Relationship Forward Best Practices Study

 
  Relationship Forward Best Practices Study:
How Leading Companies Use Relationship as a Key Differentiator
  In an increasingly global and competitive marketplace, relational capital has become the strongest point of sustained differentiation. Ferrazzi Greenlight conducted a relationship forward best practices study to understand how companies
are adapting to this new market reality.
  Ten key tactical lessons emerged from our study—each offering important advice for peer firms:
 
We create our own fate.
Key relationship/account development is no longer serendipitous, but now highly strategic, disciplined and processed.
Talent
 acquisition.
Companies are placing great emphasis on the acquisition of highly relational talent through advanced recruiting techniques.
 
Even the best need support.
Conscious development and support of the company’s relationship managers from above, below and from peers is essential. Go it alone strategies fail.
 
Change from within.
Notable success has been achieved through organic change as well, based on a belief that people can improve their individual relational capacity.
 
Money (and recognition) talks.
Compensation, recog- nition, and rewards drive accountability and desire to manage internal and external relationships effectively.
 
Lead by example.
 
Institutional success relies on leadership playing an active and visible role in building the company’s key relationships.
 
Culture is key.
 
There are some common cultural threads that are necessary for relational success.
 
Make it personal.
 
Given the individual nature of decision making, corporate branding initiatives are giving way to innovative tactics that advance personal brands at scale.
 
Re-defining CRM
...again.
Companies are putting the relationship back in CRM, in part by working around their CRM system, or supplementing it.
 
What gets mea-
sured gets done.
Relationship success can be measured over time, and the best are taking important steps to make it methodical.
 
  If you would like to receive the full study as well as learn how your firm can become more relationship forward,
please contact us.