Are You Letting Important Relationships Go Stale?

Are you letting important business relationships go stale? Chances are, you are… and chances are also that you can’t help it.

It’s a huge challenge – keeping all those contacts warm. Think about it. You come to know thousands of people over the years. My address book is just under 1000 people long. But I know people with 4000 names in their contact list… even 5000. And I’m sure that list grows larger. Think about an inside sales rep or a territory manager and all the people on their radars!

But the real kicker is that any one of these people can be in the market for something you happen to be perfectly suited for at any time… and you MIGHT NEVER KNOW IT. Perhaps they are looking to buy a product (your product), or engage a service (your service). Or even looking to make a hire for your dream position. In fact with all the people in your address book, it’s a practical certainty that you are already missing out on some incredible opportunities.

Personally, I do what I can to keep the people I know are really important close in some way. I think about them often and make sure I talk to them once or twice a year about something. But I can only do that effectively if the list is short – and even then usually not so well.

But then I realize that my horizon is so limited. I know who is important now… but I couldn’t even guess who will be important to me in 12 months. Think about it – has anything similar to these scenarios ever happened to you?

• You run into an old colleague who is now very influential in their company or industry
• You need specialized help and can think of the ideal person… but it’s been so long since you’ve talked that calling them for a favor would be awkward
• You call upon a prospective buyer or business partner only to find that they recently completed a transaction with a competitor
• You learn about a significant event in someone’s life – but months have passed and it is too late to reach out

The thing is – some, if not all of these things have happened to me. Most of them multiple times in fact. Because I just don’t know who will be important to me years down the road. Nor does anyone.

How do you keep relationships from getting stale? Share your comments!