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To stay ahead of the competition, even excellent service mindset has come back into vogue. Suddenly, being polite, and 

concerned has become as important today as it was in your grandmother's age. And while not every company has mastered
this field, competition at the high end is quite intense. Whether you stay at the Sheraton Towers or the Shangri-La, dine 
at the Rainbow Room or the Hard Rock Café, fly British Airways or Singapore Airlines, the service you receive today will 
often be quite good.

With competition so intense, winning companies are growing in another vital dimension. In addition to great products,
rapid delivery and excellent service mindset, market leaders are now building stronger partnerships with their most valuable
clients, suppliers and employees.

What does it mean to "build strong partnerships"? Why do you need to master this vital skill? What practical steps can
you take to achieve it, right now? First, let's put "partnership" in perspective. There are four different styles of interaction in 
business (and in life) and three of them are not partnerships at all!

The first style of interaction is characterized by a short term focus between the parties. Beyond completing the exchange
of the moment, no lasting commitment is intended nor implied. Asking someone for directions, buying goods at a
close-out sale, or picking up a newspaper from the corner newsstand are all clear examples of the "One Shot Deal". 
Many familiar phrases are associated with this kind of brief and immediate interaction: "Take it or leave it", "What you 
see is what you get", and "Here today, gone tomorrow". With no promise of future involvement between the parties,
one more phrase certainly applies: "Caveat emptor" in Latin. In English: "Let the buyer beware".

The second style of interaction takes more time than a "One Shot Deal". More "moments of truth" are involved in these
transactions, and additional effort is required to meet or exceed customer expectations.

Taking a flight from one city to another is a good example, including telephone reservations, airport check-in, on-time

departure, quality food, entertainment and service on-board, timely arrival and speedy delivery of checked-in baggage.

If all of these "perception points" are well managed, customers are satisfied; a state of affairs called "Transaction 
Satisfaction" then exists. Although no future involvement is promised or required in these transactions, customers 
do tend to return to those vendors and suppliers who consistently meet their needs.

The third style of interaction extends "Transaction Satisfaction" into the future. Consistency and dependability are 
essential, as customers and suppliers count on each other for more frequent business. When done well, this can evolve
into a "Reliable Relationship" where both parties consistently benefit over time. Examples of "Reliable Relationship"
include daily newspaper delivery to your doorstep, occasional purchase of office supplies on a store credit account, ongoing
maintenance contracts for essential equipment, and annual check-ups with your family doctor.

The fourth style of interaction also extends into the future, but the value and importance of the interaction actually grows 
significantly over time. In a "Powerful Partnership" both parties learn that working well together brings new possibilities,
unique opportunities and otherwise unachievable growth. A "powerful partnership" does not grow unattended.
Substantial effort and ongoing investments of time, creativity and resources are required to keep a "Powerful Partnership"
going and growing.

Examples of "Powerful Partnership" may include research joint ventures, marketing, manufacturing and distribution 
alliances, excellent boss and secretary combinations and indeed, just about every healthy marriage.

Which of these "four styles of interaction" describe the current situation with your customers? suppliers? colleagues, 
managers and employees? Amongst the four, where are you right now? Where do you want to be?

In many organizations, the four stages of improvement are handled by four different 
departments: explore is the realm of marketing, agreements are completed by sales,
deliver is domain of manufacturing, operations and logistics, and assure is provided, 
if required, by after-sales warranty and customer service. Unfortunately, this approach 
often leaves customers with a schizophrenic experience of your organization. Customers
are told one thing by one department, but hear a different story from  another. They cry 
out for "one face" to work with rather than an ever-expanding list of business cards, 
names and telephone numbers.

 
Inside the organization, the fragmented, specialized approach can lead to mistrust and even outright 
resistance between departments.  Fortunately, the solution to this problem can be built right into the
procedures and the culture of your organization.
 

First, connect the four distinct stages with frequent and detailed communication between departments. Second, 
institutionalize shared understanding with cross-training, cross-functional teams, and longer-term attachments. The
more your people understand what colleagues are doing, the better your colleagues, and your customers, will be served.

Each time you successfully complete a cycle of explore, agree, deliver and assure, another layer of trust is built between 
the parties. In fact, this is perhaps the only way that humans have learned to build trust together. Want a large order 
from your customer? Prove yourself with smaller jobs first. Want more responsibility from your boss? First demonstrate
your skills and your commitment with a series of well-executed projects.

This makes good sense in business, but it can apply in your personal and social life, as well. Indeed, building trust with 
others is the foundation for all our successful relationships. It is the necessary glue for strong partnerships we build now
and into the future.