Its all about chemistry…

Sad times, my friends. My favourite TV series has come to the end and left me with a cliffhanger. All will be revealed in the next series, coming soon to a screen near you! No doubt, the actors themselves are enjoying a well earned holiday, a welcome respite from putting in long hours to give me my entertainment. Just don’t take too long about it, knowaddimean?

Actors audition for their parts before landing the role. The audition process is a search to find the best match to the creative vision of the directors. Part of that is a chemistry test, important for gauging how two or more actors will interact with each other on screen or stage. Not only are they judged appropriate for the role by their acting chops, but it’s the chemistry between them and other actors in the scene too. We might think that it’s something that can’t be purposely created. Yet that is the job of the actor isn’t it – to suspend our belief that we’re actually watching them do their day job? If they can convey that, they’re putting the audience in the story with them, it improves our viewing experience. That rapport between two people on screen makes us believe in the relationship (even though we logically know it’s fiction!) 

Okay, so we’re not actors, we’re business owners. We don’t suspend reality in that way. We want to be honest and upfront in all of our dealings with our clients. And we’re not going to benefit from additional viewing numbers or sales based on if we’re dating them or not – that’s not at all what I am suggesting! But we need to remind ourselves that rapport is just as important for a trusting relationship in business, too. Where the actors dupe us by emulating ‘relationship goals’, we do this – for real – every day in our working lives. Without a strong and trusting relationship, cracks appear that are hard to paste over or repair. 

To get that best outcome – where two sides commit to one another – there are some common factors. A shared understanding, a unified goal – foundations for chemistry. Listening to each side of the story, aiming for clear communication. Understanding the challenges you face together and your individual approaches to solving them. Knowing how the sum of our parts – our business and our client – makes for something much bigger and better. Chemistry is what makes the magic happen – when that happens with our work colleagues, we’re forming a winning team. No deception needed, but there are certainly steps we can take to move this along.

Where do you see that in your business? You might be building that chemistry with your clients by working on improving your communications and reporting on progress made. Or growing a community where your clients feel heard and understood. It could be that you’re setting clear expectations about the scope of work, trying to work in harmony. Your values, beliefs and interests may overlap too – sharing, reviewing and even celebrating goals that you’re both working towards, as one. 

How do you pass the chemistry test with your clients? 

How do you convince them that you’re the perfect choice to perform that role?

I’d love to know what you’re doing to improve the relationships you have with the people you work with. Over to the comments…