Raising the Bar: Relationship Building – R&B Music

by W. Blair Meeks
Communication Strategist
Jackson Spalding

You have probably heard this next piece of business advice a thousand times: success in business is all about relationships. It is definitely true. The trouble is, many times, that is as far as that piece of advice goes. Sure, relationships are how the vast majority of business decisions are made; they impact who is hired, who is fired, who wins clients and who earns important positions. But hearing this advice is a long way from knowing what it means or, more precisely, knowing how to put it into practice.

In this month’s Raising the Bar I’m going to explain the Jackson Spalding view on relationship building. We call it R&B Music (when it’s working well it is as smooth, flowing and comfortable as an old R&B groove) and my guru in this field is Glen Jackson, one of the founders of our firm.

Glen must be one of the most well-connected men in Atlanta. He knows people across the Metro and around the state. He is connected to the business community in every sphere across the wide spectrum that makes up our region. Of course, he didn’t start out this way; it took years of dedicated, consistent work. It is work that has resulted in a support system that helps drive opportunity and growth for our firm.

So how did he do it? He’ll tell you one meaningful, sincere relationship at a time. I’ll extend his lesson to bring up two areas of concentration: deeper connections and well-placed connections.

When I first started working at JS, I was really impressed when I found out about Glen’s little blue book. It’s a book he’s kept with him for years. In it is a long string of names, numbers, dates and personal information that together becomes a valuable lesson in relationship building. It’s a relationship ledger, and the goal of this balance sheet is more powerful business partnerships. When Glen meets someone, he does a number of things that are all focused on making a deeper, longer-lasting connection. Personal details are one of the keys. He’ll ask (when it feels natural) about family, schools attended, passions they may have for art or music, about a spouse or child, and after each meeting he pulls out his little blue book and makes an entry. He writes tips about the meeting and those personal details.

The book then goes in his briefcase ready for the next meeting with that person or group. When that meeting comes, he reviews his notes and he’s ready to build a connection that goes deeper. After a few meetings, he no longer needs the notes from his book because he’s internalized the connection. It’s become a relationship where true caring goes both ways. It’s not just a business opportunity; it’s a life-sharing opportunity . . . one that creates a sense of bonding that these two individuals have become a team that is taking on the challenges of business (or law) as one.

It takes discipline. It is not something you can fake and should never be forced. Glen’s book works for him because he is so sincere. He genuinely cares. Little things like remembering that your child went in for surgery may not seem like much by themselves, but string a few of those events together over time and it becomes the fabric of a powerful partnership. You look back after a few years and have a long list of ups and downs, shared triumphs and challenges. It is exactly those celebrations and struggles that make life worth living, and not just in the business world. It’s true of relationships and families too.

So that’s the deeper connections part. Well-placed connections involve a little more strategy, and we’ve boiled it down to a four-step process: assessment, identification, research and action.

1. Assessment – Take stock of who you are and where you are in terms of your business and law practice. Take a look at clients and identify similarities in who they are and how they came to be clients. If you continue to do the same things, you’ll get the same results.

2. Identification – Develop a list of the types of clients you realistically feel you should be adding to your client base. Are you missing anything? Are there skills not being utilized?

3. Research – Look into where the clients on that list are involved both in business and on a personal level. Are there groups they belong to? Social events they go to? Charities they support? Boards on which they participate? Professional societies of which they are members?

4. Action – Now put yourself in situations where you can interact with clients on that list in a normal, non-pitching or salesy kind of way. The goal is honest interaction. You want to learn about them and have them learn about you. If there are similarities, the business part will flow naturally as long as this relationship of trust begins on comfortable ground.

That’s what we mean when we say “well-placed connections.” They are connections in the areas where you are striving to be more involved. Feel too sneaky for you? Think about it this way: an important component of business or law practice success is involvement in your community. You can develop connections through the activities you normally do. That works. You can also add an extra step of strategy when choosing those activities.

Deeper connections and well-placed connections are keys to beautiful R&B music. When done well it’s as easy as sittin’ on the dock of the bay wastin’ time.