The relationship advantage – build bonds that build businesses.

The secrets to building lifelong relationships that deliver to you and your business.

This slide deck accompanies a professional keynote I first delivered for the Institute of Directors October 2025. All speaking engagements are unique and tailored to the audience in the room. I want to ensure you, the organiser and your delegates benefit from every minute we spend time together.

If you were in the room at the Colchester Football Stadium, please do connect with me on social media and ask me anything.

If you are an Insider you can tag me in further discussion and mentoring here

Statistics and research I mentioned that will remind you why it’s so important to build exceptional relationships are listed below along with some of the key points from the PowerPoint.

One study found that word-of-mouth referrals driven by strong relationships reduce customer acquisition costs by up to 50%.

Harvard Business Review found that high-trust brands keep customers 2.5x longer.

When you build a great relationship it is more than just these things of sustainable profits and new opportunities, business is easier.

People want to work with you!

People walk up to you and say “I’ve heard about you, tell me more.” You don’t need to get through the gatekeeper because the boss is coming to you.

In all my years in business, I’ve never been through procurement. I have always bypassed it because someone has learnt that perfect saying of know me, like me, trust me via my automated, low cost marketing and they’ve wanted me. I’m going to share how you can do this too.

But for me more than anything great relationships are win win and I’m going to share how that benefits all stakeholders in your organisation.

In one company I worked with they were able to reduce their absenteeism to zero for 6 months, which was pretty impressive since it was the first 6 months of the pandemic and there were over 200 of them! People fight for what you believe in when you build great relationships. When they feel like they matter and it’s communicated with power.

University of Oxford found that businesses with trusted relationships between all stakeholders recover 40% faster from economic downturns or reputation crises.

And MIT showed that companies that bond innovate 30% faster because everyone knows they are safe to share.

We are seeing an all-time low in employees comfort, ability and confidence to take risks in business which reduces innovation and causes that grape vine mentality and that them and us. And that is damaging on many levels. Awesome relationships mitigate this risk.

I know for myself in the pandemic when people were stressing about loo roll or bulk buying fuel. I was sat on the M25 for 6 hours trying to get to my husband to another surgery – he had cancer, a blood clot, a stroke, and open heart surgery.

I had to earn double the money in half the time. And of course there were times when I was sat in a car freezing cold or boiling hot for many hours and my mind was not focused on work. I dropped the proverbial ball and wasn’t capable of pivoting any more than I did but I didn’t lose any customers because they genuinely knew and do this day that they matter to me. They know I’d do anything for them.

It’s not just about going the extra mile, it’s about how you make all stakeholders feel.

Exceptional relationships were the key. I am going to share how to do that.

Loyal customers don’t just buy they become brand ambassadors.

A Harvard business review found that emotionally connected customers are 52% more valuable than just satisfied customers. What do you do to monitor this?

We want to belong.

KPop – my favourite!

Football.

Music. Who went to oasis? Oasis or blur? I bet if I gave you the chance you’d tell me why too!

User Generated Content;

87% of marketers now use UGC as part of their content strategy

81% of e‑commerce marketers say visual UGC is more effective than branded photos.

90% of consumers say UGC significantly influences purchasing decisions

• How are you showcasing what you stand for?
• If I went to your cleaner, LinkedIn account or you would I feel the same?
• Would I be emotionally connected?
  Would I feel your care for me and my goals?

When you communicate powerfully everything you do makes a potential customer, employee or stakeholder feel something.

We are often frightened of showing a less than polished corporate image but consumers want to know what you stand for.

Your mission statement, your vision and brand needs to eloquently vocalise this.

With budgets tighter we are not as loyal as we used to be, but 64% of consumers say they are belief-driven buyers, meaning they will choose, switch, avoid or boycott a brand based on its stand on societal issues.

What do you do to make your brand stand out? To differentiate and enable you to build unique points of contact?

A study by HR tech firm found that 77% of people consider a company‘s culture before applying for a job there.

What do you do to ensure your stakeholders feel valued?
How do you show you care without being in the room?

Cake Fridays, puppy Tuesdays, no talk sessions, no emails at the weekend. Clear boundaries and expectations.

How does your brand and reputation walk into the room before you do?

Go and talk to any Insider and they will say the same about me. And I’ve not even prepped them or paid them to say it!

Be so consistent, transparent, and true to brand that people build trust before they meet you.

Risks…

If you walk into the room and present in one way and then are different online then we lose trust. Your brand can’t be polished in one instant and your follow up unprofessional in the other. It damages that ability to build rapport.

Assuming your sphere of influence is big enough. Sorry for the professional services in the room but you often don’t attract the best candidates. You attract the ones that believe they’ve the right to be there. The same for graduates.

Remember we don’t know what we need to know until we need to know it.so if you are looking to build exceptional relationship and benefit from all they do then sticking with who you know won’t work.

Who is sat next to someone they know?

These events are about building relationships. You can meet for coffee to sustain a relationship another time, today is about making new connections, reconnecting and being memorable so if you are sat with someone you chat to online, work with or network with you are missing out.

Be more wise oak than fast fir. Symbiotic relationship think back to the benefits great relationship deliver. It’s not just about new business, so by sticking to who you know you are missing out. On average the oak hosts 286 species where as the fir holds only 37. You limit the opportunities when you think small sphere.

Don’t guess know. Use AI and automated systems to assess your customers happiness levels. Don’t automate this process for staff. Ask them. Show you care. Make the time. It’s the most precious gift you can give.

Thinking outside your natural sphere of influence means you build better partnerships, new investors and innovation.

We see this at INsiders where unconnected industries can hop on innovation from other sectors. Thinking differently but remember you have to reduce the objections to risk achieving that. So remember our rules from the start – safe to speak. Confidential. No such thing as a stupid question or stupid answer.

And remember people like me will always want to do their best for you, no matter what our relationship – because I know the importance of exceptional relationships to sustainable thriving companies and their people.

Don’t forget your business plan and marketing strategy are key components to communicating with power even before you’ve met your perfect customer. They build brand and reputation without you needing to be there. Many strategies and plans in my extensive experience of coaching teams and leaders have gaps in their approach. With my courses you can remove these gaps. Learn more here. All can be delivered as day training events to wow and empower your team. I do my best to fit most budgets – £2.50 and a bag of Wotsits is not a budget!