Author: Kirstie Watkins

How Connecting with the Community Can Help Your Business

In the age of social media, online advertising campaigns and relentless notifications, small-business owners can often overlook the real-world connections that play an integral role in the long-term success of their company.

While they don’t offer the instant gratification of a social media reaction, real-world connections over the long run can help your company in a dramatic way. Public appearances, participation in community events and the cultivation of personal relationships can all give your company a competitive advantage.

There are plenty of tried-and-true methods to increase your company’s community outreach and visibility — and they don’t necessarily cost a lot of money.

For example, consider sponsoring or coaching a children’s sports team, teaming up with a nonprofit organization for a fundraiser or renting a popular venue for an evening and inviting all of your clients or neighbors to a private party.

Jacqueline Whitmore, founder of The Protocol School of Palm Beach, which provides executive leadership and business etiquette training, suggests hosting quarterly dinners with six to 12 clients or other business owners, where conversations don’t necessarily have to focus on business. Those connections can pay off down the road in unexpected ways. “Entrepreneurs and business owners are eager to meet and mastermind with smart, like-minded people who are also in search of reciprocal, long-lasting relationships,” she says.

Michelle Christie, an online visibility coach and social media expert who helps clients position their businesses to generate visibility, says volunteering is one of the easiest and most cost-effective community outreach techniques. It’s also a great way to make a meaningful positive impact on your community. “Getting all employees together once a month to do some Saturday morning cleaning in a community park will improve a company’s reputation and the look of the local greenery,” Christie says. “Make some company T-shirts for your employees to wear and you’re all set.”

For more tips on how to strengthen your businesses’ ties to your community, download our ebook, How Small-Town Values Can Transform Networking Skills.

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Seasons Greetings From the CNO

Now that the holidays are in full swing, I’ve taken the time to sit down and consider the essence of this time of year. What is it, exactly, that makes us feel all warm and cozy inside (other than that cup of hot chocolate or bowl gumbo)? What’s the glue that holds the fabric of this season together? The answer, I’ve come to find, is actually pretty simple: Relationships! Spending time with the people you love is, without a doubt, the absolute cornerstone of Christmas.

As a business owner, my next questions to ponder were obviously: What are the elements of a strong relationship and how can businesses incorporate them successfully?

First off, relationship building is a tactic that you discover as you get older; It’s also something that develops as your business matures. One day, you will literally look up and realize that, if you have been in a certain industry for a long time (say 15-20 years), the relationships are what matter most. You’ll find that these connections have actually been the key to most of your success. Strong business relationships are essential to the growth of your company. This applies not only to clients, but to valued vendors and committed employees as well.

So, now we know that relationships are important, but how do we go about creating them? What is the secret ingredient to awesome relationships? I would say that open, consistent communication ranks pretty high. Not only is it important to communicate, but the ability to do it honestly and with a lot of decency is crucial to your relationship’s success.

Next in line would have to be your ability and willingness to show gratitude. Whether it be your best friend Tom, your great aunt Sue or Tina from Account Service, everyone enjoys a little appreciation. Trust me, it doesn’t go unnoticed!

At Cane River Pecan Company, we are in the corporate gift business. We strongly believe that a thoughtful and well-timed gift makes a difference in building business relationships. We are not only advocates of corporate gifting, but we practice it as well. There have been many times that we have taken the time to send a gift from our company to another business to show our appreciation. More times than not, a gift hits the mark in the manner of which it was meant – to express our sincere appreciation for a relationship gone well.

Good relationships also depend on loyalty. In business, your word or “promise” is paramount to your company’s success. Do what you say you are going to do – start there.  It doesn’t matter if you are dealing with a customer, vendor or employee; they want to know that you are good for your word. It matters in the long run and will play a role in your professional and personal success. Over time, you will begin to notice that trust builds up and becomes the foundation of every business relationship that is constructed.

So, with all things considered, you’re now ready to rock the relationship game in 2017.

Go forth and prosper!