Although building a business relationship depends on an equal exchange of value, there are three key steps that you can take to help you do it.

1. The first one is to give away your best value. Granted, this can be difficult to do if your product happens to be a high-ticket item, such as a car. But, customers know when they're being given something that is truly of value and when they're not.

Let me give you an example. Some years ago, I received one chopstick in the mail. I don't know who the marketer was who thought that one up, but it was a complete waste of money on their part. The idea was that I could get the other one by contacting them or having a meeting.

The folly of such a gimmick can be seen in a couple of ways. First, relatively few people use chopsticks. That means that the chances of two of them, never mind only one, would be a little value to most of those who received it. The second thing about it was the fact that such implements are know to be quite cheap in any case. That meant that there was no perceived or actual value in it.

2. The second way to build a business relationship is to endear your customers to you. Here's a personal example to help you understand how to do this.

We have two cars. One we bought new, and the other was eight years old when we got it. We've had it for six years. It has a lot of miles on it, but it's perfect for running around town and for other short trips. While most people would have sold it long ago, we just keep replacing various bits on it as needed. It costs us less to fix it, than to buy another one.

We have it serviced by a family-run garage. Almost every time the car is returned to us, it has been washed. One time, some used floor mats that were in good condition were put in free of charge. Another time, the owners gave us a bottle of wine, just because we paid them promptly. Read more...