A business plan is ok, but...

Most of us don't have an offline business, where it's important to build relationships with
your customers, of course, but first and foremost, when customers enter your store, your  office, your clinic, if it doesn't look clean, if the products cost too much, if the choice of products is not interesting, 2 minutes later, sometimes even less than that, they're gone.

In Internet Marketing, many of us work from home. As I write this, I wear jeans and nothing else. Nobody is coming to see me at home about business. I do all my "building relationships" on sites like APSense.

If all I think of is my own interests, the next campaign, how many sales to do this week, it will be at the back of my mind when other people ask for help. I will be in a hurry, will neglect to put the time required to really answer in an outstanding manner. Next time, that person will go to someone else to find help.

In 6 months, when you and that someone else both try to sell a product, at the same price, who will sell the product to that friend you didn't quite help ?

Do focus on your business plan. Work on it, to the last detail, make adjustments along the way, adapt to the new needs of the market, but don't lose a second of sleep over it.

A plan can be modiied. It can be rewritten.

A damaged relationship takes much more time to rebuild. The trust factor is gone. That person might never want to do business with you again.

Unless you recognize your mistake, to yourself at least, and choose to do better next time. If that person still remembers that first impression, remember, chances are, it was not a friend, it was a business relationship. Don't take it personally. Just move on.

Brian Tracy says it best. Business success is 85 % relationships.

The business plan has its importance, but it's only one of the keys to success.

My friend Ruediger made me realize an important point in his comment on my article, I think it's worth it saying it here :