You know how it is – you feel like you are treading on eggshells when you talk to them; you never know which version of them you are going to get– is it Good Cop or Bad Cop?
They only ever phone up to complain – nothing you ever do is good enough, and they always want it yesterday. When you try to call them, they never answer the phone.
You’re afraid to tell them your plans for the future in case they share it with your competitors. If you come up with a cost-saving idea, you just know they will want you to pass the savings on to them.
Have you tried negotiating with these people? Everything they want is at your expense. This is a zero sum game, and you’re going to end up with zero if you don’t look out.
Lack of trust between businesses is characterised by a lack of collaboration and poor communication; a focus on one business at the expense of the other; and focusing on short term gains. It’s not much fun is it? How did you get into this mess? Is it ever worth trying to sort it out?
They say that a relationship without trust is like a car without petrol – you can stay in it for as long as you want, but it won’t go anywhere.
Of course, you always have the option to walk away from a toxic relationship, but how do you build relationships based on trust so that you don’t get into this situation in the first place?
Creating trust in a business relationship takes courage and a willingness to make yourself vulnerable. You have to think medium term, and you have to think win:win – a willingness to create joint goals for the relationship and to work together to achieve them.
Want to know more?
To find out more, join us at the Mustard Breakfast on Tuesday 15th October, when Tracey Smolinski will share her experience of building trust in a business relationship.
