The Importance of Relationships in Sales

Simple Yet Powerful Referability Habits

Dan Sullivan, a former coach of mine shared four great rules that you can use to guide you through not only creating great relationships but maintaining them as well. He calls these the Referability Habits. They're really quite simple, and something we should not only all follow but teach our children. They are:

• Show up on time.
• Do what you say.
• Finish what you start.
• Say please and thank you.

These four rules are simple and need no further explanation. They likely reminded you of what your parents and teachers taught you. However, we often deviate from these rules. We show up late, make promises we can't keep, and sometimes have no intention of keeping them.

These promises may benefit us in the moment, but we get sidetracked, and today's commitments are forgotten tomorrow. We claim there's not enough time and question the importance of saying please and thank you.

Transforming Your Life with the Referability Habits

Can you think of anybody you know who actually follows these rules? I discovered my life - both personal and professional - transformed completely when I started conscientiously following these rules.

The Importance of Consistency and Reliability

Carefully survey those you admire most. Can you find common threads in their actions? Do they follow these four rules? Those who do usually have the best relationships. When they are late or need to postpone a deadline, those they often work with respond positively because they know that this is a rare event. They're given grace because they know that something really did occur for them to break their own rules.

The Impact of Being Chronically Late

On the other hand, an individual who is always running late or fails to follow through and has offered a myriad of excuses is often compared to the boy who cried wolf. After a while, no one really believes him.

In fact, I know some people who I just assume are going to be late for meetings. I often say these people are living in their own time zones. If a meeting is scheduled for one o'clock, for example, I don't even expect this person to show up until closer to 1:30. Or I tell them the meeting starts a half hour earlier than it really does. This doesn’t foster the mutual respect necessary for strong relationships. You have to give respect to get it - and being late for a meeting is no way to do that.

The Strength of Relationships Through Referability Habits

When you add these Referability Habits to the basic concept of the Golden Rule and show others you sincerely care about them, you can build strong, trustworthy relationships that enhance both your personal and professional life.

Remember, success in business—and life in general—stems from genuine connections and mutual respect. Start implementing these principles today and watch your relationships and opportunities flourish.

Implement the Habits

Take the first step now: Reflect on your daily interactions and identify areas where you can improve. Make a conscious effort to practice these habits and observe the positive changes in your relationships.

Embracing these Referability Habits will not only enhance your professional life but also enrich your personal interactions. Consistent reliability and genuine respect are foundational to success in any field.

Start today and witness the ripple effect of these small but powerful changes. Your journey to stronger relationships and greater success begins here.

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