Cash Flow Tip 6 - Build Relationships

It is important to build relationships at all levels.

D. Brown Management Profile Picture
Share
Cash Flow: Tip 6 Build Relationships at All Levels

It will happen in the future but as of today there isn’t a “Computer” or “Process” that is negotiating your contract with you, approving your Schedule-of-Values (SOV), approving your progress billing or ensuring that it works through the customer’s system until payment is made.

These are all things that are done by people and it is the relationships with those people that will accelerate the process.  

The best example of this is a contractor doing a bunch of work for telecommunications companies; many who went bankrupt around 2001-2002.  

  • The Project Manager and their management at the contractor all built deep relationships with Inspectors, Construction Managers and even their Accounts Payable teams for construction.  
  • This resulted in some early warning signals to the contractor’s team about “Major Problems” coming. 
  • Progress billing and payment processes that normally took 6-8 weeks got accelerated to days because of these relationships. 

Remember that relationships at all levels matter.  

Remember that multiple relationships from your company to the same person and company create even more strength.  

Remember to Never Eat Alone.


More from D. Brown Management
Leadership and Management of Details
Building a great contracting business requires the right balance of leadership and management. While it is possible to separate them the truth is that many of the top leaders are relentlessly disciplined managers.
The Leadership Vibrancy Curve
Leaders must navigate (1) the stages of contractor growth, (2) the phases of management team development, and (3) the arc of their own career and life. Maintaining the right levels of leadership vibrancy leads to sustainable scaling and succession.
Thriving with a Difficult Manager
In the ideal situation, everyone would have a great manager - both internally and externally. In the real world, we will all have to work for someone we consider a difficult manager. Learn to thrive in these situations.