Worcester Business Journal

16 Worcester Business Journal | February 6, 2017 | wbjournal.com MANUFACTURING S U M M I T & WORCESTER BUSINESS JOURNAL'S EXCELLENCE AWARDS This spring the Worcester Business Journal will be recognizing some of the area's top manufacturing firms with our second annual Central Mass "Manufacturing Excellence Awards". Winners will be profiled in the special section on Manufacturing in our April 3 issue of the Worcester Business Journal, and we'll hold a special awards ceremony along with a keynote address and panel discussion on manufacturing in April. NOMINATION DEADLINE: Friday, February 24, 2017 Worcester Business Journal WBJ WE WILL BE RECOGNIZING MANUFACTURING COMPANIES IN THE FOLLOWING CATEGORIES: n GENERAL EXCELLENCE – C ompanies that are the best of the best. • Under 25 employees • 25 -99 employees • Over 100 employees n EMERGING MANUFACTURER n PRODUCT INNOVATION AND DESIGN n WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT & PRODUCTIVITY n SUSTAINABILITY/GREEN PRACTICES n COLLABORATION IN MANUFACTURING Supporting Sponsors to date: Clinton Savings Bank | Marsh & McLennan Northeast Efficiency Supply For questions, contact Brad Kane at bkane@wbjournal.com Visit www.wbjournal.com/manufacturing for full details and nomination form. Relationship Bunnies P am Butterfield of Business Success Tools is not a sales per- son. She seldom, if ever, pitches her services in order to get a piece of business. Rather, Butterfield is that rare breed, the business person who builds their business through relation- ships and generosity. Relationship bunnies is the term Butterfield uses for the 20+ individuals with whom she, over the years, has developed very solid and trusting rela- tionships. These people trust Butterfield, and she trusts them. It's a state not easily earned, but definite- ly one worth endeavoring to get. These relationship bunnies are the pre- dominant source of new business for Butterfield. One of the tenets underly- ing her approach to these relationships (and all relation- ships) is generosity. Butterfield is always thinking of the other person first, and act- ing accordingly. That's actually the reason she came up with the name relationship bunny. As she told me, "The reason I call it a relationship bunny process is that when you build relationships by lead- ing with generosity, referrals propagate (just like bunnies)." Let me share some examples. You would think competitors would be the last source for new opportuni- ties. Not the case with Butterfield. Like most business people, she has at least met many of her competitors. Usually cordial greetings (with wariness on not saying too much) are the norm when we run into them. For Butterfield, though, a few of her competitors are relationship bun- nies. She focused on the person and getting to know them. Butterfield (and each competitor) discovered that they had a lot in common (makes sense considering their careers and passions align). They built trust with each other. They counsel each other on oppor- tunities where there is no overlap and refer business to each other when the other party authentically can be the better solution. One relationship bunny competitor introduced Butterfield to a professional services client; that introduction has evolved into a long-time client that continues to grow the volume of business they do with her. Here's another example. A regional bank was getting a new CEO. This new person, in the weeks leading up to them stepping into the job, was del- uged with requests for meetings, a cup of coffee, lunch. The people asking were all of the vendors and hopeful vendors. With a regime change these types of requests are usually the norm. The new CEO's assistant tactfully declined almost all of the requests. Butterfield had a relationship with the new CEO. Recognizing the enormous chal- lenges this person faced in their new role, Butterfield thought about what would be most helpful for them. She sent this person a book she valued on how to most effectively handle transitions, particularly with the workforce. By the middle of the following week the new CEO's assistant called Butterfield. The CEO wanted a meet- ing. Long story short, the bank is still today a client of Butterfield's. Her connections with her relation- ship bunnies are genuinely authentic and strong. When they need some- thing, Butterfield tries to help. When Butterfield needs something, such as an introduction, she asks. Her asking is not an imposition. It's merely one friend asking another to help. Friends are happy to help when- ever they can. Butterfield is a relationship maven. She understands and appreciates the power of generosity, given in an authentic and genuine manner. It's all connected. It all works. Ken Cook is the co-founder of How to Who, an organization focused on helping people effectively build relation- ships and building business through those relationships. Learn more at www.howtowho.com. The Rainmaker BY KEN COOK "The reason I call it a relationship bunny process is that when you build relationships by leading with generosity, referrals propagate (just like bunnies)." - Pam Butterfield, founder, Business Success Tools W

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