Doing Business Through Relationships

Brian Soanes, co-founder and Chief Executive of the Business Club, asks “Is the salesman dead?”

Over the past 10 years, we’ve seen an exponential growth in business done over the internet. So does this mean that the old saying “people buy people” no longer holds true? In some market sectors, sales are made without the seller and the buyer ever meeting, or even speaking to each other.
However, this is not true in the Business 2 Business service sector. There has been an explosion of networking groups which bring people together in a face-to-face environment. Why? The answer is simple. When buying a service you are actually buying the knowledge, skills and experience of people. So, you want to get to know them and build a relationship – you can then make a judgment about whether they will deliver what they promise. In The Business Club, we see hundreds of relationships develop which lead to doing business together. Here are just three companies experiences and views on “people buy people”!

Case Studies

Carli Beary, New Business and HR Manager – Borney UK

Borney UK print solutions, is one of the UK’s leading manufacturers and supplier of flags, flagpoles, forecourt signage and promotional displays, established 18 years ago and now based in Huntingdon.

I joined the Business Club about six months ago, and one of the main reasons I joined up was because of their company ethos. It’s all about establishing relationships, whether you’re working with them directly, indirectly or through referrals. My first meeting there I did business straight away with two other members, and I’ve now got an event coming up where I’ve been able to utlilise my contacts that I met there, as well as bringing business to them

www.signsflagsbanners.com

Mark Swindale, Managing Director – Shield Technologies

Shield Technologies is a provider of IT support solutions for Peterborough businesses, including contract or pay-as- you-go support, installations, upgrades, data security and disaster recovery.

Our main marketing focus has been on relationship building through networking over the last ten years, and we can attribute a good chunk of our current revenue back to the relationships we have built through Business Club and other business networking groups. Businesses who provide services will often have to gain trust before they can ‘sell’ and that is exactly what we achieve through this style of marketing

www.shieldtechnologies.co.uk
Reg Miller, CEO – Propertyrush / Letsrush

Sister companies Propertyrush and Letsrush specialise in buy-to-let property and property management in Peterborough for those seeking long- term financial returns, and tax efficient investment that provides sustainable income with capital growth.

Propertyrush and Letsrush have been able to develop successful business relationships and opportunities from The Business Club over the last three and half years, earning over £158,000 from referrals and networking. Likewise we’ve placed a lot of business with fellow members or were just kindly helped by them. Though it’s not just about business, the friendships you make with fellow members with diverse life experiences often help you view things from different perspectives, and we’ve attended some great social events that have been a lot of fun

www.propertyrush.com
www.letsrush.com