It may be surprising to those who still think Social Media is all fun and games but Social Media is revolutionizing both the business world and the world in general.  Naysayers continually look at Social Media as a fad and only for the younger generation but they are ignoring its ability to make the world smaller by connecting with other people, companies, and brands.   If you need further proof, look no further than the following great story about how a company connected with its customer in an extraordinary way:

http://shankman.com/the-best-customer-service-story-ever-told-starring-mortons-steakhouse/

There are many other great stories that are being told on a daily basis on how companies are using Social Media to connect with their current and future customer base and also to help drive top line revenues.  However, as mentioned earlier Social Media is also changing the world as we know it.  There are many stories about how people have reconnected with long lost friends and family they have never met. In other words it makes this world we live in a much smaller place. Just recently a story made national news of a young man that went missing in Asia while on a trip with a group of people.  His family and friends used Facebook and Twitter as a way to communicate with anyone who might have seen or heard from him.  This is just one of a growing number of stories of how Social Media has revolutionized our current culture.

The question then is how are you harnessing the power of Social Media in your business?

As a parent it seems I am constantly saying to my kids something to the extent that “it’s not the words that you are using but rather how you are saying them that’s wrong.”  It would be wrong to assume this only pertains to personal relationships with family and friends.  Unfortunately, the business world is not immune to this issue. We often mistakenly believe that it is our words that really influence others, whether positively or negatively.  In the business world so much time is spent focusing on making sure we use the right words to our customers, employees or co-workers that we end up focusing on only 7% of our total influence.  Think about how much time the average person puts into crafting the right speech or sales pitch. This 7% is part of what is known as “The 7%-38% -55% Rule of Influence.”  In other words the influence we have on others can be broken in the following manner:
·  7% of our influence comes from the words we share
·  38% from our tonal quality while saying it
·  55% by what our body is doing while were saying it
As you can see we are missing the mark by spending so much time and energy crafting what we want to say which only makes up a small amount of the overall influence we have on others.  By focusing on the 7% or the words we say, we are truly missing out on the opportunity to really influence others. 

Influence is about getting others to either do something we want them to do or not do something they want to do. Obviously, influence plays a large role in the sales arena and is quite visible in the normal interaction between a seller and a buyer. However, it’s not something that should only be left up to those who interact with customers on a regular basis.  It is also evident in daily interactions that managers have with their employees and in interactions that employees have with one another.   By looking further at “The 7%-38%-55% Rule of Influence” we also see that perception is a large part of influence.  How do others perceive you?  You may be surprised not only with how the tone of what you say is perceived but the perception that your body language gives off.    It is very naïve to think that others can’t tell from our actions and mannerisms how we really feel. Your words might be saying one thing but your tone and body language might be very well telling a very different story.

The next time you are in the position to influence someone, try focusing on the 93% and you might be surprised at the difference in how you are perceived!

When is the last time you told your customers?

One of the worst mistakes a salesperson can make is forgetting that it’s always and only about the customer and his or her needs and feelings. When you are interacting with a customer your feelings, needs and desires are to be placed on the back burner. In reality, what you feel or need doesn’t matter. Nor should emotions such as guilt ever be used for negotiation when a customer is making a business decision.  If you are looking for a quick way to lose credibility and ruin a relationship with your customer, this is definitely one way to do it!  If you have ever had a customer tell you “to not take it personal, it’s just business” you know this is a pride swallowing moment but then again if you don’t have thick skin, you probably need to look for a different line of work.

Recently I heard a real-life story about a salesperson that recently lost a large client’s business and made the fatal mistake of trying to make his customer feel guilty by telling the customer “you are taking bread off my table”. I’m sorry, when was it the customer’s problem or responsibility to make sure the salesperson’s bills were paid?  The salespersons job is to build a relationship with the customer, earn their trust and then consistently bring them ideas and solutions to help their business run better. Not only does this ruin any trust the salesperson may have built with the customer but it shows the customer clearly what this person’s focus was really on.  The reality of sales is that sometimes you win and sometimes you lose.  However, I haven’t known many salespeople that have been successful in sales by using “guilt trips” on their customers.

At the end of the day, who would you rather do business with? A salesperson who is concerned primarily with how your business impacts his or her bottom line or one that is focused on you and your needs and concerns?

From a distance Doctors and Salespeople may look like they are at opposite ends of the career spectrum but up close they are more closely related than you may think.  Their customer base may be different but if they are doing their respective jobs right, they are delivering the same thing, solutions.  If you’ve ever had a bad experience with a salesperson or a Doctor, it quickly becomes apparent they have an specific agenda or are trying to push a product on you regardless of whether it’s what you really need.  For example the salesperson will give you all the features and benefits (bells & whistles) of his or her product and the Doctor will tell you all about the medicine that will take whatever ails you away.  However, what’s missing here are not the what, but the why and the how. Why will the product, procedure, or medicine work? How will this product, procedure, or medicine impact my life? Will it save me time or money or make me feel better again?

I was sitting in my 11 year old daughters Pediatrician’s office yesterday listening to him talk to my wife and daughter when I suddenly realized that he is a great Salesman. He was referred to us by many people so we knew he was a great Doctor but didn’t quite realize yet what made him different from the rest.  He has a very good bedside manner but it is much more than that.  As I was watching him interact with us I thought of the following traits that a good Doctor and a good Salesperson share:

1.       He takes his time with his patients. He doesn’t rush to get to the treatment (or the sale) 
           quickly. (this is the 2nd straight time he has spent an hour with my daughter during her
           appointment)

2.       He asks thought provoking, penetrating questions to uncover more information to be able to
           diagnose what the proper solution is.  

3.       He gets the parents involved in the appointment so that it is not just him talking. He helps
           makes the customers(sales) take ownership of the solution

4.       He is passionate about his calling and it shows in his work. It is more than just a job to him.

5.       He enjoys his patients (customers) and genuinely cares about them and their well being.

A Salesperson would do well to take a page out of a good Doctors book by remembering to focus on the Solution rather than the features and benefits of their product.  By focusing on how your solution will impact your customers business, you will not only stand out against your competitors but even more importantly will gain the customer’s trust which eventually will lead to the Holy Grail of Sales; A customer referral.

Many companies state or at least it’s implied they want their customer’s feedback, but you have to wonder how serious they really are. Starbucks left no doubt where they stood on the subject in March of 2008. You see they were facing a true crossroads and there was strong doubt by their shareholders, customers and the general public as to whether their success had perked (sorry, I couldn’t resist). Howard Schultz had just return to the CEO post after a 7 year hiatus and was ready to leave no stone unturned in his desire to bring the passion, culture and love for the Starbucks brand back to where it once stood. One of his immediate goals and initiatives was to strengthen the Starbucks Brand. To do this he launched a website (mystarbucksidea.com) to give their customers a venue to offer suggestions of how to make the company better.  What kind of impact did this have with their customers you ask?  7,000 ideas were posted to this site within 24 hours by their customers and they received a total of 41,000 ideas the first two months!  Not only did Starbucks receive some great new ideas that were eventually implemented to help turn the company around but more importantly, this simple act showed their customers how much they valued their input. This is turned made an already strong brand, even stronger.

How easy do you make it for your customers to provide feedback?
What do you do with the feedback you receive?
How connected are your customers to your brand?

Thanks to social media there is now a plethora of ways to find, follow, and communicate with others. As a result it has now become easier than ever to connect with others.  The question though is how much of a connection are you really making?  No matter how convenient this form of connecting with others is, it will never replace the benefits of face to face interactions. I find it quite amazing that the more efficient and fast paced our society becomes, the more apparent the need for human interaction is. 

One of the best ways to connect with another person is to find some sort of commonality.  This is especially true when you are meeting someone either for the first time or a relationship that you are trying to nurture and grow.  In order to find this commonality you need to do your homework. Yes I know, most of you will tell me you are too busy to fit one more thing into your schedule.   I would challenge you to re-think what is truly important to your success.  Are you connected to those who can you can help become more successful and those who can help you become more successful? A wise person once said there are only a dozen or two relationships that will take you to any level of success you desire. 

The internet is a great source to help you do your homework prior to making a connection with someone for the first time or to help cultivate an existing relationship:

1.  Google their name
          a.  Do they have a personal web site or blog? This is a great way to find out what their 
                passions and interests are.
          b   Are they on Twitter or Facebook? Find out if you share any connections

 2.  Linkedin
          a.  Check their work history to see what other companies they work out
          b.  Check to see what groups they belong to and then join those groups

3.  Utilize your current network to see if you have any mutual connections. You will find out how
      small a world it truly is!

4.  Perform industry research on the person’s company. What are the current trends and
      challenges in their industry? What are their competitors doing?  Here are a few websites
      where you can located industry info:
          a.  http://zibb.com/
          b.  http://www.bizstats.com/
          c.  http://seekingalpha.com/
          d.  http://finance.yahoo.com/