By Terry L. Brock

Recently, I received a daily email from someone I admire greatly. He has a best-selling book and has demonstrated lots of integrity in his message and life. He related the story of how he had recently received a letter from the lawyer of a firm he mentioned in his best-selling book. Most firms would be grateful to be positively mentioned in a best-selling book. However, this firm took a different approach.

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The lawyer letter was robot-like (as lawyer letters are prone to be), cold and demanding. It stated that the author is responsible for too many people contacting this lawyer’s client and asking about their services (Can you believe that?). I went to the website of the firm which was recommended by the best-selling author and the words seemed really nice. They had a nice phrase (even with the SM — Service Mark symbol!) on their home page about how they help customers. This seems like a classic case of “Words = Nice; Reality = They don’t really practice this.”

Being successful in Relationship Marketing means you have to be genuine to the core. You know what I’m talking about. The ad on TV says the firm “really cares for you.” When you go there you’re treated like dirt and abused. The disconnect is painful.

Many firms demonstrate a lack of plain old-fashioned graciousness, even though their marketing ad copy says, “we really care about you.” It is easy to become cynical today. At a time when business is tougher, being kind seems to be the bare minimum as a requirement for success. I wonder how this so-called “marketing firm” treats paying customers once they have their money. That “We really care about you” trite phrase evaporates in reality when it isn’t real and is only a thin veneer covering the ugly attitude underneath. Watch how politicians react after the election in the January – June timeframe when they are not up for re-election. Many people will be shocked (how about that!) that politicians say one thing to get elected but demonstrate a completely different attitude once secure in office.

Relationship marketing has to be based on being genuine or, like a house of cards, it crumbles under a strong wind. Witness the problems with the financial system in the US and you’ll see that if a system is not based on sound principles this nasty thing called reality will force it to crumble.

So, how can you “become genuine?” How can you communicate the importance of being “real” to your associates, your customers, your suppliers and elsewhere?

It starts with an attitude of trying to help others. See issues from their point of view. Too much of our society has grown callous and uncivil in tone. Vehement arguing and yelling are not appropriate in civil interchange.

You can tell a lot about a person in the way they treat wait staff at a restaurant. I recently had breakfast with a well-known celebrity who was speaking at the same conference with me. We got together to catch up and chat. I found it very revealing that this celebrity treated the server in a very disrespectful way deriding him because one minor request (out of several blurted out initially) was omitted. Then, this celebrity bragged to another person how he was able to “set straight” this poor, hard-working server. Yet, when the celebrity is on TV, he is all smiles and niceness. People who only see him on TV think he is “kind and caring.”

The day before yesterday I met someone at a social dinner. She related that she had had the opportunity through her job to interview two past Presidents of the US. One treated her graciously, asked about her, asked her to meet the members of his family and even let her use his wife’s golf clubs. The other past President delayed her and others, was rude, his voice was abrupt and he was very demanding. I’m purposely not mentioning who these past Presidents were because in a hot political season people would claim it is politically motivated.

This is not political. This is about basic human decency and treating people with care and respect — whoever they are and whatever position they have. My personal belief is that if someone is working and trying to make an honest living, they deserve respect. They have to demonstrate deficiencies before I think less of them.

As you adopt an attitude of wanting to help others in a genuine, real way, it permeates to your business. It becomes a part of who you are at the core and this reflects on the bottom line. We’ve lost a lot of that genuine care in our society today. Perhaps a slow-down is a good time to stop, examine how you treat others —- particularly those who are serving you — and ask about how much genuine care is being communicated.

Relationship Marketing is about kindness. Yes, this is simple but it is not always easy. Take time to think about how others are being treated. No, you don’t let people walk all over you, but a tough-minded attitude of kindness initially towards all is good training for real bottom-line business.

There’s an old saying on the street. I’ll clean it up a bit since this is a family publication. “Money talks. Other stuff walks.” Cling to what is real. Treating people with kindness and integrity is the right thing to do. It also improves the bottom line in business.

Terry Brock is an international marketing coach and professional speaker who helps businesses market more effectively, leveraging technology. He shows busy professionals how to squeeze more out of their days using time-honored rules and practical technology tools. He can be reached at 407-363-0505, by e-mail at terry@terrybrock.com or through his website at www.terrybrock.com.
Does Being Nice Equal Good Business?

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Let us know your comments (below).

Terry

Recently I read a book that you’ve got to check out. It is called “Changing the Channel” by Michael Masterson and MaryEllen Tribby. These two marketing geniuses are with the famous website, www.EarlyToRise.com where millions go for information on marketing, building wealth, health and more.

Their book, “Changing the Channel: 12 Easy Ways to Make Millions for Your Business” is just what today’s business owners need. You can’t rely on just one medium for success. You need to blend in online, offline and many other strategies to succeed. One approach does NOT work for all.

In the video I illustrate one excerpt in particular which helps to develop your marketing and advertising campaign. The book takes you through a step-by-step process to put it all together.

You can get this at Amazon.com or other online stores. Check out www.EarlyToRise.com for what I feel is the best website for marketing, health and wisdom on the Net. Let me know what you think and I’ll look forward to your feedback (below).

Terry Brock

Social Networking, Open Source
And Your Business Success

By Terry L. Brock

Social Networking is a logical extension of Relationship Marketing or what I call R-Commerce. It is the desire for people to connect with others who share similar interests, values, ideas and can help each other. It is also a symptom of how marketing has changed.

In the old days (not that long ago), marketers would craft their message and push it out to the masses. Vehicles used included TV advertising, radio advertising, newspapers and other tools. These were good for taking your message and sending it to the masses.

Today things are different.

The old model has been turned upside-down. A combination of factors has brought this about: 1) Technology has made it easier to send email thus we’re all getting WAY too much email. Our filtering systems (both technological and psychological) are more highly refined. That means your prospects are more likely to filter out your message. 2) Technology has enabled the average person to create audio, video and text products that rival the old radio, TV and print media. 3) We want more real human interaction because of the overwhelm from too much stuff.

So, how can a smart marketer make it in this market? Adapt to the new ways and blend in the best of the old.

Be a friend. Be a resource. This is how you get attention. Be the go-to person that people turn to for information and answers. Yes, this means you have to do your homework and be up on relevant information that is pertinent to your customers. Tom Stanley, of Millionaire Next Door fame (and the best marketing prof I had in my MBA program!) said it is important to be the hub. Be the person that others come to for connections. You don’t have to be a real estate agent, but you should know who is best for various types of real estate, geographies, etc. You don’t have to be a dentist but learn who are the good dentists in your area and provide recommendations. Be the person that “everyone knows” and be likeable. This combination is the new way of marketing effectively. It is what R-Commerce is all about.

Another important trend is Open Source. This means that software is available, usually in web-based applications, to get the job done. Products like Google Docs, Gmail (with contact support), Zoho, Salesforce.com and others are rivaling the traditional desktop-based software products that were dominant earlier. Today we can use the power of the Net to produce documents on Google Docs, let others collaborate from anywhere they happen to be, see up-to-date information and be always updated with the latest version. Backup? It’s already done since it’s on the Net. This “Thin Client” approach to computing is changing the way to access data. Actually, it is a new way of doing what used to work years ago. What’s old is new again.

Think about how you can “Open Source” more of your content. Be the hub for others and let them interact with you. Be the resource that people must turn to for relevant information. Look at the new G1 Android from Google. It is designed so that developers around the world can create applications and apply it to the device.

The G1 Android (www.android.com) is imminently flexible to allow for a variety of applications that the open market will create. Some will be very useful. Others won’t. Hey, that’s the way the free market works. A command and control top-down approach to software is giving way to a more interactive, user-sponsored system. Much like the old Soviet Union fell trying to wield all power from the top, organizations that practice a more interactive, “invisible hand” approach (to borrow from Adam Smith) will succeed.

A good example of how this is working is with SalesConx (www.salesconx.com). This company serves as the “introducer” for buyers and sellers of various products and services. It is a system for business referrals connecting people who have skills with those who need them. Sellers pay a fee for referrals and buyers get someone who is screened by SalesConx to insure legitimacy.

I recently experienced SalesConx not only for this column but also in my own business speaking services. Soon after posting my listing I received a reply. It seemed intriguing but being the skeptical, jaded journalist who I am, I questioned the lead. The staff of SalesConx came through checking into the authenticity of the offer and recommended I pass on this one. That saved me the referral fee and potential disappointment. Having that third party intervening can help both buyers and sellers.

This is a trend that I see continuing. Although I still haven’t booked any solid business through them, I believe that SalesConx has a lot of potential. If you want to recommend people for legitimate business, it is a good way to connect people and make some money yourself. The way the system is designed is a real win-win — just like business should be. Check out their website and services to see how you could add some extra business. It is well worth the time.

Social Networking works because when it is done right, it connects people who really want to be together.

It is a new world for business. Embrace the opportunities. Open your mind to a new way of connecting. It is a great way to prosper in any economy. Besides — it’s also a lot of fun!

Terry Brock is an international marketing coach and columnist who helps businesses market more effectively, leveraging technology. He shows busy professionals how to squeeze more out of their days using time-honored rules and practical technology tools. He can be reached at 407-363-0505, by e-mail at terry@terrybrock.com or through his website at www.terrybrock.com.

By Terry L. Brock

All right! Enough already! We’ve heard it over and over about the tough times and how the economy is on a roller coaster. Is this a new era? Are we facing another Great Depression? What is going to happen to the credit and financial markets?

Well, I’d be happy to tell you what is going to happen but my crystal ball is broken. However, I can see what works with human nature and how people overcome challenges and we can learn from that and grow.

When times get tough — as they have and will again and again — they provide a wonderful opportunity to begin anew. As human beings we achieve more and become our very best when we overcome serious obstacles and challenges.

Don’t fear the hard times — embrace them. “Comfort does not produce greatness” is a wonderful Buddhist saying a friend of mine shared with me recently. Be honest with yourself and you might find a few times when you focused more on comfort than producing the greatness for yourself and for others. This is human nature.

You could sit in a bathtub of warm water all day. But it won’t make you strong. It will only give you wrinkles! Get out of that warm water, dry off, get dressed and get ready to charge into the real world. Face what is out there. Yes, there will be tough times. Yes, there will be some setbacks. Welcome to my planet. It works that way here. However, as you embrace the challenges, overcome obstacles and gain more skills you become a better person.

Jim Rohn said it very well when he said that you should strive to earn a million dollars. You don’t have to do it for what you can buy with the million dollars. You could choose to give it all away. However, make it a goal to earn the million dollars because of who you’ll become in the process. Do it for the skills you’ll master along the journey.

Tough times bring out the best — and worst — in people. Tough times have a way of cutting out the dross, the nonsense (and a few other color metaphors). Think of it like a ship tossed at sea. Cargo which doesn’t contribute to sustaining the ship is thrown overboard during violent storms. That which does not contribute to the sustenance of the ship is discarded as it has to be. Be proactive in eliminating the dross from your own business and life.

Take this opportunity to become more of the better person you want to be. Learn new skills. Study revenue-generating ideas in books, magazines, Blogs, podcasts, seminars and elsewhere. Study diligently how to improve critical, revenue-generating areas of your business operation.

Build new relationships and nurture existing, profitable relationships. Now is also a good time to eliminate those areas of your life that aren’t serving you. Now is an excellent time to examine your Relationship Marketing efforts. What is working? What is not? Tough times have a way of helping show who is really with you and who was merely saying nice things during the good times.

This would be a great time to meet with your team of top coaches, employees, consultants and other trusted advisors. Have frank and candid meetings with them to explain where you are, what is going on now and the opportunities for the future. The old WOTS analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Threats and Opportunities) strategy is perfect for this.

This is a particularly pungent time for us as a nation. We’re facing a major election. Politicians, as they are inclined by nature, see the solution as political. I see it differently. Whoever is elected and whichever party controls the reins of government, your success is ultimately up to you. The solution is not political. It is in personal achievement. Your success is up to you, not the politicians who are elected. You have to take matters into your own hands to get better, achieve your own goals and help others.

Focus on doing Relationship Marketing right. That is one of the best skills you can master. Find out ways to serve others and help them in this time of challenges. As you serve others and help them meet their needs, you’ll be able to meet your own needs.

Now is not the time to focus on comfort. Get out of that warm bathtub water, for crying out loud! Take decisive, results-oriented steps to build your Relationship Marketing. Become the better person that you really know you can be and want to be. Today is a perfect opportunity to do it.

When you succeed and achieve your goals you’ll become someone you can be proud of and then comfort will be even sweeter. Hey, you might even treat yourself to a warm bath — for a short time!

Terry Brock is an international marketing coach and columnist who helps businesses market more effectively, leveraging technology. He shows busy professionals how to squeeze more out of their days using time-honored rules and practical technology tools. He can be reached at 407-363-0505, by e-mail at terry@terrybrock.com or through his website at www.terrybrock.com.

What is going on with this social networking buzz?  Well, for marketers and business people serious about making money – a lot! 

If you’re like the bottom-line focused businessperson that I am, you might have questions about this whole Social Networking rave.  Yes, it is nice to see people connecting.  And yes, it started with college kids sharing about things that normally don’t pass the “So what?” test in business. 

But the world has changed.

It has changed in a big way.  Social networking is a prime way to reach prospects, suppliers, vendors and colleagues today.  Television isn’t what it used to be.  Radio is not the same.  Newspapers are laying off people right and left.  The Net is growing and growing big time. 

So how can you monetize this as a marketer?  How can you get into the wave of social networking and use it for your advantage to contribute to the bottom line? Today’s businesspeople focus on what is working. 

Here are some pointers to help get started as you move forward into this new wave of marketing and doing business:

1. You Can’t Directly Measure It.  I know this is hard for numbers-oriented people.  Think of Social Networking like being part of a few key business groups.  You can’t always have a direct connection between your involvement and immediate business.  It is more like wearing appropriate clothing for your business.  A good presence is necessary and expected while a bad presence can hurt you.
2. Use Social Networking To Build A Following.  Gina Carr, President and CEO of Around Town Community Magazines in Woodstock, Georgia says she uses her activity on Twitter, LinkedIn and other networks to establish a presence. “When people want to do business with you, they will check you out on LinkedIn, Twitter and other places,” she said.    This is part of the “getting to know you and trust you” process today.  Gina Carr described it as “establishing celebrity status.” 
3. Use Social Networking to Build Community.  We all want to be part of a community.  We want people who share a common interest and we consider part of “our group.”  Done properly, a social network can be useful for this. 
4. Stay Updated.  You can’t just join and forget it.  Work it.  Like any good Relationship Marketing model, you have to apply TME (Time, Money, Effort) to get the best results.  Keep your listings updated. Stay in touch with people and connect with them during important events in their lives (birthdays, anniversaries, weddings, funerals, sicknesses, etc.). This is fundamental throughout history. Today we use Social Networking on the Net to do the same thing. Be willing to put forth the necessary TME to make it work.
5. Don’t Forget it is about “Social” Networking.  People want to get to know you first as a human being.  Having done that, they are more inclined to deal with you in business.  Focus on their needs as people and their interests.  Find and foster common bonds. 

Social Networking is a manifestation of the human need to connect with others.  We’ve done it for centuries. Think of the old scene of the people sitting in rocking chairs at the General Store in a small country town.  They were engaged in “Social Networking.”  They listened to each other. They cared about each other.  They even did business together.

Today it is the same principle.  We do business with people we like and trust.  We empower that relationship through technology; through the Internet. 

Be involved in Social Networking.  Grow with it as it grows and evolves.  Don’t go overboard with too much “Twittering” but stay in touch where appropriate.  Staying in touch with real people in real human ways is what makes for good business – and a good life. 

Terry Brock is an international marketing coach and columnist who helps businesses market more effectively, leveraging technology.  He shows busy professionals how to squeeze more out of their days using time-honored rules and practical technology tools.  He can be reached at 407-363-0505, by e-mail at terry@terrybrock.com or through his website at www.terrybrock.com. 

By Terry L. Brock

The whole point of Relationship Marketing is to connect with people where they are and meet their needs for profitable business. Having instant access to important contact and reference information is vital. Today’s mobile professional needs access to email, phone, cell numbers and that important tid bit of information about contacts. This information needs to be available on a laptop, a mobile Smartphone, iPhone or other portable device.

Well, I’m excited about a new device that is custom-designed to build your Relationship Marketing. It is the new CardScan for Mac. This tool can make money for you. I use it on my MacBook Pro and you can use their similar products on your computer.

To test this for you, I entered several business cards into my Mac with CardScan. The cards scanned rapidly in less than 5 seconds on average. Since business cards don’t follow a standard format there is always going to be a challenge reading them optically. However, I was able to do a quick visual scan and correct even the most egregious misreads within a few seconds. This is not bad, when you consider that these cards represent real people who are real important and can lead to generating real business.

CardScan has the ability to quickly scroll through business cards using their image view feature. This is a great tool to jog your memory about key people. It is similar to Leopard’s Coverflow. Imagine being in some distant hotel room trying to drum up business. Rather than carrying thousands of cards, you have the images, as well as parsed details, available with a few taps on your keyboard. This is great to connect with important people and strengthen relationships.

I was able to sync with Address Book and Microsoft Entourage quickly. I found that when I entered the card into CardScan, verified it and then selected Export to Address book, I had an immediate copy of it in Address Book and Entourage. Nice! Further, when synched with my iPhone all the newly entered data transferred for immediate availability. Total time for a new card from scan to available on my iPhone? About 3 minutes and that included updates on all my iPhone podcasts!

An area where CardScan disappoints is with groups. Group creation would be easier to target and segment contacts. This is more effective marketing. Instead, all contacts come into one large heap of names. Segmenting by groups would be most helpful. Hopefully the next version will allow this.

My system slowed considerably when I exported my Address Book (with 3,685 contacts). This impedes doing business and needs to be corrected whether this is a problem with my system or a bug in the new version.

Overall, this is not just a way to quickly scan your business cards. Yes, it does that extremely well. This tool is a serious way to increase business, organize your life and build your business not only in a tough economy, but any economy. A mobile professional who is serious about business would be short-changed without CardScan as a business-building tool.

(CardScan for Mac, $259.99, 1.800.640.6944, www.CardScan.com)

Building Business In A Tough Economy

That leads to a very important principle. Whatever technology you use, it is vital to stay in touch with important people. During tough economic times the average person will get depressed, have fear about the future and feel like all is lost.

The successful salesperson and business owner today has those same feelings. This is normal. However, the successful person goes beyond that and has the determination to acquire new skills, build new contacts and embrace a “do whatever it takes to grow out of this” mentality.

Be the successful person you know you can be. Yes, we’ll embrace new technologies as they come. But remember the solution is NOT in the technology. The solution is in your mindset and the attitude you have to learn, grow and get up when (not if) you fall down.

Acquire the necessary skills. Be willing to pay the extra time, money and effort it requires to learn and grow. The first step to success is having an indomitable spirit in the face of any challenge. That principle is needed today and will be in the future.

Terry Brock is an international marketing coach and columnist who helps businesses market more effectively, leveraging technology. He shows busy professionals how to squeeze more out of their days using time-honored rules and practical technology tools. He can be reached at 407-363-0505, by e-mail at terry@terrybrock.com or through his website at www.terrybrock.com.