How To Start Building Relationships

At a recent keynote I was asked what piece of advice would you give entry level finance staff around how they can start to build stronger relationships with non finance.

My answer......focus on being likeable.

92% of finance people, when asked would they rather be liked or respected, answer respected.

I say go for Liked. And as there is only 8% of us out there it requires some explanation.

Firstly, getting someone to like you is way easier.... Secondly, you get a better return on the effort.

It's really easy to get someone to like you. Show an interest in them, ask them questions about them, get them talking about themselves, and smile lots. That can take less than ten minutes

Its really hard to get someone to respect you. That can take months and even years. And is layers and layers of deep appreciation for someone to gain respect.

Plus if two people come to your desk - one you like and the other you respect - who do you do work for first.

Most likely the one you like.

For the entry level finance staff this is even more important.

Very rarely do you hold a position of authority where you can command respect or authority.

So to get people to do things for you and answer your questions is often really hard.

But if people like being around you, its really easy. They will feel safe and comfortable, likely open up and will invite you in.

So for those starting out in the business partnering space, if you want to speed things up you have to build relationships. And to build relationships focus on non finance liking you, rather than respecting you.

You will get their attention way quicker. You may even get their respect quicker too.

If you want to continue to focus on respect, give me a call. I am more than happy to make things easier for you and get you in the door with non finance a lot quicker.