How to Build Strategic Business Relationships That Drive Growth
- Rodney Schlosser
- Jul 11
- 4 min read
Updated: Jul 31
Written By Rodney Schlosser
Business Relationship Strategist
A seasoned business relationship consultant with over 20 years of experience driving growth and building trusted partnerships across North America. Know More
Summary: Sustainable business growth stems from intentional, strategic relationships—not transactional ones. This blog outlines how to build and maintain high-impact relationships by focusing on shared goals, consistent communication, and measurable value. It covers how to identify key internal and external stakeholders, initiate connections with purpose, and co-create outcomes that drive growth.
In business, sustainable growth doesn’t happen in a vacuum. It’s the result of intention, clarity, and connection—especially with the people who matter most to your success. Strategic relationships are the kind that move beyond the surface. They’re built around mutual accountability, shared objectives, and results that matter.
For executives, sales leaders, and client-facing professionals, learning how to establish and maintain strategic relationships isn’t just beneficial—it’s essential. These relationships are where alignment becomes execution, and collaboration becomes momentum.
What Defines a Strategic Business Relationship?
Strategic relationships are purposeful. They’re not based on convenience or history—they’re based on performance and aligned outcomes. A strategic business relationship delivers value for both sides and stands up to pressure.
Here’s what separates them from the rest:
Shared purpose: You’re working toward outcomes that matter to both parties.
Ongoing investment: You’re not showing up once—you’re showing up consistently.
Measurable value: The relationship delivers impact you can track and sustain.
Global management consulting firm, McKinsey & Company1, reports that companies with structured relationship programs are significantly more likely to grow revenue and retain key customers.
Why Trust, Clarity, and Value Are Non-Negotiable
When relationships work, it's because the basics are in place: trust, clarity, and mutual value.
Trust accelerates everything. It reduces internal friction and enables faster decision-making.
Clarity builds alignment. Everyone knows the expectations and the outcome.
Value keeps the relationship sustainable. Both sides need to win.
According to Salesforce, trust is a top-three decision factor for B2B buyers—more influential than pricing in many cases.
Identify Who Actually Drives Growth—Then Focus There
Not every relationship is equally important. Some are mission-critical. Others are distractions.
How to identify strategic stakeholders
Internally: Who removes friction, champions change, or controls priorities?
Externally: Which clients, partners, or vendors impact your growth the most?
Focus where alignment meets influence.
Here are a Few Questions Used to Identify Strategic Stakeholders
Internally:
Who regularly gets things unstuck or helps drive decisions forward?
Who do others turn to when priorities shift or a change is introduced?
Who has informal influence—even if it’s not tied to a title?
Who challenges the status quo in a way that gets traction?
Who controls budget or resource allocation for key initiatives?
Externally:
Which clients or accounts consistently shape our offerings or roadmap?
Which partners create the most opportunities—or bottlenecks—for growth?
Who has decision-making power on renewals, expansions, or referrals?
Which vendors or collaborators are embedded in our operations?
Who do we rely on for credibility or access in our market?
Starting the Right Relationships the Right Way
Strong relationships aren’t built through cold calls and pitch decks alone. They start with relevance and respect.
Initiate strategically:
Do your homework. Know what matters to them before you reach out.
Be relevant. Reference their business context, not just your offer.
Lead with value. Insight or access beats a sales push every time.
Timing also matters. Reaching out when an organization is evolving (leadership changes, expansion, new pain points) creates natural alignment.
Communication That Builds, Not Breaks
Poor communication is the fastest way to stall a high-potential relationship. Great communication, on the other hand, is intentional.
Ask better questions. You’ll discover more when you’re not just waiting to talk.
Stay consistent. Sporadic communication erodes trust. Stay visible.
Clarify commitments. Always define who owns what, and by when.
A Harvard Business Review study found that top-performing leaders are significantly more likely to engage in proactive, structured communication.
Co-Creation: Where Growth Gets Real
Strategic relationships thrive when both sides create something better together.
Develop joint solutions for shared clients
Create co-branded content or events
Align training or enablement resources
When both parties contribute, there’s more buy-in, more opportunity, and better results.
What Gets in the Way? Fix It Early.
Even strong relationships can fail without maintenance.
Silos: Teams working in isolation undermine external consistency.
Misaligned KPIs: Internal metrics that discourage collaboration kill momentum.
Short-term mindset: Relationships aren’t sales funnels. Don’t treat them like one.
Technology That Supports—but Doesn’t Replace—Relationships
Use tools to scale communication and track value—but don’t expect them to do the work for you.
CRM: Track key interactions, preferences, and opportunities.
Collaboration tools: Make it easier to work across time zones and functions.
Relationship intelligence: Platforms like Introhive surface hidden value and connections.
What This Looks Like in the Real World
Organizations like HubSpot and Adobe have mastered relationship-centric growth.
HubSpot built a global network of strategic agency partners, not just resellers.
Adobe invested heavily in aligning customer success teams with IT and enterprise buyers.
These companies didn’t just sell. They collaborated and built movements.
Here’s a Simple Process to Build Relationships That Can Withstand Pressure
If you want to build relationships that last, start now. Start small. But start with strategy.
Here’s a simple plan:
Identify two high-impact relationships (internal or external).
Reach out with clarity and context.
Establish a shared objective.
Communicate with rhythm and consistency.
Measure what matters—and improve from there.
Relationships won’t scale without structure. They won’t deliver growth without shared ownership. But when done well? They’re the most underleveraged growth engine most businesses have.
Looking to build strategic relationships that deliver measurable impact? Let’s have a conversation.
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