Whenever possible, try to have in-person meetings with current or potential business associates. Face-to-face interaction is crucial for building and maintaining relationships of any kind, business included.Meeting in-person allows you to notice body language and other non-verbal cues that would be harder to interpret over the phone or via email.;
, Writing an old-fashioned note is a simple way to maintain business-to-business relationships. Unlike sending an e-mail, a card is an obvious, visible reminder of your thoughtfulness.Be sure to follow up on collaborative projects. Send a thank you note about your partnership and let the other party know you are always willing to collaborate again.
 Whenever possible, interact via phone conversation rather than just through email. Taking the time to make a simple phone call can make all the difference in the world to a person you are in business with, especially in today’s fast-paced, email-oriented, technology-driven environment.When a business sends clients your way, acknowledge the gesture with a phone call. This is a great way to show your gratitude.
 Listening well is part of maintaining any relationship that matters to you, especially business relationships. You want your business associates to feel like you hear what they are saying and that you think their opinion matters. This means giving them the floor to talk and letting them see that you are listening.Practice active listening skills like nodding your head, making eye contact, and giving short verbal responses to indicate that you are engaged in the conversation even when you aren’t speaking.
 All relationships take time and effort to build and maintain. Business relationships are no different. You must make time for them, even when it’s inconvenient for you, so that they know you value their business.This means that you can’t just call someone up whenever you need them and ignore them when you don’t.
You have to be willing to invest time and energy into your relationship even if it doesn’t seem to benefit you immediately. You will reap the benefits in the long run.
 Try to be proactive about predicting the needs of the businesses you interact with on a regular basis. Continuously check in with company leaders to ensure that their needs are being met by your services. Don’t simply wait for them to contact you.Determine how you can best serve business clients and colleagues. Ask direct questions about your company's quality, products, and efficiency. Surveys, phone calls or a casual on-site visit are inexpensive ways to improve business-to-business relationships.
 Instead of simply attempting to meet the needs of a client's short-term project, learn what the company might need in the future. Ask what new developments are in the works. Then get a timeline for pending product launches. Finally, determine how your business skills can increase their chances of success with the new projects.
 A great way to expand your business relationships is to network through business associates you already have. Ask some existing business clients or associates to make introductions for you so that you can expand your business circle.Just be sure that you are willing to help others network in return. Maintaining business relationships is all about finding the balance of give and take. You have to be willing to give in order for others to be willing to give to you., When you learn of a colleague or business in need of services that someone you know can provide, offer to arrange an introduction between the two entities. If your business associates think of you as someone who helps them solve their problems (even when it might not directly benefit you), they will be more likely to remain in business with you.Before making a business-to-business referral, try to get a general understanding of the capabilities, needs, and budgets of both parties to avoid wasting anyone's time.
 Collaboration can be a great way to build business relationships. Find out how to collaborate with competitors on certain projects. If your business owns a piece of machinery that you believe will add value to another company's services, approach the company owner to determine if you can work together.Invite the potential collaborator to lunch to talk about complimentary services and products.
 Take the time to build a professional presence on social networking websites to share your background with others who may not be as familiar with your work. This will help get your business name out there and can reassure your existing business relationships.Using social media will help you reach a larger audience of people with your vision for your business and will give you a great starting point for building business relationships.
Having an online presence makes it easier for new contacts (and existing ones) to find you and contact you.
Meet face-to-face.
Send a handwritten card.
Pick up the phone.
Listen more than you talk.
Nurture your relationships.
Pay attention to the needs of your business associates.
See a client's big picture.
Try networking.
Make referrals.
Try to collaborate on projects.
Utilize social networking platforms to build larger business circles.
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