If you want a competitive advantage in business you know that relationships play an important part in it. But it’s not about how MANY relationships you have, it’s about the level of quality those relationships are. On this episode, I am speaking with my friend Jayson Gaignard who is one of the most skillful people I know at building quality relationships. I asked him how he learned the skill, what he recommends for those who want to begin building quality relationships, and what the ROI is of doing so. You are going to learn a lot from this episode.

Why the ultimate competitive advantage in business is caring.

When it comes to building relationships, Jayson says that the most important thing you can do is truly care for people. In his words, “caring is the ultimate competitive advantage.” As we talk, you will hear him describe many situations where his level of caring for a person is what made the difference in whether or not the relationship went deeper or fizzled out. His example is great one to follow and I encourage you to listen so you can get to know a little bit more about how he builds such lasting and powerful relationships.

Deep is better than wide when it comes to relationships.

Many of us these days feel connected with people simply because we have a lot of Facebook friends or LinkedIn connections. But if we are honest, we know those people are not individuals we are truly connected with. It's the deeper relationships the matter, not the number of connections you have. My friend Jayson shares how he goes about building deep relationships on this episode - and you won't find a person who knows how to do it better. Find out why he started hosting Mastermind dinners and how he recommends you could host your own dinners to build your network of deep relationships.

Who would you want to have dinner with? That’s a great place to start.

Part of the reason Jayson began hosting dinners is because he realized that a good barometer of whether or not he would benefit from having a deeper relationship with a person, was to ask himself, “Would I like to have dinner with this person?” If the answer was, “yes,” then he decided he might as well invite them to dinner and get on with it. It's an intriguing idea and one that helps to clarify whether or not there is true potential in the relationship. Listen to this conversation to find out more about building relationships that serve both you and the person you befriend, on this episode.

Amazing people typically know amazing people, so get started meeting them.

One of the things that has often astounded me about Jayson is the level and quality of friends that he has. It seems like he knows everybody who is anybody. When I asked him how that happened, he said that it started with one person. He has learned that amazing people typically know amazing people and your network of relationships builds from that first relationship naturally as a result. If you want to learn from one of the best when it comes to building relationships that matter, you have got to hear what Jayson has to share on this episode.

Outline of this great episode

• [0:24] My introduction of Jayson Gaignard.
• [1:11] Why are relationships such a crucial part of Jayson’s business these days?
• [3:57] How Jayson learned the skill of building great relationships.
• [7:39] Jayson’s approach: going deep with people instead of going wide.
• [12:08] What is Jayson’s criteria for choosing the right people to go deep with?
• [17:10] The slippery slope of seeking a return from relationships.
• [26:16] Can you do so much for people that they start feeling bad?
• [29:10] Jayson’s recommendations for hosting dinners for people.
• [33:55] The one most non-obvious but critical thing Jayson has learned about relationships.

Resources & Links mentioned in this episode

• The Mastermind Talks Podcast
• jayson(at)mastermindtalks.com
• BOOK: Mastermind Dinners
• Mastermind Talks Events