be conveyed to everyone in the organization, and the leader must believe - with passion - that the vision can become a reality. 

If a leader tries to convey his vision by jamming it down everyone's throat, and lets position take over rather than passion, then one day he'll look back and and realize that no one is following.  Vision must be something that everyone can get behind and support - otherwise you must take a minute to take the lens cap off, or just plain clean the dirty lens. 

Vision is an opportunity to dream; to spread your wings and think about the unthinkable; it's about passion; it's about the future of the organization; and most importantly - it's NOT about you! 

Keep dreaming and keep cleaning off your lenses, because we all need a cleaner AND clearer view now and again.

Until next time....