Page 145 - Midas Touch

partner, you will meet some of the greatest people, people you might not
have met had you not decided to travel the rocky road of business.

Remember, you can’t do a good deal with a bad partner. If you become a
good partner, the world is filled with great deals and great partners.

A Final Thought

A few years ago, I was shown into Donald’s office while he was still on the
phone finishing up a call.

“Are they good people?” Donald asked the person on the other end of the
phone. “I don’t care how good the deal is. I have plenty of good deals. I
want to know if they are good people.”

After listening to the other person’s response, Donald said, “I’m glad to
hear that. If they’re good people, I’ll go forward.” With that, he hung up.

Donald looked up at me and said, “At our age, we don’t have time to do
business with bad people. We don’t need the money, and we don’t have the
time. Besides, business is tough enough. Why should we do business with
bad people? It’s more fun doing business with good people.”

With that, he looked at me and asked, “So what are we working on next?
Let’s have some fun and make some money.”

Strong Relationships Are the Key
Donald Trump

I’ve had thousands of business relationships over the years. I’ve found that
relationships and reputation are closely intertwined.

Sometimes it takes years to see someone’s backbone, or lack of it, and

sometimes it is readily apparent. I have always liked Henry Ford’s quote:
“You can’t build a reputation on what you’re going to do.” And you can’t
build a reputation if your relationships or partners aren’t right. I know
Robert would agree with that one. I’ve had potential partners who were
full of great ideas—and short on delivery. And I’ve had great partners who
delivered all the way.

The Best Partner