Karie is an Operations Consultant with ReSource Pro’s Operations Advisory team.
What are influential relationships and why are they important?
With the rise of remote work and digital communications, it has become increasingly challenging for insurance professionals to build truly influential relationships with clients, prospects, and colleagues that break down barriers and leave a lasting impact.
Influential relationships, those in which both parties feel they can trust and rely on one another for support, are important because they can help create more collaborative work environments, reduce operational silos, and improve customer retention.
In addition, these relationships can enable you to grow personally and professionally, gain inside knowledge, and develop a network of connections who can offer you support when you need it most.
How do you build influential relationships?
Building influential relationships is all about demonstrating credibility, dependability, and actionability, as well as leaving a memorable impression. Being communicative and consistent is the best way to start. Here are several tips you can use to help make new connections and keep in touch with existing ones.
- Write down everyone you meet. To keep track of the people you’ve connected with, try creating a modern rolodex. It isn’t necessary to include a full bio for each contact, but take note of key traits—such as hobbies or personal life items—you can use to start a conversation in the future.
- Set aside time for weekly people check-ins. If you have a busy calendar, think about blocking out 15-30 minutes to chat with 1-3 people you’d like to build a stronger relationship with. These check-ins can be formal or informal. They can be as simple as sending an instant message to a colleague to ask how work is going or what they think about last night’s sports game.
- Follow someone on social media. Try building connections through LinkedIn and other social media platforms by liking and commenting on content that interests you.
- Share something new or circle back to something old. If you connected with someone a few months ago, but never followed up, consider ways to circle back to your previous conversation or start a new one.
As you work toward building influential relationships, it’s important to regularly evaluate your goals and strategies to ensure that they align and your efforts will pay off. For example, one goal might be to check in with at least three people per week, while an overall goal could be to leverage your network for help with an upcoming project.
Creating deeper connections pays off
Spending the time and effort to create new connections and keep in touch keep with existing ones isn’t easy, but doing so will ultimately help you:
- Grow personally and professionally
- Develop a network that can support you
- Improve your relationship with clients, colleagues, and others
Need more advice on building influential relationships, creating more efficient operations, or developing strategies to improve customer experience? Find out how ReSource Pro can help.