"To me, business should not be adversarial." Ron starts off his podcast. Business relationships matter because they are a part of your business. Your business is not just the product you sell. It's also the people who buy it and sell it to you. He says that we're all suppliers and customers at one point.
"When I'm talking to a customer, I'm talking to customers as a supplier, and I'm selling them something. But when I've sold them something, I've bought it from someone else…And when my customer goes and takes my product and turns it into something, they become a supplier to their customer. So we're all on both sides of the fence pretty much." He says. So there's no reason to be adversarial.
Ron believes that when it comes to business, it really shouldn't have to be a "win-win." There shouldn't be winners and losers in the first place. We just have to work together.
"When you work with your customers…you want to get an outcome for them… There can be trade-offs for things: someone wants the cheapest price, and someone wants the best quality. That's fine as long as everybody is aware of what they were looking for." he says. Nobody needs to take advantage of anybody.
He says he's also a customer, so when he buys something from his suppliers, he's hopeful that they're giving him what he needs. Relationships are critical because it's when you build a relationship with your supplier or customer that you can understand what they need and give it to them.
That's what business relationships are about: getting to know each other and working together towards a common goal.
"I know that if I… do go into the shop…if someone's having a chat with me and taking the time to understand what I want? That will resonate very strongly with me." Ron says. The price won't even be a problem. Even if the price is a little higher or less, it won't matter because it's the relationship that matters. "I'll be happy because they've said it costs so much, so it doesn't matter if something can be a little more or a little less. We've struck a bargain. We've struck a deal at that price. I'm happy with that." he says.
The best relationships are based on understanding, trust, and mutual respect. And for Ron, business relationships are no different.
Listen as Ron shares more of his personal take on why relationships are critical in business. Learn his insights and maybe see business relationships in a new light.
You can find some more episodes here.