Contacts
and Connections vs. Relationships
Philosophy IX
Probably some of the most inane of questions (besides “Hi, come
here often?” or “Hello, what are you doing here?”
which we hear all too often) are “what are your connections
with ….?” Or “How are your contacts at …..?”
Sorry, but we feel that “Connections” and “Contacts” when used in that context are vulgar if not downright sophomoric.
We have no connections. We have no contacts…anywhere!
What we have are “Relationships” with the market-smarts and the judgment to use these relationships on behalf of our clients in the most effective manner.
It is not important who your PR/ Marketing team knows, what’s more important is how they know who they need to know on your behalf.
What’s even more important is their ability to get you together with whom you need to know or work with.
So don’t ask us who we know, just tell us who you want to know. We love carving past gatekeepers, driving through government or corporate bureaucracy and we’re crazy about cold-calls.
Relationships, like gardens, require constant nurturing, care and consideration, especially with monolithic multinationals. You may think you have rock solid rapport with “Amalgamated Rust" but if it’s with the CEO or Chairman back in headquarters, you can probably ride the choppy waters of regional VP/Country Manager turn-overs out in the “Rim”.
If your first name /golf buddy relationship is only with the “regional” guy/ gal, watch out for those unexpected buyouts/ mergers / reorganizations that could turn your good friend into an empty suit or send him/ her down the chute.
But we digress …… this is supposed to be a Philosophy on relationships in the business world. How you handle the middle life of a relationship calls for volumes. In most cases we wouldn’t be there to hold your hand much beyond the initial introductions and early stages of the romance.
Whether you are buying, selling, partnering, loaning, borrowing, the rest is up to you. We simply facilitate and help get you/ or your people to first base. And we do this for our clients in every possible arena and discipline from Commerce to Media, from Academia to Government.