When is it better to deal with a one-man band than a juggernaut?

In corporate life size matters. You ve heard the phrase When our legal team has talked with your legal team we will release our proposal . In other words those guys are spending their time looking for whatever can go wrong. When you focus on something you will eventually find it.

Enters a new attribute in business ethics: trust. Do you realise than in the old days people would perform a real-estate transaction on a handshake? Without going to this extreme the case has to be made that trust and loyalty today are in short supply. Those who can demonstrate these values will gain a lot of kudos.

So how do you state your credentials with people who don t know you? Simple, let someone else do the talking. Referral business leads are the best form of advertising. Satisfied customers will brag about their purchase with the people they know.

The issue is that people don t take the time to get to know those they want to do business with. It s kind of hard to have a business lunch with a business partner when you are about to subcontract a job in cyberspace. Would you talk to them on Skype? Would you check out their Facebook page, their blog, follow them on Twitter?

Dealing with one person has always been and always will be. They are scores of consultants who once navigated the corporate corridors and are now doing fine for themselves thank you very much.

Dealing with an individual helps with poor communication. Since you are dealing with one individual you only need to tell your story once and can spend more time putting emphasis where needed. Since communication is a two way street you can afford to hear out just one person rather than being drowned in corporate cacophony.

Finally you will have made a new friend not just some business contact but someone who knows you, who understands you and who has done something worthwhile for you. Someone you can trust.

Bruno Deshayes is a writer, designer and developer.

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