We tend to talk about those customers and clients who are challenging and difficult to work with in our businesses here in the Home Business blog, but I thought it might be a little more fun, and a nice change of pace, to talk about how to find and keep those customers, clients, colleagues, and vendors who are EASY to work with. They are out there, and I think every business deserves a few people who are pleasant joys to work with–instead of only those who make things difficult!
What is “easy” to work with for you? Is it people who don’t ask for special favors, those who turn things in on time, people with a sense of humor or an easy-going temperament? Others might really want people who are more driven and who share their sense of competition and need for quick completion. While we don’t always get to choose the people we come in contact with in our businesses, the more we understand ourselves and what makes us tick, the more we are likely to know how to find those people with whom we work most smoothly.
I have written before about how I have a hard time working with people who are perpetually late or who cannot meet deadlines. While I understand that there are plenty of people out there in the world who do not have the same sense of timing that I do–I also know that if I am working on an important project and I have a “say” about who I get to work with–I will seek out those people I know I can count on in the timing department. Over the years, we all tend to build up a collection of ex-coworkers, colleagues, friends, and others with whom we have worked well. Keep track of these people, nurture those contacts even if you are no longer working together on a daily basis–you never know when you will need to draw one of them back into your work life. I think this is one of the ways to keep people who one finds easy to work with in one’s sphere of influence.
Additionally, if you get a customer or client with whom you work well and easily, I think it is worth it to do what you can to keep them. Perhaps they are not the highest paying or even someone who places large orders or provides a lot of work. Still, having a few people who are easy and pleasant to work with can be worth their weight in gold! Cherish, nurture and cultivate those “easy” people in order to keep some balance in your business.
Also: Making Time for Networking
Networking with Former Coworkers