No matter how much technology changes, people pretty much stay the same. As my friend and fellow International Speaker/Author, Bob Burg, says “All things being equal, people will do business with and refer business to, those people they know, like and trust”.
February 5, 2015 Newsletter
Thanks for being a subscriber to my newsletter and sorry for such a long delay in sending one out. 2014 was a crazy, fun year with speaking and training engagements literally around the world from Seattle to New Joisey to Australia to England to Panama – phew.
Lighten Up, Francis….
A long time ago, I was very “professional”, “corporate” and somewhat formal in my emails, proposals, etc like most people are and I had success. And then I eventually brought more of my personality into my biz dealings, and I still delivered valuable info and content in my communications, but I changed my greetings and endings and had even more success.
I noticed that when I start my emails, proposals, etc with things like “Hi Bob, I hope you had a great holiday season and didn’t gain 15 pounds like I did” or “Hi Bob, Did you see that Broncos game? I haven’t seen choking like that since the Heimlich video in high school health class” and ended my emails, proposals, etc with things like “And don’t forget that Valentine’s Day is coming up so get your wife something nice. Think about what you’re planning to spend on her gift and double it. Trust me on this one” or “If you ever get to Colorado let’s get together and make some crank calls or do some cow tipping. Bring bail money” the biz deals just always seem to work out faster and more profitably.
Maybe it’s just a coincidence. But I don’t think so…. ?
New Day’s Resolutions
This is the time of year when folks are talking about their New Year’s Resolutions. Being the poster child for Adult ADHD, it took me many years to accept the fact that I struggle with long-term goal setting, although over the years I muscled through and have been fortunate to accomplish some great long-term goals.
A long time ago I decided to focus instead on New Day’s Resolutions. I get up every morning, give thanks to God for another day and resolve to add as much value as possible to whomever crosses my path that day. Of course there are some business and personal goals I also focus on on a daily basis too. Daily basis, not yearly basis. Subtle distinction, huge difference.
So while many are resolving to lose 100 pounds and a foot or so around their waist while getting rich in record time, perhaps just focus on the day. And do the best you can. And then do that again tomorrow. And so on. You may be surprised as to what you can actually accomplish. Small efforts repeated over time produce massive results.
Paying It Forward As Part Of Your Biz Model
Just had a company call me and tell me that they were referred to me by someone whom I haven’t seen in at least six years and even then I only met her once or twice in a group setting. About a year ago she called me and asked for some tips on getting a particular sales job and I helped her over the phone, made a few intros and she got the job and I quickly forgot about it. I can’t remember my own name half the time.
For a long time, I’ve built an hour or so into my daily schedule to pay-it-forward and give people coaching and training for free, with no expectation of any kind. I’m a big believer that if God’s blessed you, you should bless others (BTW – God has blessed you). We reap what we sow. There’s no escaping this. It’s a principle like gravity.
One of the nice serendipities of helping people is that what goes around, comes around. Not because anyone “owes you”, but because that’s just the nature of the design. So pay it forward. Help people. Don’t keep score. That’s not your job. Just add value. Massive value. All the time. Life is beautiful.
CONVERSATION SKILLS TRUMP SOCIAL MEDIA SKILLS
Most people and organizations use a “throw mud on the wall and hope something sticks” approach to Social Media. This may be an effective strategy if you’re in a commodity business, but there really are no commodity businesses, only people who have commodity thinking, but that’s a post for another time.
Your success in using Social Media effectively to increase your visibility, showcase your credibility, create referral relationships and strategic alliances and gaining clients while growing your revenue will not come as a result of your Social Media skills. It will be the result of your conversation skills. Just as your success in using your phone will not rest on the bells and whistles of your phone, it will be the result of effective communication skills.
It doesn’t matter how many fans, connections or followers you have if people don’t know you, like you or trust you. And the way you develop “know-like-trust” relationships with people is through conversations. By showing that you care about them. Skillful questioning and active listening skills trump Social Media skills every time.
Combine old-school, high touch relationship skills with new-school, high-tech communication tools such as Social Media platforms and you’ll create a timeless biz strategy instead of just trying to build a larger megaphone.
Conversation Skills Trump Social Media Skills
Most people and organizations use a “throw mud on the wall and hope something sticks” approach to Social Media. This may be an effective strategy if you’re in a commodity business, but there really are no commodity businesses, only people who have commodity thinking, but that’s a post for another time.
Your success in using Social Media effectively to increase your visibility, showcase your credibility, create referral relationships and strategic alliances and gaining clients while growing your revenue will not come as a result of your Social Media skills. It will be the result of your conversation skills. Just as your success in using your phone will not rest on the bells and whistles of your phone, it will be the result of effective communication skills.
It doesn’t matter how many fans, connections or followers you have if people don’t know you, like you or trust you. And the way you develop “know-like-trust” relationships with people is through conversations. By showing that you care about them. Skillful questioning and active listening skills trump Social Media skills every time.
Combine old-school, high touch relationship skills with new-school, high-tech communication tools such as Social Media platforms and you’ll create a timeless biz strategy instead of just trying to build a larger megaphone.
WAS HEMINGWAY A TYPEWRITER EXPERT?
I’ve been fortunate to have been speaking, training and coaching on how best to use LinkedIn and other Social Media platforms since 2003. Yes, 2003. That makes me Jurassic in the Social Media world.
From time to time, I like to reiterate a very important point. Was Hemingway a typewriter expert? Was Picasso a canvas expert? No. These were just some of the tools these artists used to convey their messages. They were artists.
And that’s what Social Media is for you. You’re an artist in terms of whatever value and message you’re delivering to the business world whether you realize it or not. LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, whatever, are just some of the tools you use to deliver your value and message.
Have a basic understanding of these platforms but don’t think you need to become an expert at them. You don’t need to know how to fix a transmission in order to drive a car. Focus on your communication, networking and relationship building skills. Few people do this.
The irony is staggering. People want the newest iPhone which smells colors and realigns the planets, yet few work on improving their communication skills. Give an iPhone to a monkey and he’ll scratch himself with it or bite it. The value of the iPhone is not diminished when the monkey holds it, he just has no idea what to do with it.
We bring to the typewriter, canvas, LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, etc our communication, networking and relationship building skills or our lack of communication, networking and relationship building skills. Always be improving these skills and you’ll always be able to maximize the value and message you deliver regardless of the platform or medium. And that’s what being a true artist is all about.
Was Hemingway A Typewriter Expert?
I’ve been fortunate to have been speaking, training and coaching on how best to use LinkedIn and other Social Media platforms since 2003. Yes, 2003. That makes me Jurassic in the Social Media world.
From time to time, I like to reiterate a very important point. Was Hemingway a typewriter expert? Was Picasso a canvas expert? No. These were just some of the tools these artists used to convey their messages. They were artists.
And that’s what Social Media is for you. You’re an artist in terms of whatever value and message you’re delivering to the business world whether you realize it or not. LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, whatever, are just some of the tools you use to deliver your value and message.
Have a basic understanding of these platforms but don’t think you need to become an expert at them. You don’t need to know how to fix a transmission in order to drive a car. Focus on your communication, networking and relationship building skills. Few people do this.
The irony is staggering. People want the newest iPhone which smells colors and realigns the planets, yet few work on improving their communication skills. Give an iPhone to a monkey and he’ll scratch himself with it or bite it. The value of the iPhone is not diminished when the monkey holds it, he just has no idea what to do with it.
We bring to the typewriter, canvas, LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, etc our communication, networking and relationship building skills or our lack of communication, networking and relationship building skills. Always be improving these skills and you’ll always be able to maximize the value and message you deliver regardless of the platform or medium. And that’s what being a true artist is all about.
YOUR NEWSLETTER AND EZINE ISN’T A “TOUCH”
We all get various newsletters, ezines, etc. Many people and organizations who send these out think that they’re “touches”. That’s marketing speak for impersonal mass communication. They’re not bad things, but let’s not pretend that they are in any way personal.
When I work with my clients and I teach them and help them develop their own simple “High-Tech/High-Touch Relationship Marketing System”(TM) we don’t consider those newsletters, ezines, etc as touches. They’re normally accepted and expected forms of communication, but they’re not touches.
When someone says “that touched me” they’re probably not saying this in reference to a newsletter they just received. Ever. But when you take a sincere interest in someone and add value to them in a personal way, you better believe you’re touching them.
When I care enough to learn what’s important to you, where you went to school, your spouse’s name, your favorite sports team, your favorite type of food or any number of personal things about you, I have an unlimited number of ways to add value to you consistently over time.
And small efforts over time produce massive results.
“But Kev, I can’t do that with huge masses of people.” Exactly. That’s what your newsletter and ezine is for. Throwing mud on the wall and hoping something sticks is for amateurs. Professionals clearly identify the people and organizations they want to do business with whether as a prospect, client, networking partner or strategic alliance and strategically create and nurture personal relationships. And they never worry about business again. Matter of fact, they can’t keep up with the demand.
Your Newsletter And Ezine Isn’t A “Touch”
We all get various newsletters, ezines, etc. Many people and organizations who send these out think that they’re “touches”. That’s marketing speak for impersonal mass communication. They’re not bad things, but let’s not pretend that they are in any way personal.
When I work with my clients and I teach them and help them develop their own simple “High-Tech/High-Touch Relationship Marketing System”(TM) we don’t consider those newsletters, ezines, etc as touches. They’re normally accepted and expected forms of communication, but they’re not touches.
When someone says “that touched me” they’re probably not saying this in reference to a newsletter they just received. Ever. But when you take a sincere interest in someone and add value to them in a personal way, you better believe you’re touching them.
When I care enough to learn what’s important to you, where you went to school, your spouse’s name, your favorite sports team, your favorite type of food or any number of personal things about you, I have an unlimited number of ways to add value to you consistently over time.
And small efforts over time produce massive results.
“But Kev, I can’t do that with huge masses of people.” Exactly. That’s what your newsletter and ezine is for. Throwing mud on the wall and hoping something sticks is for amateurs. Professionals clearly identify the people and organizations they want to do business with whether as a prospect, client, networking partner or strategic alliance and strategically create and nurture personal relationships. And they never worry about business again. Matter of fact, they can’t keep up with the demand.
One Conversation At A Time
No matter how many Facebook friends, LinkedIn connections or Twitter followers you have, nothing happens until a conversation is started. A billboard on the highway isn’t a conversation. While most people are running around trying to get more “likes” remember that business is conducted one to one.
You can use Social Media to broadcast your message, but at the end of the day, biz is conducted one to one. This may sound obvious, but just look around. Very few people and even fewer organizations understand this. Take a deep, sincere interest in the one person you’re speaking with right now. Whether you’re speaking to them face to face, by phone, or on a Social Media site.
Your success always occurs in a conversation. Never outside of a conversation. One conversation at a time.
ONE CONVERSATION AT A TIME
No matter how many Facebook friends, LinkedIn connections or Twitter followers you have, nothing happens until a conversation is started. A billboard on the highway isn’t a conversation. While most people are running around trying to get more “likes” remember that business is conducted one to one.
You can use Social Media to broadcast your message, but at the end of the day, biz is conducted one to one. This may sound obvious, but just look around. Very few people and even fewer organizations understand this. Take a deep, sincere interest in the one person you’re speaking with right now. Whether you’re speaking to them face to face, by phone, or on a Social Media site.
Your success always occurs in a conversation. Never outside of a conversation. One conversation at a time.
PERSONALIZE EVERYTHING
As Dale Carnegie said many years ago, “Remember that a person’s name is to that person, the sweetest and most important sound in any language.” No matter how much technology changes and no matter how sophisticated Social Media (SoMe) platforms become, human nature doesn’t change.
When you have the opportunity to modify a standard invitation message, reply message, etc. on a SoMe platform, do it. Never use the template which the SoMe platform has auto-populated for you. Using their standard template is like holding up a sign which says, “You’re not important enough for me to take 60 seconds to send you a warm, personal message.”
Huge doors of opportunity swing on little tiny hinges. Use effective internet etiquette which I call internetiquette. Personalize everything. Don’t worry about followers, connections, likes, etc. Invest in sincere, authentic relationships.
Personalize Everything
As Dale Carnegie said many years ago, “Remember that a person’s name is to that person, the sweetest and most important sound in any language.” No matter how much technology changes and no matter how sophisticated Social Media (SoMe) platforms become, human nature doesn’t change.
When you have the opportunity to modify a standard invitation message, reply message, etc. on a SoMe platform, do it. Never use the template which the SoMe platform has auto-populated for you. Using their standard template is like holding up a sign which says, “You’re not important enough for me to take 60 seconds to send you a warm, personal message.”
Huge doors of opportunity swing on little tiny hinges. Use effective internet etiquette which I call internetiquette. Personalize everything. Don’t worry about followers, connections, likes, etc. Invest in sincere, authentic relationships.
Anti-Social Media
There are many people who think that success in leveraging Social Media comes down to understanding analytics, marketing conversion ratios, data mining, aligning planets, smelling colors and all other forms of modern alchemy.
Maybe for some of the people with tape on their glasses it does, but those things have never been important to me or my clients. I own a car, but I have no idea of how the transmission works and I don’t need to know how the transmission works. But I do know how to drive.
Whether online or offline, we can’t outrun our character and we can’t outrun our people skills or lack thereof. If someone IRL (“in real life” as the kids say) gives you a compliment, you’d probably thank them. Unless your social skills suck. And many people’s social skills do as it says in the Good Book “sucketh”.
If someone retweets you, mentions you on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, etc and you don’t acknowledge them and say thanks, your social skills suck. I’m not trying to offend you, I’m just pointing out a BFO. A blinding flash of the obvious.
All things being equal, people do business with and refer business to the people they know, like and trust. Someone please explain to me how being rude builds know, like, trust relationships. Crickets. Buehler….Buehler….
At this point, most people start thinking, “Man, if I acknowledge people, show appreciation and develop simple social skills (etiquette or online it’s called internetiquette), that’s gonna take time.” Perhaps these people should just walk around with a sign hanging around their neck that says “I have no idea that business and life is all about relationships that’s why I’m relying on secret, ninja marketing trickery”.
Say please and thank you. Be polite. And then be a little more polite. Acknowledge people. Be humble. Pay it forward. Courtesy never goes out of style. And man does it pay well.
ANTI-SOCIAL MEDIA
There are many people who think that success in leveraging Social Media comes down to understanding analytics, marketing conversion ratios, data mining, aligning planets, smelling colors and all other forms of modern alchemy.
Maybe for some of the people with tape on their glasses it does, but those things have never been important to me or my clients. I own a car, but I have no idea of how the transmission works and I don’t need to know how the transmission works. But I do know how to drive.
Whether online or offline, we can’t outrun our character and we can’t outrun our people skills or lack thereof. If someone IRL (“in real life” as the kids say) gives you a compliment, you’d probably thank them. Unless your social skills suck. And many people’s social skills do as it says in the Good Book “sucketh”.
If someone retweets you, mentions you on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, etc and you don’t acknowledge them and say thanks, your social skills suck. I’m not trying to offend you, I’m just pointing out a BFO. A blinding flash of the obvious.
All things being equal, people do business with and refer business to the people they know, like and trust. Someone please explain to me how being rude builds know, like, trust relationships. Crickets. Buehler….Buehler….
At this point, most people start thinking, “Man, if I acknowledge people, show appreciation and develop simple social skills (etiquette or online it’s called internetiquette), that’s gonna take time.” Perhaps these people should just walk around with a sign hanging around their neck that says “I have no idea that business and life is all about relationships that’s why I’m relying on secret, ninja marketing trickery”.
Say please and thank you. Be polite. And then be a little more polite. Acknowledge people. Be humble. Pay it forward. Courtesy never goes out of style. And man does it pay well.
Unplug From Time To Time
It’s good to unplug from time to time. For the last week, we’ve been on our annual family Spring Break trip. We usually take Spring Break trips somewhere where there’s lot of sunshine, beaches, palm trees and drinks with little flags in them and this year we decided to go to Atlantis in the Bahamas. It was a fun week of eating great meals, drinking lots of margaritas, sightseeing, sleeping late, playing, watching sunsets, swimming in the ocean, in the pools, playing in the water slides and a private swimming encounter with the Sea Lions. The kids had a ball and of course, so did Karin and I.
This afternoon I’m flying from here in the Bahamas to Chicago to deliver two speaking engagements tomorrow at a large Financial Services conference. Back to civilization. I made a pretty obvious observation in the beautiful Bahamas. It was interesting to see that even in the Bahamas at a luxurious resort such as the Atlantis, there were huge numbers of people walking around staring at their iPhones, Androids, etc. We were surrounded by the most beautiful scenery of flowers, waterfalls, the ocean, bikinis, sharks, turtles, etc everywhere and people were walking and looking down at their phones. Amazing.
This may sound like an odd thing for a “Social Media Guy” to be saying, but in case you’ve never heard me say this before, I’ve been saying for the over 10 years that I’ve been in the Social Media world, “I’m not a Social Media guy.” I’m a relationship guy who has an understanding of how to use current technology (Social Media) to create, develop and enrich relationships.
Whether you’re at home, work or a resort, unplug from time to time. Turn the phone off. Not on airplane mode or vibrate. Off. Get a cup of tea, coffee, tequila, whatever, and just sit. Look around. We’re surrounded by beauty. Have a conversation with someone and look into their eyes and listen to them. Really hear them. The technology will still be there when you return. Savor your moments off-line. At the end, you’re not going to wish you could have read one more post about someone playing Candy Crush or why Gwyneth and Chris are breaking up. This is your life. Live it.
Your Personal Brand
Hi there!
I hope you’re having a great end to your February. End of February – wasn’t it just Y2K?! If you didn’t get that last reference, I probably have cowboy boots older than you.
As we covered in our last newsletter, Social Selling is made up of four things:
1) Your Personal Brand
2) Your Deep Network of Relationships
3) Your Sales Intelligence
4) Your Social Listening
Today, we’ll dig into Your Personal Brand a bit. I often tell my audiences that people who refer to themselves as “gurus” usually do so because they can’t spell “charlatan”. And self-proclaimed gurus typically like to make their supposed area of expertise sound complicated, deep and mysterious. I choose to take the opposite approach. Let’s remember the KISS Principle….Keep It Simple Sweetie.
In the old days, your Personal Brand was called your reputation. And it took time to develop, and it usually preceded you. It still does take time to develop, but it precedes you far more quickly now due to the Internet. Personal branding isn’t about shameless self-promotion. Personal branding is about sharing your particular knowledge in a way that builds trust. By developing a pay-it-forward approach to your expertise, you create a transparent relationship based on value with your prospects, clients, networking partners and strategic alliances.
Prior to the Internet, people had limited resources to do their market research or due diligence on you prior to hiring you or doing business with you. Boy has that changed in the last 20 years. We’re not talking about stalking here; we’re talking about doing your homework as a professional. So if you know that people are going to be checking you out, doesn’t it make sense to remember what your parents or grandparents told you a long time ago? You only have one chance to make a good first impression. Personal branding is about making that good first impression. And due to the nature of the Internet, you can also deliver a fantastic second, third, fourth, fifth, etc. impression due to the nature of client testimonials, reviews, etc.
As my friend, Bob Burg, says “People do business with and refer business to people they know, like and trust.” This is as true as gravity. Personal branding enables you to develop your Know-Like-Trust Factor (KLT Factor) much more quickly. Whether you’re an employee, business owner, entrepreneur, recent grad, or whatever, your reputation matters. People will be making hiring and buying decisions based on your Personal Brand, often without you even knowing they’ve already done it.
As we continue in upcoming newsletters we’ll be getting into the nuts and bolts of creating an effective Personal Brand. And the good news is it’s easy. You don’t need to have tape on your glasses and a pocket protector, you just need to be willing to add as much value as you can while leveraging modern communication technology. Just always remember that while High Tech is nice, High Touch is everything.
To your massive success,
Kev
Make Them Smile
The top 20% of your clients probably wouldn’t mind it if you picked up the phone, called them and told them that you care about them and asked them if there’s anything you could do for them today to make them smile.
The bottom 20% probably wouldn’t mind it either.
Perhaps just start with one client.