How to Build Sustainable Relationships in Business

While the world of business continues to change and evolve, one thing remains the same. Success depends greatly on relationships. No matter your industry or role, you can’t achieve your goals without building relationships. Cathy Feil O’Donnell, a long-time media sales account executive, offered her perspective on how people are doing business today.

O’Donnell is a long-time colleague and friend of co-host Crumpton.  She met him years ago while in radio sales, and they had an immediate connection. It started with a cold call. “When I started in radio sales, I was given a phone book and told to go at it. I just didn’t have any fear. I love meeting people and have always been passionate about wanting to help someone,” she recalled.

The sentiment that sales and business, in general, is about wanting to help others succeed is shared by the hosts as well. Empowering others and making customers the hero is the hallmark of any great sales leader. O’Donnell said, “It’s important to support and listen to customers, be humble, and help them brand their business, so they get the ROI they deserve.”

O’Donnell believes in being kind and caring, no matter if she’s talking to a prospective customer or her friends at the grocery store. “Connecting is what it’s all about,” she commented.

In these times, where a pandemic is impacting business health as well as the physical and emotional well-being of so many, O’Donnell is sensitive to the fact that many can’t afford to advertise right now. That doesn’t stop her from building the relationship and wanting to be a “light” for all those she encounters. This demeanor serves her well as a person and a successful businesswoman.

Make sure to follow along for more episodes of Straight Outta Crumpton!

Straight Outta Crumpton with Greg Crumpton

Follow us on social media for the latest updates in B2B!

Image

Latest

Radar
Physical Retail’s Next Infrastructure Layer: Item-Level Intelligence with Radar
June 4, 2026

Physical retail is under pressure to become as measurable and responsive as e-commerce. While retailers have spent years optimizing digital channels with real-time data, store teams have often had to make decisions with incomplete inventory visibility and delayed operational signals. That gap matters because stores still account for 80% of U.S. retail sales, making…

Read More
Healthcare in Pakistan
From Institutional Excellence to Population-Level Access: How Pakistan Can Bridge Its Healthcare Divide
June 1, 2026

Healthcare systems are under pressure almost everywhere, but the strain is especially visible in lower-resource settings where demand is rising faster than infrastructure. In Pakistan, that pressure is playing out across a system that has to serve more than 250 million people with limited public investment. Public health spending remains below 1% of GDP,…

Read More
Engineering
Scaling Experiential Learning in the Curriculum: How Iron Range Engineering Transformed Engineering Education
June 1, 2026

Engineering has transformed nearly every part of modern life, from the phones in our pockets to the systems powering global industry. But the way engineers are educated has often moved far more slowly than the profession itself. Employers are asking for graduates who can navigate ambiguity, communicate across teams, and contribute meaningfully from the…

Read More
vascular surgeon
When Geography Meets Purpose: How One Move Reshaped a Vascular Surgeon’s Career
May 28, 2026

Medicine isn’t what it used to be—not for the people practicing it. Independent physicians are becoming the exception, not the norm, as more doctors move into hospital systems, corporate groups, and academic networks. At the same time, the pipeline of specialists isn’t keeping pace with growing patient needs, particularly in complex fields like vascular…

Read More