The R Factor

Speciality Bites with

Paul Hargreaves

Chief executive of Cotswold Fayre

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• Can/should bosses really be close friends with their staff?

Relationships within business are absolutely fundamental

But those that do not understand relationship-building, partnership and collaboration are unlikely to reach their full potential – and some will not succeed at all. This may be a bold statement, but I’m convinced that a greater understanding of relationship building within business will greatly help our businesses.

I am writing this piece from Madrid, having also been over to Ireland earlier in the week. Both these places, though close to us geographically, are much more relationship-orientated cultures than us in the UK. Both Ireland and Spain are still catholic cultures, and there may be a connection with these roots within society, I don’t know.

However, I do know that family relationships and relationships within business tend to be stronger here than in the UK. In business terms, whilst this means it may take longer to become a supplier as trust builds up, it means that the strength of bond is much more likely to last as time goes on.

At Cotswold Fayre, we are keen to further develop partnership relationships with our suppliers. To be honest, as a wholesaler there is little point doing business in any other way as it is so important as a ‘middle man’. As a retailer, this is also true with your suppliers and even more so with your customers.

The nature of being a wholesaler is one of constant vulnerability. If there is not that mutual trust between the wholesaler and its suppliers, then when a profitable deal comes along it is sometimes possible for the wholesaler to be cut out of the loop completely, which can destroy the whole relationship.

Fortunately the above scenario rarely happens, although it is a constant source of frustration that so few suppliers truly endeavour to work in partnership with us. Indeed some suppliers don’t seem to have any idea of the concept! Perhaps these are people who are not relationship-orientated in their personal lives? Developing these partnerships is one of the key aspects within our supply chain, and we are learning more about this all the time.

I am utterly convinced of one thing though: I love to do business with my friends. They may not be friends at the start of the supply-relationship, but inevitably the successful business relationships develop in this way. And how much more pleasant is the working day when meetings and phone calls are with ‘friends’ rather than ‘customers’?

I have also noticed over the years that my sales team are better at selling products where the producer has made an effort to make them “feel loved” and built a relationship with the individual members of the team. They sell more products where there is more of a relationship.

So go out and make some friends in business this week, and develop your R factor.