Successful Business Operations 3: Client Relationships Grow Business

This continues our series on successful business operations and how the grew the business

Jared and Sarah Stewart teach “People do business with people they know, like, and trust.” They also share that “Every opportunity has its root in a relationship.” Their counsel resonates with me. I believe it resonates with you. I know thousands of business people who accept and act to build relationships. Let me share another example.

Built the Business on Relationships

Lance Black and Jarid Love founded Eli Kirk to help clients connect more effectively with their targeted market. Their services include strategy, design, and development. They develop mobile apps, software development, media, branding, web, and other services.

Their web site proclaims “We Love Better. Loving better means loving strategy. Our purpose in every engagement is to help clients communicate as effectively as possible while achieving maximum ROI—but that doesn’t happen by accident. It happens through well planned, thoughtfully conceived strategy. An oft-quoted New York department store executive once said, “I know I waste half the money I spend on advertising. The problem is, I don’t know which half. Our response? Hogwash.”

Notice they speak in relationship terms like loving and engagement. Their clients includes Mitt Romney, Donny Osmond, Landesk, and Novell.

Give Back to Your Clients and Friends

Eli Kirk believes that giving back to clients, friends, and others is good business. They provide volunteer work to civic, non-profit, and other worthy causes. Lance, Jarid, and many of their staff serve on community boards of directors. They contribute financially and in-kind to the community.

Another example of giving back to the community includes their annual Slash Bash. For the past five years they host more than 500 people and their families to the Slash Bash the day after Halloween. They provide free doughnuts, apple juice, and gifts. They offer activities like paint gunning pumpkins, slashing pumpkins with samurai swords and machetes, and dropping pumpkins 80 feet from a crane box.

Every opportunity has its root in a relationship.

Tuesday we discuss how Randy & Kelli built their carpet cleaning business by great service