By : I.C. Collins ~ Author and Educator~

If we quit all the game-playing and posturing to seem professional or powerful, things would change dramatically.

Here's something you won't read every day: With the economy in shambles, there's never been a more important time than now to have fun at work.

Sound like an odd thing to say? Read on, and discover why it makes perfect sense.

OK, think of your all-time favorite customer. Don't worry — I'll wait!

Got them in mind? Now, how do you act around them? Pretty loose, I'll bet.

In fact, I'll bet it's the way you might act around friends and family. People we are close with we just act like ourselves. Normally, we do not think before we talk. We just "let our hair down."

I am amazed how many people act so phony around their customers or clients. Many people call this professional. I call it insincere and phony.

I want to know the real person, not someone who is fake or trying to be impressive. No one is like that with the people who are closest to us, such as friends and family.

To me, at least, it is all about being truthful with other people, whether it is business or personal. Here are some ways to build better business relationships:

• Be yourself: Not the hardest thing to do. Try it — you might even like it! It is so easy to be around people who make us feel welcome or allow us to just be ourselves.

• Someone has to break the ice: Instead of playing the corporate game, why not play the personal game?

If you are in someone's office and you notice something that might be personal, such as a picture of the occupant's family or boat or whatever, let the person talk about it. After that, share something personal about yourself.

• Find common ground: Take notice of things as I mentioned before. Everyone has something in common. The key is to look for it or ask a few questions.

• Don't try to impress or have an agenda in mind: Sometimes, when we meet new people, we want to seem impressive or important to them. To me, the nicer someone is, or the more open they are, the more impressed I get.

Also, forget your agenda if your only goal is to try to "sell them" something. People can see right through this, and they quickly will realize that you are not there to form a relationship, but to satisfy your financial goals.

• Be the way with them you would like them to be with you: This is kind of like the golden rule we learned as children, which was "Treat people the way you want to be treated."

Trust me, if you try a few of these common-sense, easy ways to loosen up the "business atmosphere," you will enjoy much deeper relationships and do so much quicker than you ever expected. Why wait months or years to finally get to know someone, when it could take a couple of hours?

What do you think? Is this something you can benefit from or do you have a few tricks up your sleeve that are just as powerful? Make your voice heard by leaving a comment below. Don’t forget to hit the share button if you know others who will find this post useful.

I.C. Collins ~ Author and Educator: Has One Simple Goal Improve a Million Automotive Sales Consultants Lives

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