Disclaimer: This post may sound like a rant, but it’s not. It’s a simple interpersonal tip that will produce massive results for you. I see a lot of people post things on Social Media platforms that have words in the message like, “Good morning everyone!”, “Hey folks….” and “Thank you all.” People who use Social Media most effectively understand that they’re talking to people individually. And they communicate as if they are speaking to just one person. Because they are. Remember that adults are just kids with long, hairy legs and that a lot of people feel the need to puff themselves up (due to their fragile self-images) and want to look like they have a massive following and that they’re important. So they’ll use verbiage that sends a message that is intended to look like they are communicating with masses of folks. The irony is that the folks with …
Timely Follow-Up Will Always Be Important
We’re all running faster than we’ve ever run before. And when we’re cruising at Mach 5 with our hairline on fire things tend to fall through the cracks. With the ever-increasing amount of LinkedIn connection requests, Facebook posts, tweets, and a million other things including email that come at us every day, it’s easy to get backed up. Social Media Constipation. It’s still important to get back to people in a timely manner and it will always be important. This is something that I work on on a daily basis. Sometimes I’m on top of my communications and sometimes I’m backed up. Way backed up. It would be easy for you and me to use the “I’m so busy” excuse. But that’s a cop-out. We make time for the things that are important to us. And our relationships are very important. People may forget what we say, but they never …
Let Other People Toot Your Horn
There are a lot of self-professed “Social Media Guru’s” out there. I think that many people call themselves guru’s because they can’t spell “charlatan.” When you deliver massive value, the word gets around. All things being equal, people do business with and refer business to people they know, like, and trust. Not people who call themselves “guru’s.” It’s kinda like being a lady. If you have to tell people you are….maybe you’re not. Someone tooting their own horn is actually telling people a lot more about themselves than they realize. And it’s not a good thing they’re telling about themselves. Add massive value. What goes around comes around. Let other people toot your horn. Do awesome work and they’ll toot your horn all day long. Don’t worry about the tooting. Just massively deliver the goods.
Ask And It Shall Be Given Unto You
There’s an old saying in the sales biz that goes, “You no ask, you no get.” And it’s an old saying because it’s true. There’s an even older saying from a pretty famous book that goes, “Ask and it shall be given unto you.” This is the positive version of the old sales adage. When you meet people in person or on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, or wherever, ask them how you may help them in some way. And if you’re in a position to help them, do it. What goes around comes around. But don’t offer to help people so that they’ll owe you. Do it because it’s a reflection of your giving nature and pay-it-forward attitude. Timid salespeople have skinny kids. This isn’t necessarily about sales, but really about human relations. Not offering to help people doesn’t serve anyone. Not the withholder nor the withholdee. Your success may be …
Don’t Be A Drive-By Social Media Connector
It’s nice to have a lot of Friends on Facebook, Connections on LinkedIn and Followers on Twitter, but don’t let the numbers fool you. Every connection regardless of the Social Media platform is an opportunity to add value to someone and to create a mutually beneficial, win-win relationship. Many people are “drive-by connecting” with people. They’re just trying to increase their numbers in an egotistical manner. This isn’t everyone by any means, but it’s certainly a lot of people. Just look at the evidence. A drive-by connection is someone who “friends, connects, or follows” and they’re then off to the Social Media Witness Relocation Program. You never hear from them again. Nothing, nada, bupkiss, goose egg. When connecting with someone, send them a personal message acknowledging them and asking if you may help them in some way. You may be surprised at some of the wonderful replies you get. Most people …
It’s Never Been Easier To Get Better At Whatever You Want
There’s never been an easier time than now for you to get better at whatever you want to get better at. And nothing has really changed over the centuries in terms of figuring out how to get better. Determine what you want to excel at and find the resources that will teach you how to get better. In the old days, you’d go to the library or subscribe to some pricey journal on your field of interest. Now, with the internet, Social Media, blogs, etc. you have an almost unlimited number of resources available to you. I suggest that you find people who are really good at what you want to get better at. Friend them and/or like their Fan Page on Facebook, invite them to connect with you on LinkedIn, and follow them on Twitter. You’re not stalking, you’re learning by observing. Watch what they post. Study their content. They’re …
Who Did You Touch This Week?
While success is composed of a number of things, it’s pretty much agreed upon that our long-term success will be dependent on our ability to build and maintain relationships. The best kind of relationships are mutually beneficial, win-win relationships. Friday is a good time to look back over your week and see who you’ve interacted with and whether you’ve added value to everyone who has crossed your path. Take a few minutes and look back over your calendar for the week. See who you communicated with whether in person, by email, or perhaps on Social Media sites like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter. Was your interaction positive? Did it add value to the other person? Did it lead to a stronger bond? Did you offer help in some way and pay it forward? If not, pick up the phone or drop an email to the person and let them know that …
Gain Client Engagement By Being Engaging
We hear a lot in the business world about gaining client/customer engagement. I’m a simple country boy, and although I did grow up in New Jersey, I think there were more cows and horses in my home town than people. Client engagement is a fancy word for happy, repeat clients. KISS : Keep It Simple Sweetie Folks can keep their metrics, analytics, NASA computations and so on. I’ll stick with what Dale Carnegie taught years ago: “You can make more friends in two months by becoming genuinely interested in other people than you can in two years by trying to get other people interested in you.” Engagement is not about advertising, spamming, stalking or any other intrusive ways of dealing with people. The easiest and fastest way to gain engagement is by being engaging. Let me repeat that, the easiest and fastest way to gain engagement is by being engaging. …