The Two Key Components of Developing Business Relationships

Visibility and credibility are essential to becoming a successful Rainmaker. You have to become aware of, and become known to, the persons with whom you want to build business relationships. You have to become visible. If people don't know who you are, they can't purchase your product or service. That's why networking, civic involvement, speaking opportunities, publishing articles, blogging and other activities that provide public exposure are so important. You can't hide your light under a bushel basket and expect to grow your client base.

You might be thinking, "Hey, I know a guy who is at every event, knows everyone in town, but doesn't have any clients. Why hasn't visibility worked for him?"

The answer probably lies in the second key component of developing business relationships - credibility. Being charming and engaging is wonderful, but it won't sustain a long-term business relationship. You must be competent, reliable and trustworthy to maintain strong business relationships. If you tell a client that you will do something, you better do it, do it right and do it on time. Delivering on promises is essential to developing and maintaining credibility.

We all know lawyers, accountants and other professionals who are brilliant practitioners but have no clients. They work long hours, are extremely dependable and exude credibility. Unfortunately, they don't generate clients because no one knows who they are. They are invisible to the world outside their firms.

The examples above highlight the importance of striking a balance between visibility and credibility. To be successful you have to possess both. As you evaluate your client development abilities, think about where you fall on the visibility and credibility spectrum and then develop a plan to achieve and maintain greater balance.