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I attended an incredibly sad funeral this morning – of a vibrant life cut way too short.  As I arrived early and watched what seemed to be a very diverse group of attendees – young, old, senior executives to personal friends, I couldn’t help but to wonder about the vast array of lives this person had touched.  Throughout the moving service, I wondered less about what this person accomplished and much more about how others described him – the rich, loving life he lived.  I found myself pondering what seems to be a cliché, yet worth asking:

If this were my funeral, who would show up and what would they say?

I’m convinced more than ever that few will care about the size of my house or bank account; they will be there because of the portfolio of real relationships I invested in – personally and professionally.  You see the person who passed away, wasn’t a whole lot older than I am – another reminder that you can’t take any given day for granted!

Who would you most like to see at your funeral and what would you want them to say?  What will you do to make 2010 count?  What are you doing to invest in those relationships today?  That’s something LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter can’t do for you!

I read with particular interest the following excerpt:

About 15 percent of teens ages 12-17 say they’ve received sexually suggestive photos or videos of someone they know, according to a study by the Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project.  Four percent admit they’ve sent photos of themselves to others.

Amanda Lenhart, senior research specialist and author of the report, said “sexting,” as it’s called, has become a form of “relationship currency.”

“These images are shared as a part of or instead of sexual activity,” she said, “or as a way of starting or maintaining a relationship with a significant other.”

Here is where the respected Pew Research and Ms. Lenhart are dead wrong! “Relationship Currency” – as a registered trademarked by our firm, is defined as a win-win investment in a valuable and prioritized relationship, one that has an immediate and quantifiable impact to enhance both party’s condition.  Ms. Lenhart’s comment is a gross misuse of the term, particularly given the troubling topic of teen sexting.  We believe Relationship Currency Deposits to be of great value in our society, highly instrumental to one’s personal and professional success in 2010 and beyond heightened by the current environment of low trust.  It is unfortunate that Ms. Lenhart has decided to use an otherwise positive and wholesome phrase, instrumental to the success of many hard-working professionals, and unjustly associate it with inappropriate and juvenile acts.

Another reminder that even the most astute of analysts can get careless and lazy with their word choice!

What does “relationship currency” mean to you?

Received this email from a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software company which we were “less than satisfied” client of last year!  You’d think they’d know that!  This is exactly why most people believe CRM doesn’t work!  How effectively are you leveraging technology to help manage your most valuable relationships?

Begin forwarded message:

Date: December 16, 2009 1:40:02 PM EST
To: David Nour
Subject: NetSuite For Your Services Business

Hello David,

I am a Senior Account Executive with NetSuite, the industry leading single database CRM/ERP/Ecommerce solution designed specifically for small and mid-sized businesses as well as divisions of large companies and multi-nationals.

Services firms have long had to manage their business and client relationships through fragmented project management, accounting, document management and sales software.  That’s inefficient for the firm and bruises the relationship with clients.
Billable Services Organizations seek to alleviate several increasingly pressing issues:

·         The ability to shrink the time between work performed and payment.
·         Need for real-time reporting to support strategic decision making and quick reactions to fast-changing market dynamics.
·         The need to capture and reuse business intelligence (reports, historical data, previous work) to bid new business, manage profits, and reduce costs.
·         Ongoing training in changing technologies and markets.
·         Increasingly complex project workflows and lifecycles.
·         Easier and accurate billing of time back to the appropriate clients’.
·         Revenue recognition management.
In addition to addressing those issues, NetSuite can help Billable Services Organizations rapidly improve their ROI, quickly deploy new tools, increase the utilization of their consultants, and improve access to detailed metrics for the in-depth analysis of their businesses.

When would be a good time to follow up with a brief call to discuss your business?

For many this is the season to send holiday cards (a gift in themselves) or gifts to the most valuable professional relationships in our lives.  They may be colleagues, alliance partners, referral sources, prospective clients, active or past clients.

What they have in common is a prioritized sense of value, so how did you pick those on your list?  Did you send “cookie-cutter, one-size-fits-all” holiday cards, or did you customize the message to authentically say “thank you!”  Did you personalize it with a face and a voice to the company, or stamp a name inside each with a hint as to the strategic and mutually beneficial nature of the relationship?

For 2010, my biggest wish for you is to understand and act upon the real value of your relationships.  They are your most valuable asset!

We’re taking a couple of weeks off for the holidays, but will be back with a number of great webinars the first week in January, so hope you’ll join us.  Learn more on our QAlias Bulletin.

Great letter from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce…

I hope he’s not the only one in the world who thinks this way… 

From: Stan Berenbaum
Date: October 25, 2009 5:36:04 PM EDT
To: David Nour
Subject: Relationship Economics

David –just finished your book – will prove to be very helpful to those who read, practice and implement your thoughts.

Best,
Stan  

Stan Berenbaum
President and CEO
American Leak Detection, Inc.

American Leak Detection’s mission is to find leaks in a manner that is non-invasive, efficient and environmentally sound.  We will give prompt, professional and courteous service to all customers, while providing the best leak detection services in the world.