Best Practices for Managing Business Relationships in 2025

As we quickly approach 2025, it's crucial to understand the shifting landscape of business relationships. We need to delineate between transactional selling and transformational value creation. In many consumer-centric (B2C) or highly commoditized markets, transactions are often reasonably straightforward: you buy something, pay for it, and you're done. However, in B2B, especially enterprise B2B, the process is becoming dramatically more complex every day, and not always for the better.

We're witnessing fundamental, if not seismic, shifts in sales relationship strategies. Cold outreach is increasingly becoming a fool's errand. And AI will be the death of outbound. Data shows that 96% of emails aren't opened or replied to. Cold calls are increasingly ineffective as the work environment evolves. You might leave a voicemail if someone doesn't pick up the phone; if it's important, they'll call back. But the idea of interrupting someone's day is becoming outdated. 

As a result, many leaders and teams are reverting to "one-to-one, hands-on relational combat." They're investing in warm introductions rather than cold leads. I recently read a 28-point go-to-market manifesto emphasizing three key points: warm before cold, quality over quantity, and relationships are everything.

This evolution of GTM strategies highlights the importance of quickly capturing what works rather than assuming a one-size-fits-all approach. We must move beyond the traditional ideal customer profile (ICP) based on demographics or firmographics. Instead, I talk about the Ideal Relationship Profile (IRP). Who gets you? Who values you? Who appreciates the perceived value you bring even before you deliver it? And once you do deliver, who wants more?

As someone who's been in the trenches of relationship-driven sales for decades, I've distilled ten critical sales strategies and best practices that will set you apart in 2025 and beyond.

1. Prioritize Your Strategic Relationship "Why"

Before you reach out to anyone, ask yourself: Why this person? Why this company? Your due diligence needs to be dramatically amplified. Understand their pain points, prioritized pursuits, and relationship ecosystem. Focus on your top 100 prospects rather than blasting thousands. Remember, you have to be willing to kill 999 flowers to grow one oak tree.

We've extensively discussed the concept of the top 100 relationships in our blog. I recently published a comprehensive guide in our Avnir 'How-to' series on this topic. If you want to learn more about mastering your top 100 relationships, I highly recommend checking out our article: How to Master Your Top 100 Relationships.

This piece provides in-depth strategies and practical tips for identifying, nurturing, and leveraging your most critical business relationships. It's a crucial read for anyone looking to elevate their relationship management blueprint in 2025 and beyond.

2. Embrace Intelligent Automation

 Managing relationships at scale requires intelligent automation. Use tools to streamline your due diligence, from scanning pain points to validating suppositions. Automate initial interactions and follow-ups, but align with how prospects buy, not how you sell.

Remember, it's about intelligent automation, not just automation. AI tools are helpful, but they're not infallible. Apply your own insights and relationship intelligence to these tools. Don't just set it and forget it.

The goal is to amplify your relationship-building superpowers, not replace them. Use automation to arm yourself with the correct information, allowing you to engage and influence more effectively and efficiently. That's the essence of intelligent relationship management.

3. Build Relationships at Scale

Forget personalization at scale—it's nearly impossible. Instead, focus on building relationships at scale, which is all about leveraging your authentic self consistently across all interactions.

Develop a preference for your solution, technical capability, or architecture. More importantly, create an insistence for people to work with you based on how you build and nurture relationships to get things done. 

For example, I'm known for my responsiveness. Whether answering a call late at night or returning a voicemail within minutes, this has been my hallmark for over 30 years. It's part of my brand, part of how I scale relationships.

Another aspect is quality. Don't put your name on anything subpar. Build a defensible moat in how you nurture relationships with every individual. We all have a brand promise—when you consistently deliver on it, you build brand equity. Increasingly, brand equity is everything, and how you'll do anything is how you'll do everything!

This consistent approach to relationship-building scales naturally. People will introduce you based on these qualities: "This guy is unbelievably responsive" or "He always delivers great quality."

You're not aiming for volume but for pithy, valuable insights delivered consistently. That's how you build relationships at scale—by being authentically you every time.Start typing here.

4. Make Data-Driven Relationship Decisions 

Relationships are behavioral and quantifiable, not just a soft skill. We need to move beyond the myth that relationships can't be measured. They should be intentional, strategic, and quantifiable.

Consider metrics such as time to access, time from access to closing a deal, and time from closing to delivering recognized value. Relationships can accelerate every one of these metrics. While current CRM tools like Salesforce, HubSpot, and Microsoft Dynamics don't provide deep insights into relationship health, we're working on changing that with our Relationship Signature Index (RSI) score in Avnir.

Critical metrics for measuring relationship health include touch cadence, depth of conversation, and the ability to influence decisions. Remember, every referral is a recommendation. If you're not getting referrals, ask yourself why.

5. Maintain Ongoing Value Delivery Engagement

Move beyond transactional follow-ups to meaningful follow-through. Don't just send an email; ensure it supports the desired outcomes and impact. Every engagement should be a learning opportunity. Understand the three types of needs: existing, impending, and those you create. The last category is where you'll find the most significant relationship and financial value creation.

6. Undercommit and Overdeliver

Trust is built on credibility plus empathy, multiplied by consistency over time. Set realistic expectations and then exceed them. Commit to fewer, higher-value actions rather than a list of low-impact remedial tasks. None of us need more emails. All of us could benefit from richer conversations.

 When you can't meet a commitment, deliver bad news early and often. It creates margin and optionality. Give yourself buffer time between meetings and set artificial early deadlines to allow for unexpected issues.

7. Elevate Intelligent Judgment

In modern business relationships, you need to know your place. Understand when you're wanted and when you might be overstaying your welcome. Read social cues and adapt your approach accordingly, increasingly in real-time!

If you want better answers, ask better, not more questions. If someone seems off, don't be afraid to ask if everything's okay. You might uncover important personal insights that materially affect your business relationship. 

Remember, you're not everyone's cup of tea. If your personality doesn't mesh well with a prospective relationship, be ready to adapt or even step back.

8. Create Multi-Level Relationships

Think of relationships as shoelaces rather than bow ties. Instead of relying on a single point of contact, build connections up, down, and across the organization. Introduce peer-level executives to each other and be the relationship quarterback in your value-creation efforts.

Understand the organizational dynamics. Know who's an ally, who's neutral, and who's a detractor. Identify decision-makers and influencers early and often in every discussion. Your goal should be to nurture allies, elevate neutrals, and minimize the impact of detractors.

9. Co-Create Ongoing Value

As you deepen your understanding of a client's business, look for opportunities to co-create new market opportunities or problem-solving approaches. Measure the depth of your relationship by the impact you're creating in their business.

Remember, relationships are between individuals, not logos or buildings. Genuinely care about the person and invest time in getting to know them. Sometimes, the most valuable thing you can do has nothing to do with your business offering.

10. Adapt to Evolving Environments

Whether virtual or in-person, focus on having great conversations driven by insightful questions. Demonstrate a vested interest in your contact's personal and professional success. While virtual interactions are convenient, don't underestimate the power of in-person meetings for building trust and rapport. There is nothing like shaking someone's hand or looking them in the eye as the foundation of trust.

Balance your online and offline interactions strategically. Use virtual meetings for information sharing and regular check-ins but prioritize in-person meetings for critical discussions, challenging problem solving, and deepening meaningful internal or external relationships.

The Future is Relational

As we move into 2025, the competitive advantage will go to those who intentionally, strategically, and quantifiably manage their relationships. By implementing these best practices for sales, you'll be better prepared to build stronger connections, drive growth, and stay ahead of the competition. 

If you want to operationalize these strategies in your daily routine, workflow, and sales process, I invite you to explore Avnir. We've designed it to help you implement these relationship-building practices seamlessly into your work, turning the art of relationship management into a science.

The future of business is relational. Are you ready to lead?