Business Relationship Management (BRM) is a discipline that, at its core, fosters relationships. A Business Relationship Manager, then, is a strategic partner who liaisons between two parties. This partnership may occur between two internal teams – a functional team and in-house human resources or information technology (IT), for example – or between an internal and an external team, such as a vendor or an outsourced service. In many ways, BRM is the modern way of collaboration. BRM allows an easy way for two parties to develop and collaborate effortlessly. The Business Relationship Manager learns your business, gains your trust, and can articulate your needs successfully. According to the Business Relationship Management Institute (BRMI), BRM was developed to pursue four key disciplines: evolve culture, build partnerships, drive value, and satisfy purpose.

Business Relationship Management Means Business … At Home

The sole purpose of this development is to keep the drive behind your business moving forward – which is a GOOD thing!

For example, as we know, Covid-19 began impacting the world in late 2019 but affected the United States in early 2020. Statistically speaking, the number of people that work from home has tripled from 2019 to the present. Approximately 27.6 million Americans still work from home or work a hybrid schedule and are in the office only part-time. The ugly truth behind this trend is that the 9-5 schedule is now a thing of the past, making it extremely difficult to keep work flowing between team members with flexible hours or in different time zones. This is where BRM can help!

In this new normal, the Business Relationship Manager is the one (hopefully not the only!) colleague who knows what you need and is in your corner to make sure you are successful. This individual will work with you to ensure your needs are met, whether they are for a Cloud-based software tool that will facilitate remote work or just better communication with developers who might work the opposite schedule from your own.

BRM Also Mean Business … Through Momentum

Momentum offers a plethora of consulting services to lessen the gap between IT and the client. Momentum’s IT consulting services have helped hundreds of organizations of all sizes, bringing them improved software, systems, and processes so they can do business together better. A Business Relationship Manager will complete three main activities to meet your goals:

• Connect your business partner and another team (such as IT).

As a consultant, I strive to connect on a personal level and build working relationships with all of the team/client/partner members. I show them I’m passionate about their project and business needs and that, as an organization, Momentum has the years of experiences, templates, tools, and consulting resources to handle all of their needs. I try to be friendly and approachable so others know they can come to me for help and guidance. – Curt Mills, Director of Strategic Programs

• Orchestrate and coordinate key roles and drive value for your partner.

Inform all stakeholders what the plan is, what their roles are, how the team is going to communicate and when, and stress how everyone on the team is dependent on the rest of the team to meet its goals and objectives. Monitor the progress and shore up any weak spots in the plan with any other resources that may be available. – Dan Andrews, Senior Manager

• Navigate to help your business partner achieve strategic value.

It’s important to really understand my business partners’ goals and strategies. Where are they going? What are they trying to achieve? What are their pain points? If they can’t answer these questions, then my job is to help them figure out these answers. Then, once we are all on the same page, my job as a consultant can really start as I help them navigate the options available to them and achieve success. At the core of my role, though, is the realization that we will achieve success together – there is no “us and them,” there is only the team. – Amy Townson, Co-Director of Service Delivery

Controversy Behind Business Relationship Management

BRM is a new source of collaboration for business partners in many industries. With this relative newness, I feel it is easy to assume there was some pushback. As a discipline, BRM has evolved and has slowly been implemented into business structures over the past decade and may be new to you.

For companies who have not utilized BRM and are newly adopting the discipline, there are struggles. However, those companies who have integrated BRM into their operations benefit greatly as responsiveness increases and there is a cohesive workflow between teams.

How many times have you heard (or said) any of these? We frequently see them in the context of IT, but these statements could just as easily refer to any other organization or business area you work with.

• IT is broken.
• Nobody from IT looks out for my needs.
• End users don’t just get it.
• I don’t understand who this BRM person even is.
• I am not in the right conversations.
• Who is my key contact?

A lot of business partners have been burned by IT in the past. And even if they have not, there is a perception that IT departments look out for their own interests first. For example, Amy Townson actually had a client thank her for being the only person in IT who truly cared about their needs. That client mentioned they felt the rest of the IT team did not understand or care about their needs. Obviously, that wasn’t true, but perception is reality. BRM is what bridges the divide, creating that cohesive workflow and promoting shared success. A Business Relationship Manager helps to prevent these feelings by inserting themselves into the business partner’s team, ensuring shared understanding, and fostering a true partnership that promotes mutual success.

Let Momentum Build Your Bridge!

Consulting is, first and foremost, a relationship industry – even the most proficient technical expert can’t be a successful consultant without building a relationship with their partners. Our consultants are experts in building relationships that promote true value. Our success is your success. Improve your business systems with one of the best professional consulting firms in the northeastern United States! Contact Momentum today to discover more about our comprehensive management consulting solutions and how they can benefit your business.