The basis of all business is marketing and sales, and of course supplying a superior product - which is you! So take these four business skills into serious consideration the next time you're looking to catch or keep a mate.
1. Fulfilling a need
Finding out what a potential customer needs and fulfilling that need is business 101. So it only makes sense to find out what your potential or current partner needs and provide it. As long as this need is reasonable and healthy for your partner and the relationship, go ahead and make it happen. It may seem like a simple task, but sometimes finding out what your mate needs can be the biggest obstacle to executing this plan. Some people don't actually know what they need. Others can't effectively communicate what they need. That's why the next business skill is also important.
2. Negotiation
Negotiation is not about getting everything you want and giving nothing. Nor is it about forfeiting everything important to you for the sole benefit of your partner. In business, as in love, negotiation is about open communication and expressing both of your wants and needs. But you both have to be willing to put it all on the table. This can be scary for a partner who has experienced rejection or an emotionally unavailable partner who punished them for asking for what they need. Using tools for motivation and incentives to move forward can soften hardness in this area. Offering to take care of the other's household chores, surprising them with an adventurous outing or indulging in a relaxing spa day can break the ice and open you both up to asking for what you want and giving the other what they need.
3. Budgeting
No matter how successful you are in life, time is the great equalizer. We all get 24 hours in a day. But where your business skills can tip the scale in your romantic favor is the depth in which you dive into your relationship with the limited minutes you have. Budget your time wisely to make sure you are capitalizing on every available moment to let your partner know they are special, needed and safe with you. Save up for that dream vacation. Take a personal day off work to spend with them. Use each extra moment to give a kiss, hug or cuddle, just because. Good partners use their time wisely. Then time away doesn't take away from the relationship.
4. Conflict resolution
Understanding the nature and needs of others is a huge part of the personal and professional world. Using this understanding to deescalate tension and resolve conflict is an invaluable asset that translates particularly well between the two worlds. Getting to the root of a perceived attack, slight or abrasive comment and speaking to the underlying fear, hurt and worry will do wonders for your love. Reassuring your partner that you are committed, resilient and hear everything they are and are not saying is a great way to diffuse heightened anxiety.
In the end, everyone wants to be happy and feel heard in their relationship. When taken from a romantic angle, business skills look pretty good. Always keeping the emotion of the relationship in mind, using techniques that boost business actually makes a lot of sense. After all, successful businesses need to know their consumer. They need to know why people buy or don't buy. And for you, you need to know why people are satisfied or unsatisfied in their relationships. So go ahead and use these skills to supply what real love demands.
