People Friday | Hello Tech Pros

The best time to develop a business relationship is well before the critical point that you need it. Chris Britton gets to know his vendors, partners and consultants over lunches and meetings in a low-stress environment. When crunch time comes and he needs to solve a critical business problem late at night or over the weekend, Chris' relationship investments pay off dividends. Chris Britton leads the vendor management team for a top insurance carrier where he’s worked in the industry for the past 17 years. He currently lives in Austin TX.   Key Takeaways It's all about developing relationships so that you can understand people's problems and better solve them Do your homework on  the person you're meeting with Develop relationships prior to an emergency Be aware of your surroundings to learn a new team's culture When you're meeting a group, pay attention to how they are treating each other to learn their intra-dynamics Respect other organization's cultures Be true to yourself and others and how you treat the