“Tell me who your friends are, and I will tell you who you are.”
Cliché, maybe, but so true – not only literally with friendships, but as well as in business.
It is an established fact that no one in the business world can really survive without peers, associates, and partners. When you are connected in business, every time you do anything wrong, the other parties are affected, too. Every time you do something great, your associates succeed too.
This is precisely why it is very important for one to guard his image. What you do, what you are trickles down to your partners.
Why? Here are more reasons.
No one likes to be associated with mediocrity
If you have referral partners, and your product or service is of poor quality, then your partners will refer mediocrity onto their own network of contacts, thus spreading the less-than-stellar quality of your products/services. And the more people find out about this low quality, then more people will be your brand non-endorsers, and there will be more people spreading the word about what you should be hiding (or improving). In a dog-eat-dog world of business, some people can be unbelievably vicious – which is why you must guard your image all the time.
What you do directly reflects on your partners
A partner is essentially that – someone you do things with, spread success with, and yes – even downfalls with. If you fail, your partners fail too. Either that, or they move away from you.
Or you could choose partners who will be there to support you and come to your defence when things go wrong. This is the most essential part of any partnership – which is the underlying relationship. This is why you must do all you can to have a scar-free image.
What you do or say is indirectly attributed to those connected to you
Did you just say those untruthful or nasty things on social media which caused several key people in business to be turned off by mere association with you? Oh yes, whether you like it or not, what you do reflects on your partners.
Your downfall becomes the downfall of your partners too
What would you prefer – to bring your partners down with you, or uplift them with your excellence? The answer is quite obvious, so always strive to be the best version of who you can be. Think a hundred times before you do or say anything which could affect the image of your referral partners.
Your success elevates the image of your partners
Now the good part – achieve success, and your partners will celebrate with you. A referral partnership is a relationship – who you are will have direct consequences and effects on your partners.
So when you experience overwhelming success, remember to thank your referral partners too. You altogether helped achieve the success you are enjoying. Your success is their success too.