Meeting of minds in relationship management

By Betty Murambadoro

“If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart”- Nelson Mandela

When I reflect on meeting of minds, several questions come to mind —How do I ensure that all the clients’ five senses are with me during my interactions with them?
How do I make them “life-time” clients? What is the glue that connects me better with my personal relationships, multiple stakeholders in my sphere of influence, corporates in the marketplace, and my Creator?

How materially useful are the over two decades of my corporate relationship management experience, in shaping the depth of my other relationships? Can I apply the same corporate dipstick concepts, in measuring the depth of my other relationships? It has been a few intentional years of me trying to assess how I can deepen my relationship with my only daughter, Manatsa, using the same approach I took in corporate relationship management.
Speak the same language
Years ago, when I accepted a role as a relationship manager for a highly-technical sector, I found myself yearning to find unique ways of deepening my relationships with corporate clients in that sector.

Betty Murambadoro is executive director, corporate & investment banking at Stanbic Bank Zimbabwe

Nothing beats speaking the same language, venturing into the world of your clients, and understanding what it is that matters to them outside the usual financial conversations we regularly have. It is heart-warming to get to a level of speaking the sector-specific-technical jargon, which resonates with the person I am connecting with, and not restrict the conversation to the usual banking language.
Taking-on “the client’s industrial language” is the icing on the cake, confirming that I have embraced the way they talk about their industry. The bond this can create is remarkable, as it shows genuine interest in exploring the client’s world.
Acknowledge your “language gaps”
Within the first few months of taking on this role, I was so intrigued to discover the gaps I personally had in talking the “technical language” common in that sector. It was glaringly the missing glue in deepening my relationship with that community. Without an appointment, I walked to a university campus close-by in search of the technical brains to pound-in snippets of what this sector is all about.
The then dean of the faculty looked at me in amazement on how seriously I sounded like I wanted multiple degree programmes pounded into my head overnight. Ridiculous as my request sounded and confirming that I did not know what I did not know, the dean graciously agreed to do something.
That response was comforting enough for me. I am very pleased to share a “professional testimony” of having successfully hit a different nerve by doing a short course, which exposed the technical jargon of that industry, specifically tailored for my team and me.
The two-week “crash course”, covered several modules guiding us on what we should see beyond the usual financial statements for clients in that sector. It does not matter what sector you are looking at, be it fishery, hospitality, you need the correct “industry-talk” to connect with players in those sectors.
The benefits of speaking the same language
I cannot testify enough the “chemistry” my team and I derived over the years and continue to, as we journey on in serving this sector, the trust built merely because we speak and understand the language. I can attest to a like -mindedness with my clients that has seen our interactions go beyond the office.

The quest to speak more “such languages” is continuing. I continue to do a dipstick assessment of the depth of my “language” in each of the sectors I serve. I celebrate the inroads made so far into “these languages” and look forward to sharing more testimonies.
Back to my only daughter, Manatsa. I have proudly copied this knowledge quest and pasted back home. Learning to speak my daughter’s language has been rewarding and transformational.
I have seen what it means to dress- up together for sporting events, jointly planning surprise birthday gifts for her friends and going for maintenance-shopping together. “Maintenance-shopping” is the latest Manatsa jargon, referring to the regular topping-up of her lip-gloss, bath soaps and other personal deportment items.
I have earned a new title, “bestie”, simply by embracing her language and actively immersing myself in her world, just like I am striving to do in my corporate relationships.
I have not arrived yet in deepening my relationship with Manatsa, nor am I done with the clients I serve currently. I once heard a guest speaker, Sheree Shereni, say that “If you think you are ripe, you are rotting and if you think you are green, then you are growing”.
So, the learning journey continues and can miraculously hit a different nerve when you speak the language that resonates with your clients.
How rich is your engagement dimension?
Lest I veer into sermonising my yearning for deep authentic relationships, suffice to say one of my best moments in connecting with my faith are when I speak my Creator’s language.
Speaking or singing His exact word in meditation touches a nerve nothing else can.

Murambadoro is the executive director, Corporate & Investment Banking at Stanbic Bank Zimbabwe