He then asked the students if the jar was full. They all agreed that it was full. He then picked up a box of pebbles and added them to the jar shaking it lightly. The pebbles, of course, rolled into the open area between the rocks.  “Is the jar filled now?” The professor asked. “Yes”, the students said. But then he picked up a bag of sand and poured it into the bottle. The sand filled in everything else. Once more he asked if it was full and after some thinking they said that it was.

The professor then took two bottles of water from a bag at the side of the desk and opening them both, he poured their entire contents into the jar. The students roared at this demonstration. After the laughter subsided, the professor spoke: “I want you to recognise that this jar represents your life. The rocks are the important things in your life – your family, your spouse, your children, your friends, your spouse etc. These are things that if everything else was lost and only them remained, your life would still be full.

So, how do you treat these set of people in your life? Do you neglect them and let your work get into spending quality time with them? The kind of your investment into these set of people will determine what you would be able to take out when you need them most. Your starting point will be to identify who this set of people are in your life and make a conscious effort to invest in them. If you are married and have children, your spouse and children automatically falls into this. Then, you can identify others and make a commitment to sow into their lives.

The pebbles are the other things that matter – your business, your job, your house, your car etc. The sand is everything else. The small stuff. If you put the sand into the jar first, there will be no room for the pebbles or the rocks. The same goes for your life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, you will never have room for the things that are important to you.

Start to pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Play with your children. Cultivate the relationship with your spouse. Believe me, you will always find time to go to work, clean the house, rewire the lamp, fix the car. Focus on taking care of the rocks first – the things that really matter. Set your priorities right. The rest is just sand.

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The business relationship you have built with your customers, employees and vendors is the only competitive capital you have. You must nurture a network of personal and business relationships. This takes effort and diligence. Always remember that everyone is a prospective client. So, treat everyone that way. Try to stay in touch with the people you meet through e-mail or other forms of communication methods.

Always ensure that you follow up with someone that you meet within twelve to twenty-four hours. You can simply send the person a quick note through e-mail or even an SMS and leave mental reminders as to who you are. Remember, you are going through all the trouble to meet other people. You might as well make sure that you are noticed. By the way, e-mails are very convenient but there is nothing like a handwritten thank you note to catch a person’s attention. You can also go one step further by calling the person to follow up.

If you want to build and maintain relationships successfully, you must build on your first meeting. Learn the art of staying in touch with your contact. Always remember that it is only through repetition that you can become a fixed element in your contacts’ memories. Much after you have established this relationship, you can ask them to introduce you to their network of contacts. This might be set of people who might be interested in your business. Not only will a referral get you in the door, this will enable you to grow your network.

One point worth noting is that it takes patience to grow your network. You must be patient when it comes to building relationships. This takes time and the last thing you want to do is to rush things. Ask for nothing at the beginning of the relationship. Focus on what you can give. Give more than you can get. Wait until you have gained people’s trust. When you are trusted, they will refer business to you without you having to ask. So, what do you think?

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Technorati Tags: business, success, business relationships

1. Create a company-approved project that will force you to learn new skills and introduce you to new people in your organization.
2. Take on leadership positions in outside organizations that interest you.
3. Join your local alumni club and spend time with people who are doing jobs you might like doing.
4. Enroll in a class that can teach you things related to your current job, or a job you see yourself doing in the future.
5. Participate in online forums and visit blogs that interest you.

Every day brings in new opportunities to build relationships with other people. Focus on your immediate network such as family, existing friends and old acquaintances. They might be able to introduce you to people who can help you meet your goals.

The last thing you want to be anywhere you find yourself is invisible. You have to go out of your way to reach out to others anytime and anywhere. You must make sure that your social and event calendar is always full.The more connections you establish, the more opportunities you are given to make even more connections. So, start today. Invite a colleague out for lunch or dinner. Include other people and watch your web of contacts grow.

When meeting people, you have to take into consideration how and where you got to know them. Strong relationships are built on quality and not quantity. How you spent your time with a client is more important than how much time you spent together. Choose to meet people during events and activities you excel at. Choose to keep company when you are engaging in something you are totally passionate about.

Whether it be dining out in great restaurants, watching baseball games, or talking about politics, choose activities that can bring you closer to people. Whenever you meet someone new, always take it upon yourself to follow up. If you want to establish a relationship, you must make sure that you are remembered. Believe it or not, follow up is the key to success in any field.

Always give yourself between twelve and twenty-four hours to follow up after you meet someone. Send the person a quick note through e-mail and leave mental reminders as to who you are. You are going through all the trouble to meet other people and you might as well make sure that you are noticed. By the way, e-mails are very convenient but there is nothing like a handwritten thank you note to catch a person’s attention.

Here is a crucial point to remember when following up. Do not focus on what they can do for you. Rather, focus on what you can do for them. Give them a reason to want to follow up as well. If you want to build and maintain relationships successfully, you must learn the art of staying in touch. Quick casual greetings (pings) take a lot of effort but you must remember that it is only through repetition that you can become a fixed element in your contacts’ memories.

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Technorati Tags: networking, career, relationships, success