Business Building Ideas From Terry L. Brock

The trend of social networking (or social media, if you prefer) is not about the technology of Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn or other networks.  Yes, the technology is nice and has a lot of possibilities.

Relationship Marketing is about people connecting with people at certain levels to satisfy their needs for business and personal life.  It is not about pushing stuff out to people.  That’s the old way.

Social Networking is all about Relationship Marketing, or what I call R-Commerce.  For over a decade I’ve said “It is NOT about E-Commerce (the Electronics); It’s about R-Commerce (the Relationships).”  Social Networking is about connecting with people on a real level and helping them.  As you help them and hear from them you do more for yourself.

Marketing is different today than before.  In the old days, “push” marketing was the key to getting your message out to others.  I remember reading magazines like Ad Age and other great marketing tools and various ads would encourage readers to “Buy Chicago” or “Buy Dallas.”  By this, they meant to purchase time on their TV station, buy space in their magazine or newspapers, etc. etc.   The idea was to take your products and services and push the idea of people buying into that market and “own” the market.

Things are different today.

If you are too “pushy” (used colloquially as a negative term now) you get rejected. I’ve talked about people in this column who were way too pushy and therefore lost respect and business.  Instead of being “pushy” or even using a lot of “pull” you have to interact.

This is a different concept.  Interaction means that we recognize how we are all interdependent in today’s world.  No one can make it alone.  You have to work with and through others to achieve your goals.  Social Networking is a matter of finding out how others are feeling and where they are experiencing pain.  You listen to their needs and find a way you can assist them.  This is how success is achieved.

Here’s a story that illustrates how businesses must work with, not against, their customers that supports this.  A while back a singer named Dave Carroll from Halifax flew United Airlines for a tour with his band.  They flew from Halifax to Chicago and then on to Nebraska.  While on the ground in Chicago O’Hare (a United hub) a passenger saw the way baggage handlers were dealing with luggage and commented about the treatment.  One of those cases happened to be Dave’s and, sure enough, when he got to his destination in Nebraska, he discovered that United had broken his guitar.

Ouch!

Dave contacted United and for over a year tried to get resolution but United Airlines continued to say the easy “No.”  I’m not familiar with the particulars of the situation and can’t cast blame on anyone, including United.  However, what happened and how Social Media was involved affects you and me.

Dave wrote a funny song about the incident and posted it on YouTube which you can see at: http://tinyurl.com/knxyvm It is hilarious and instructive for you and me in our business.

In the past, Dave would have just had to suck it up and go on.  Today, Dave, and people like him, have a vehicle where they can express displeasure to millions.  As I write this, over 4.4 million people have viewed that video!  In an update I see that United has made some attempts to resolve the situation.  Gee, I wonder if they would have done something if there were no YouTube? Watch the video and I’ll let you decide.

My point is even bigger than what Dave Carroll has gone through.  Think about your own business.  Are customers satisfied with what you do?  Would you like a video of your business along the lines of the “United Breaks Guitars” video?

Today, it is all about interaction, not push and not even pull.  Listen to what others are saying and then provide that for them.  It is not about all the fancy technology.  It is about connecting with people, real, oxygen-breathing, blood pumping customers (!) who buy your products and services.

Of course, this is good old Marketing as it is supposed to happen.  When I was in business school studying Marketing, we called this being customer focused.

Whatever form of Social Networking or Social Media you use, this has to be your focus.  Don’t tell me just how great you are.  Don’t tell me about the “new way to earn money on Twitter.”  Identify key areas (do the keyword research for your industry) and find where people are hurting.  Then craft unique, helpful tools for them.  There’s no magic here and nothing new, but this is the way to succeed.

I hope United Airlines and other companies can adjust accordingly.  Can you and I?

Copyright © 2009, Terry Brock and Achievement Systems, Inc.  Terry Brock is an international marketing coach and professional speaker who helps businesses generate profitable results.  He can be reached by e-mail at terry@terrybrock.com or through his website at www.terrybrock.com.  Join the Twitter adventure with Terry through his Twitter address: TerryBrock.

Business Building Ideas from Terry L. Brock

“All politics is local.” Thomas P. “Tip” O’Neill, Former Speaker of US House of Representatives, 1977-1987

I recently went to a convention of the National Speakers Association which was held this year in the Phoenix, Arizona area. The property where we stayed was the Marriott Desert Ridge. I have stayed in about 4 billion hotels (seems like that many sometimes!) in my career traveling around the world speaking and coaching. I’ve seen many good hotels and a few I’d rather not visit even if I have to stand up all night outside!

This visit to the Marriott Desert Ridge was particularly pleasant for me. I enjoyed the way the Marriott attended to so many things that go into making a week-long stay enjoyable. They certainly have done their homework on this one.

Yet, it was interesting that last night, as I had dinner with some friends who also attended, they were hesitant to echo my praise of the property. No, they didn’t have a horror story about the hotel. The comments were about the $18 per glass price charge for some of the wines. Because of that, when I asked the pointed question (as we journalists are prone to do at times) “Would you recommend it for others?” the answer I got from a friend brought a long pause before her answer.

Interesting.

Very interesting indeed. One little experience or incident can change everything. Tip O’Neill was right that in the field of politics. It is all “local.” I’d use the word personal. When a constituent gets help from a representative to get grandma’s social security problem fixed, that constituent becomes a raving fan for the rep. It doesn’t matter that others will cite numerous logical, intellectually-based reasons why that rep is not worthy of re-election. All that matters to that constituent is that the rep helped his grandmother in a time of need. We take what happens to us personally.

As an example, in the current debate on health care, listen to how many arguments are based on personal examples. In the macro scheme, what happened to one person really shouldn’t affect overall policy. Yet, what happened to one person who was denied health care for lack of insurance strongly affects the way a person believes.

You can use all the logic and reason you want to support or rail against a particular policy but that won’t matter to most people.

This same principle relates to you and me in our business. We can do almost everything right in our interaction with and association with customers. Yet, if they have one, tiny little thing go wrong —- a thing that is important to them — they will deride you and say bad things. They’ll go on and on about the one thing they didn’t like rather than citing all the things that went right.

My friend cited the $18 per glass wine (which she said wasn’t that good of a wine) and didn’t mention a word about the hot water being fine in the shower, the beds were made just right, the food in the cafes was great and more. Even though I enjoyed the experience greatly, this one issue mattered to her.

Here are a few quick points that can help you and your business as you deal with issues like this:

1. Relationship Marketing Is Not Always Logical. It is about emotions and how people feel. Do whatever you can within reason to make them happy. Even a loss in one area can be overcome with the lifetime value of a customer who will buy from you and encourage others to buy from you. Make it your goal to keep them happy — not convince with logic and reason that you are right.

2. Put Systems In Place To Quickly Correct Minor Problems. This is where the hard work comes into play. Think through those myriad of experiences your customers encounter. How can you tweak and improve them? Develop documented systems that address these important issues.

3. Ask Your Customers And Take Good Notes To Share With Your People. This goes beyond asking them to fill out a form. Talk with them. Pick up the phone and chat. Don’t rely on email, or social networking tools alone to find out what they thought. As you probe into their desires and needs related to your product or service you’ll reap a bountiful treasure trove of information that can help you become more profitable.

By the way, after I asked my friend if she would recommend it to another, she eventually answered yes. The experience we all had at the Marriott Desert Ridge was delightful and I would consider it one of my best (after those 4 billion visits I’ve had to hotels!!). Find out what items can be adjusted in your business. Find out where you could make minor changes at low or no cost to you that enhance the experience for your customers.

Relationship Marketing is a wonderful on-going process of making sure we address the way people feel about doing business with us. Yes, all politics is local and all customer experiences are personal. Make it your goal to enhance that personal experience in your Relationship Farming to keep them coming back — and ordering more “wine” at your business.

Copyright © 2009, Terry Brock and Achievement Systems, Inc. Terry Brock is an international marketing coach and professional speaker who helps businesses generate profitable results. He can be reached by e-mail at terry@terrybrock.com or through his website at www.terrybrock.com. Join the Twitter adventure with Terry through his Twitter address: TerryBrock.

Business-Building Ideas From Terry L. Brock

Building quality, profitable relationships in business is much like farming.  I call it Relationship Farming.  Like the farmer who keeps us all alive (thank you, real world farmers!) you have to study the soil (know what is happening in the world and environment of your customers), plant the seeds (send your message in a positive, respectful way), nurture the plants and they grow (provide continued benefits), allow for ample moisture and fertilizer (keep providing what the customer needs), and be around for harvest (have systems in place to process sales).  Then when all the work is finished it is time to begin for next year!  In business this means, as the legendary Yogi Berra told us long ago, “It ain’t over till it’s over!”  In business, it is never over and that is good news.

But how do you keep those wonderful, delightful people who pay our bills (call them customers, clients, members, guests —- whatever —- they are the people who pay our bills!) happy?

Keep creating experiences that make customers say “WOW!” when they deal with you.

Winston Marsh is a marketing guru from Australia who has shown us for years how to “Make ‘em say WOW!” in his marketing.  He says we have to focus on how to create experiences so that customers are dazzled with what happens to them.

This might seem like a lot of work.  Fortunately it is and it isn’t.  By that I mean that it does require serious thinking and planning.  See the customers’ experiences from their point of view.  What do they have to deal with in your business?  In the market you serve, what are the major problems people encounter?  Why are they buying from you?  What problems are they seeking to solve?

Once you’ve nailed that very important first part, you want to sit down with your people and lay out your plans.  Even if “your people” is “me, myself and I” you need serious planning.  Where can you make experiences pleasant and easy for customers?  What can you do to ease their pain?

Recently I had the chance to experience positive customer service at a conference I attended.  It is called FreedomFest and is put on by Dr. Mark Skousen.  He is a professor of Economics at Columbia University.  You wouldn’t think of “good customer service” normally when you think of a university professor.  Yet, Dr. Skousen and his excellent team of people make this event a very positive experience for his market every July in Las Vegas.

The speakers addressed a wide variety of topics (something important to those attending), they were some of the tops in their respective fields anywhere in the world (knowledge and credibility are vital for those attending FreedomFest), and the price was right (always important).  There were ample breaks and time to network with others.  The exhibit hall provided many vendors who could help customers.  This, by the way, helped both vendors and paying attendees.

Then for the finale, there was a wonderful banquet with really good food (often unusual in hotel settings), a great, fun, live band and a chance to cement relationships that were established during the event.  It really was a WOW! experience for those in attendance.  I heard that from many attendees.

So, what can you do in your business to create that WOW! experience?  Here are a few ideas to get you started, and to use as a check-up on what you’re doing now:

1. See the world through your customers’ eyes.  What is causing them pain?  Where are they hurting?  What can you do to help relieve the pain? Don’t just assume you know, talk with them and listen. Find out from them what is going on and what they want solved.
2. Do the hard work of thinking.  Yes, it is hard work as you struggle with options.  Mark Skousen spent many hours, days and weeks with his team formulating just the right concepts to make FreedomFest outstanding for those attending — a typically difficult market to please.
3. Provide important “extras.”  Find key areas that add that wonderful new dimension that brings a smile.  Not so much huge, expensive additions but little, important-to-the-customer touches that keep bringing them back.
4. Automate as much as possible.  Make the systems around your business fine-tuned and bullet-proof.  Yes, use technology but think in terms of systems and developing better systems all the time.
5. Constantly review and revisit what you’re doing on how to tweak and make it even better.

Be so focused on their problems that they would complain if you weren’t around to help them!  Make it your goal to become indispensable in the minds of your customers.  That is what Relationship Farming requires and that is the benefit for your long-term business.

Bonus Tip: Create multiple WOWs.  Most any business can do at least one WOW.  Find multiple ways to create those WOW moments for customers (at least three) and you’ll find you have won customers over for a long time. This is what Relationship Farming is all about.

Relationship Farming.  Yes, it takes work.  But the benefits are outstanding for your customers — and for you.

Copyright © 2009, Terry Brock and Achievement Systems, Inc.  Terry Brock is an international marketing coach and professional speaker who helps businesses generate profitable results.  He can be reached by e-mail at terry@terrybrock.com or through his website at www.terrybrock.com.  Join the Twitter adventure with Terry through his Twitter address: TerryBrock.

Business-Building Ideas From Terry L. Brock

The old ways are dying. Look around you and see what is happening to the old strategy of “push” marketing. You know the idea —- You come up with a product then “push” it out to the world through aggressive selling. You buy lots of radio, TV and newspapers along with magazines and throw in some pathetic junk to try and “raise awareness” more.

How 20th Century!

Today things are different. You can’t force people to watch your ads. There are so many choices that people are programmed to flip channels at light speed. We have a whole generation trained in “The Art of the Delete Key” when it comes to junk mail.

So, if you can’t push something on the public so they’ll buy, what can a sincere marketer do?

Focus on Relationship Marketing.

This is how you attract people. Build quality, mutually-beneficial relationships in business.

It has been said long ago, that “You can lead a horse to water but you can’t make him drink.” That is true. However, if you give the horse some salt beforehand (I don’t recommend this but just using it as an illustration!), you’ll vastly increase the chances that the horse will want your “water.” Also, if you make the environment “hot” for your message, that horse will be mighty thirsty!

So what “salt” can you, as a Relationship Marketer, give to the horses (read, your potential clients, customers, buyers) that will make them want to “drink?” Today it is different from before but certain essentials remain the same.

Today you have to generate incredible interest in what it is you’re doing. You have to provide value —- as defined by your buyers, not you. What is it that they are looking for? What is it that they need? How can you help them to achieve resolution of their problems and the issues that confront them?

Here are some suggestions to get you started. Of course, you have to be creative and come up with those elements that work for you in your field and your business.

1. Build A Website That Is A Rich Resource For Your Industry. Don’t make your website all about you. Make it something that serves as the portal to access lots of useful information for those in the industry.
2. Provide Rich Media Exposure. Use audio and video to bring life to dull, text-and-pix-only websites. Make sure there is something exciting and fun going on that provides value for your customers’ businesses.
3. Be Fun And Funny. I’m not talking about telling a bunch of jokes. Besides, that usually doesn’t work for the non-professional. Be lively and fun as the person that people want to be around. When humor is natural and appropriate (never offensive or degrading), use it to help others.
4. Be Famous. People like to be around someone who is famous. Become well-known in your niche for doing something incredibly useful.
5. Become Known As The Go-To Person. This will draw others to you. They will want to be around you and will seek you out because you have a history of providing help.

Just getting started and don’t have all the above? No problem. Work extra hard learning new skills and do it for free — initially. The old question graduates have asked for years has an easy answer. Graduates often complain that employers are asking for someone with experience. But they wonder how they’ll get experience if no one will hire them.

The answer is to work with a charity or do something worthwhile for someone and do it for free. Get experience in some field that the market values. Pay your bills working somewhere else if you have to. Yes, you might have to work more than 8 hours a day and more than one job. What a concept!

Once you have the skills and the market gets to know you, your problem will be selecting the best offer. Not a bad problem to have!

Make your marketing and your exposure to the world very “salty.” The more appealing your marketing, the more people will gravitate to you to buy what you have. Your focus — particularly in times like these — should be on getting better at what you do in a market-value way. Get really good at solving pain for others and make your service second-to-none.

Here’s to lots of horses drinking your water, you “salty marketer,” you!

Copyright © 2009, Terry Brock and Achievement Systems, Inc. Terry Brock is an international marketing coach and professional speaker who helps businesses generate profitable results. He can be reached by e-mail at terry@terrybrock.com or through his website at www.terrybrock.com. Join the Twitter adventure with Terry through his Twitter address: TerryBrock.

Business-Building Ideas From Terry L. Brock

I can’t believe they allow this in advertising! Have you seen this? The cell phone companies (yes, those much-beloved companies that everyone adores and raves about how good their customer service is —- NOT!) have done it again.

Recently I was looking at some possibilities for connecting my laptop to the Net through the Wireless cards now available. This is a great service and I’ve used it before form a couple of different carriers.

Recently, however, I hit the roof when I saw the new-fangled rip-off they are perpetrating. This is not from just one carrier but several are doing it. They advertise “unlimited” usage and then they have that tiny little asterisk next to the word “unlimited.” Come to find out what they mean by “unlimited” and what you and I mean are two different concepts — and you get ripped off as a result.

That cute little asterisk they put in there is to show that they define “unlimited” as only 5GB per month. That is NOT unlimited. It has a limit! I don’t know about you, but where I grew up, out in the country, we said that “unlimited” means, well, unlimited — no limit. Well, golly! I guess the new way of doing things is to put a LIMIT on UNLIMITED!

I could understand if they said access was $X up to 5GB and then $Y for each megabyte over that. No problem. I understand they can’t give everyone 900 Terabytes of download bandwidth every day and stay in business. However, don’t tell me it is “unlimited” when it is not!

See the problem is that hype erodes your credibility. Think about it. When you hear too much hyperbole in a marketing pitch, don’t you just feel the hairs on the back on your neck rise? When a company resorts to way too much hype it hurts any trust that had previously been built. Yet, this is what a lot of companies have resorted to in this economy. I guess they think that by inflating the hype factor, they can get more business.

That is not what Relationship Marketing is about. Real Relationship Marketing — the kind we believe in and the kind that works — eliminates the asterisks from advertising. Be honest with people. If the cellphone carriers limit it to 5GB that is fine. We understand. They can charge more for more use and any serious businessperson will understand and adapt usage accordingly. Just don’t tell me “unlimited” in the ad with a cute little weasel asterisk. You only hurt your own creditability — and ultimately sales.

This all comes from the a lack of “other thinking.” By this I mean thinking of the problem from the other person’s point of view. See the problem —- and write your marketing — from the other person’s point of view. Think of a real customer and think about what he/she is going through. Then design your marketing around that. Being real and transparent gives you a competitive advantage in a world of way too much hype.

Hype erodes your creditbility. The worst part of it is that the damage can be permanent or take a lot of time, money and effort to overcome. It is better to be real, genuine and fair with customers.

Use technology to leverage what you can do to help more people in ways that generate more value for them. A good example of that is what the people at Nuance Software are doing with their Dragon Naturally Speaking and MacSpeech Dictate products. I’ve just been evaluating both of these on the Windows and Mac platforms recently.

These products help you talk into your computer and then turn the speech into text. It is a great way to “talk a letter” to a prospect a client or important contact. You can talk faster than you type. Using a tool like these helps a lot.

Their newest versions give increased accuracy and I’m very impressed. To see more about them watch the video interview I had with Peter Mahoney of the Dragon Division at Nuance Software. He not only talks about what the products do but also discusses how real-world people are using these products to solve real problems. To see the video go to: http://tinyurl.com/m8vslx. Watch particularly for the part where you discover how to talk into your portable cell phone and have speech translated into text. Amazing technology!

And that is the way to succeed in today’s economy. Find products that help people in a real way. Drop the hype. Drop the asterisks and provide serious, genuine products that help people get their work done faster, easier and make it more convenient to connect with others. Nuance software is doing this with their Dragon Naturally Speaking and their MacSpeech Dictate products.

So, how can you “drop the asterisks” in your business and be more transparent and real with customers? The answer to that question can help generate more business for you!

Maybe the cellphone companies are reading this and will drop the lousy “unlimited” fabrication and become genuine! You never know!! I’m the eternal optimist!

Copyright © 2009, Terry Brock and Achievement Systems, Inc. Terry Brock is an international marketing coach and professional speaker who helps businesses generate profitable results. He can be reached by e-mail at terry@terrybrock.com or through his website at www.terrybrock.com. Join the Twitter adventure with Terry through his Twitter address: TerryBrock.

This is a product you want to know about. If you have Windows or a Mac you can take advantage of this tool to better connect with people. Dragon Naturally Speaking and MacSpeech Dictate from Nuance Software remain the leaders in this field.

Recently I had an interview with Peter Mahoney, Vice President and General Manager of the Dragon division of Nuance Software. This is the company that provides not only the Speech to Text software but many other great productivity products.

This interview will be a treat for you. Hear the benefits of how people are using speech-to-text now in real-world experiences. Learn about what is happening for texting on your mobile device by just talking. Then also learn about what is coming in the future in this exciting technology. This is an interview you want to watch all the way through.

This is more than just transcribing your speech into text. It is about building quality, profitable relationships in business. It is about Relationship Marketing and you’ll discover how this can happen. Length of Video = 14:12

Enjoy!

Terry
Terry@TerryBrock.com
www.TerryBrock.com

 Dragon Naturally Speaking and MacSpeech Dictate - Interview: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (1791)