By Anthony Sinisgalli, Class of 1988
Chartered in 1906 by
the first graduates of the school, the University of Florida’s Alumni
Association currently represents approximately 350,000 “Gators” in every
state in the nation and more than 100 countries worldwide.
Under
the aegis of the Alumni Association, a network of almost 100 Gator Clubs brings together participants for an array of programs that support
the university. These include reunion programs that bring graduates
back to Gainesville and activities designed to “re-acquaint” alumni with
campus life. The Grand Guard reunion recognizes 50-year graduates; the
Silver Society honors those celebrating 25 years. Additionally, annual
events include festivities such as Back to College, Spring Weekend, and
the famous Gator Nation Tailgate parties before every football game.
However,
the Alumni Association is more than just fun and games. In addition to
organizing special interest groups on campus, it has partnered with
current students to create specific professional programming, along with
networking and social opportunities. The Alumni Association actively
recruits academically superior students to attend the university,
offering attractive financial assistance and scholarship programs
sponsored by the Gator Clubs. Learn more at www.ufalumni.ufl.edu.
About the author:
A
graduate of the University of Florida’s program in Business
Administration, Anthony Sinisgalli is an active member of the Alumni
Association.
No matter the industry, successful professionals know how
important it is to establish and grow relationships. Ideally, one should
develop strong relationships with customers, vendors, employees, and
even competitors. Just like other kinds of relationships, business
relationships need to be nurtured and maintained so that they work for
both parties.
Here are five tips for success in nurturing business relationships:
1.
Identify the person’s communication style. Understanding it can help
you avoid conflict. Watch for non-verbal communication like body language and tone to help you understand what is really being
communicated.
2. Recognize individual learning styles and design
your communications around them for greater effectiveness. Be equally
aware of your own styles and needs in the relationship.
3. Respect the values and the boundaries of others. Respect builds trust and strengthens relationships.
4.
Listen to ensure that you understand the needs of your customers.
Sometimes clients want you to be an expert; sometimes they just need a
sounding board. Use a contact system to keep track of what you know.
5.
Communicate when you do not want or need something. Be proactive by
forwarding articles, links, and other information of interest. Make
referrals that create opportunities without needing something in return.
Be honest, be diligent, and remember that you can never say “thank you” enough.
A
recognized business development professional, Anthony Sinisgalli
possesses more than a decade of experience in sales, marketing, and
managing relationships.
As the Director of Business Development for HCA, Inc., Anthony
Sinisgalli stresses the importance of knowing his market. He works with
surgeons in a variety of specialties and strives to convince them to use
his company’s Free Standing Surgical Centers for outpatient operations.
He realizes that his success requires that he understand how the
offices of his more than 200 clients operate on a daily basis. In
addition, Sinisgalli strives to learn as much as possible about the
various surgical procedures that his clients perform. Without this
knowledge, he would not be able to effectively communicate with clients
and explain to them the benefits of using his company’s services.
Becoming
an effective sales professional requires dedicating significant time to
research and learning about the market in which you operate. With a
comprehensive understanding of the market, sales professionals gain a
degree of authority and the trust of potential clients, a key to
developing lasting business relationships.
