And something hit me that I wanted to share……….perhaps the most important part of any relationship – business or personal – is setting expectations up front.

What do I mean, well lets say that you and I enter into a business relationship, whether it is in my current position as a provider of a service with a deliverable or even if it is more of a business to consumer relationship.   If we are working together to achieve a common goal (e.g. generating sales opportunities that result in forecastable revenue with a high conversion to close) it is critical that we communicate our expectations with one another.  

For example one of the most productive and mutually beneficial client engagements I have had, is one where both the client and I sat down and not only outlined how success would be measured, but also how we like to communicate and the  types of things that are important to communicate about.  These parameters were all established in order for us to achieve the goals of our relationship (e.g. generating sales opportunities that result in forecastable revenue with a high conversion to close) – after all we are all in the business of being successful!

Here is another way to look at it, if I am selling you a bottle of wine in a store and you ask me for a recomendation – and I ask you what you are looking for -  you state “a red wine” –  and I proceed with “here is a red wine that will knock your socks off” – and the transaction is done.  What do you think the likelihood is that you are completely satisfied with the bottle I recomended?  Maybe I get lucky and it was a perfect match, but more than likely it served its purpose but you will not drive back out of your way to get another recommendation from me. 

This could have been much more of a win-win for both of us if we took a brief moment to expand on our goals and expectations for the purchase.  For example I could have recommended a bottle of wine by matching it specifically to what you were eating or the price range you were looking to spend…..a good match….and chances are you would drive back to see me the next time you needed a bottle of wine!

On side note – here is one of my favorite sets of wine  - both on the price front and taste!

“My 2 Cents”