Everyone knows that relationships are critical to business success, but no-one has provided a simple system to turn contacts and acquaintances into valuable assets -- until now. The first systematic program for advancing business relationships. In five easy-to-follow steps, the book shows how to transform any casual business relationship into a valuable source for revenue, leads, and advice. Ed Wallace combines memorable anecdotes with a clear theoretical framework that shows individuals how to leverage their hard business skills with the often-overlooked soft skills of rela-tionship building. Surveyed executives say they need this book. In a recent survey, 88 percent of executives indicated that the strength of their client, cus-tomer, and referral relationships was critical to achieving their goals each year. But only 25 percent of those same executives said they had a formal process for planning, managing, and growing business relation-ships and 73 percent of the group surveyed said they would be very interested in reading a book on this topic. This book delivers the process that so many people and organisations need.

In Building Relationships That Last a Lifetime, Ron Rice reveals the secrets he has learned in his fascinating, entrepreneurial journey to success. He examines the key strategies he used to identify, develop, and maintain both professional and personal relationships over the course of his career. Beginning as a traveling salesman, Rice navigated up through business opportunities and relationships to obtain the American dream for himself and his family. He has proven himself a trustworthy businessman, salesman, and leader. Following his story, you'll be able to evaluate your own business relationships, strategic leads, and entrepreneurial goals against Rice's powerful example.

Chip R. Bell--author of the popular Managing "Knock Your Socks Off" Service--presents a clear blueprint for maximizing business success by enhancing customer loyalty and building lasting relationships. Each chapter includes an illustrative story and key principles. "Excellent advice".--Ken Blanchard.

In order to defend themselves against commoditization and disruptive innovation, leading companies are now gaining competitive advantage through networked business models and tapping into talent from outside their company. Rather than implementing rigid "built-to-last" processes, organizations are now constructing more fluid "built-to-adapt" networks in which each member focuses on its differentiation and relies increasingly on its partners, suppliers, and customers to provide the rest. With contributions by the biggest names in business network transformation, this book offers cutting edge research and an in-depth exploration of critical topics such as customer value, supply networks, product leadership, global processes, operations, innovation, relationship management, and IT. The book also provides practical guidance for successfully engaging in BNT, and is filled with illustrative case studies from some of the world’s largest and most successful companies. It contains the vital information business leaders need to enable their companies to deliver faster innovation to customers at lower cost by sharing investments, assets, and ideas across their business networks. An essential resource for all business leaders, Business Network Transformation shows how to transform any business network to achieve competitive advantage and increase the bottom line. Contributors include Geoffrey Moore, Philip Lay, Marco Iansiti, Mohan Sawhney, Ranjay Gulati, David Kletter, Venkat Venkatraman, John Hagel III, John Seely Brown, Gautam Kasthurirangan, Randall Russell, Henry Chesbrough, Jeffrey Dyer, and Andrew McAfee.

This book offers a wealth of good, solid business advice. "Fares to Friends" is the business professional's equivalent to best-seller "Tuesdays with Morrie" by Mitch Albom. Like Albom, Ed Wallace '81 VSB invites the reader to share in a series of literally and figuratively transporting conversations with his mentor, a cab driver named Max. Over the course of many trips to the airport, Max, a former business executive who gave up high-level commerce to become a service entrepreneur, points out what the author considers to be crucial guideposts on the road to business success: how to build relat.

Creating Your Success with China This book helps you build, and maintain, success with China. How? Through the often neglected, but vital, area of creating relationships that work and endure in China. Why would this matter so much in a professional or business setting, you may wonder? Because in China, the relationship always precedes the business and determines the latter’s success, quality and durability. Only when relationships flourish, does success with China happen. Under investment in relationships and relationship shortcuts are among the primary reasons why good enterprises fail to succeed in China. The relationship skills advocated in this book, once adopted, will be a positive differentiator in your favor, for all your dealings with China, by equipping you with skills of sufficient depth, to ensure success in this relationship-centric culture. The book will encourage you to value these skills, and deploy them proudly in China, in the knowledge that relationship skills are the primary differentiator in this business culture. Through this valuable relationship knowledge, you will become, over time, your own cultural mediator, able to handle diverse business situations and challenges in a culturally adapted way, as they arise. This, in turn, will provide you with the confidence to build, and maintain, enterprise success with China.

What do Procter and Gamble, Microsoft, McDonald's and The Department of Energy have in common? They have all recently implemented a vested relationship with their partners and suppliers, leading to innovation and a better bottom line. Here authors Vitasek and Mandrodt show how P&G partnered with Jones Lang LaSalle to manage over 14 million feet of facilities in 60 countries and how the Minnesota Department of Transportation turned tragedy into success after the I35 bridge crumbled into the water by rebuilding the bridge with state-of-the-art design under budget in less time than anticipated, and much more. Working with partners is the future of business, and in this timely and original work, the authors show companies how to create vested agreements that brings success to everyone involved.

Named a Best Business Book of 2021 by Soundview Magazine Reclaim the power of genuine human connection Networking is often considered a necessary evil for all working professionals. With social media platforms like Linkedin, Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook at our disposal, reaching potential investors or employers is much easier. Yet, these connections often feel transactional, agenda-driven, and dehumanizing, leaving professionals feeling burnt out and stressed out. Instead, we should connect on a human level and build authentic relationships beyond securing a new job or a new investor for your next big idea. To build real and meaningful networking contacts, we need to go back to basics, remembering that technology is a tool and more than just a means to an end. We need to tap into our humanity and learn to be more intentional and authentic. As a “serial connector” and communications expert, Susan McPherson has a lifetime of experience building genuine connections in and out of work. Her methodology is broken down into three simple steps: Gather: Instead of waiting for the perfect networking opportunity to come to you, think outside the box and create your own opportunity. Host your own dinner party, join a local meet-up group, or volunteer at your neighborhood food pantry. Ask: Instead of leading with our own rehearsed elevator pitches asking for help, ask to help, opening the door to share resources, experience, contacts, and perspectives that add diversity to your own vision. Do: Turn new connections into meaningful relationships by taking these newly formed relationships deeper. Follow through on the promises you made and keep in touch. Woven together with helpful tips and useful advice on making the most out of every step, this book draws on McPherson’s own experience as a renowned “serial connector,” as well as the real life success stories of friends and clients. Filled with humor, humility, and wisdom, The Lost Art of Connecting is the handbook we all need to foster personal and professional relationships that blur the lines between work and play—and enrich our lives in every way.

Don’t fall into the trap of prioritizing potential relationships over established ones. Your success depends not on who you don’t yet know, but on who you already know. As it has been said, no man is an island, and this applies to the business world too. Relationships hold companies together and fuel future growth. From connecting with customers to forging high-performing teams, success depends on everyone working well together. In The Relationship Engine, author and business consultant Ed Wallace has provided the tools you need to become an intentional, masterful relationship-builder. Whether you are working with employees or associates, vendors or customers, you will learn how to: Establish common ground Focus on collaboration instead of command Put people before process Demonstrate worthy intent Make every interaction matter This insightful and practical guide also includes: a powerful RQ Assessment designed to measure and evaluate business relationships; a Relational Agility Action Planner; lateral and vertical strategy templates; and other simple yet effective exercises to help you get started strengthening your relationships. Learn how to make caring, real-life connections with those you do business with, and let those relationships expand your networking opportunities for you!

In Customer Once, Client Forever, Buckingham presents a process to identify, create and maintain the relationship with the client using his 12 Lifetime Tools.