"The key to this business is personal relationships."

-the late Dicky Fox the original sports agent from the movie "Jerry Maguire" www.justsell.com

Below are some specific ideas on how to start building strong personal relationships with your prospects and customers:

1. show sincere interest in work challenges that your prospects and customers face (realizing that these have an impact on them personally)
2. return phone calls or emails with some answer (even if it's negative)
3. relax your pace on the phone and let the other person hang up first
4. call or email periodically with no agenda but with something of real value (an industry fact, a result you experienced that might be found valuable by the other person, a newsletter that you think is particularly helpful, etc.)
5. recognize important dates (annual anniversary from first transaction, annual anniversary with new product/service, etc.)
6. refer a potential customer or partner to your customers
7. arrange to have lunch delivered to your contact... a virtual lunch meeting if your customers are not geographically close

:-) Building a real relationship is taking time. Starting with a message, then a phone call or more, sharing ideas, experiences and thoughts, all these are bringing people together answering questions and clarifying others. Of course, a handshake is the last most powerful approach.
Oh, don't forget your smile! :-))