Complements - True or False?

Most people love compliments, so I am not alone in this. They make us feel good when given by people we know, like and trust. They form an important part of communication and relationship development. The fact is, we instinctively judge a compliment as true or false depending on who has communicated it. So why, I wonder, has it become the accepted thing (by some people) to give complete strangers a complement?

Not sure what I mean or where my thought processes are going? Then hold on a minute and ask yourself this question……

“Would you go up to a complete stranger in the street and compliment him/her on their work or job?” Of course not because you know nothing about them. However, social media has changed all that, as we share, with the world, so much of who we are, what we do and what skills we have. That said, how we communicate has changed and continues to change rapidly. One thing that has not changed, however, is the effect of communication on relationship development.

Social media is an amazing tool for building relationships, yet all too often people focus on quantity of connections rather than quality of relationships. If you use Linked In you may understand what I am getting at.

I hate false compliments. Too often these days’ people I have never met, worked with or engaged in any conversation with are complimenting/endorsing me for my work skills on my Linked In page. Is this happening to you also? Immediately you know they are after one thing, a reciprocal endorsement to help with their ranking!

Don’t get me wrong I love the endorsements when they come from my clients and people I know. These are the true compliments that can often make my day. So thanks to all the lovely people I know on Linked In who have endorsed the skills they have seen me use. As for the false complements/endorsements, there is only one action to take – instant removal as one of my connections!

Let’s start a revolution of ‘instant removals’ and educate people how to use Linked In to build true relationships not false ones.

Social Media Best Practice for Business

There is a common misconception in many businesses that anyone who uses social media, personally, can run or manage a business social media campaign. This can prove a costly mistake as happened with one cleaning company who predominantly used Twitter to market their new business. When the service was not up to customer expectations, where did they go to complain? Twitter – with devastating effect as the company had no idea how to positively respond and turn an angry customer into a valued one.

Likewise, many businesses are wasting valuable time, energy and money using social media only to pump out their marketing messages. Often with no strategy, thought of content or how to engage and grow the customer base they blunder on regardless. Many are oblivious to the need for regular analysis of the effectiveness of their use of this marketing and communication medium.

Social Media Is So Much More Than Just a Marketing Tool

The purpose of Social Media within a business context differs from personal use of the platforms. To be effective in business terms it should be an integral part of a blended marketing strategy. It is a communications medium that affords instant access to clients and critics alike and therefore should also be integrated into your communications and customer service policies.  Getting your response wrong to negative customer feedback can do immeasurable damage to any brand. Get it right and you build an even stronger following and customer base.

Engage Someone with Business Social Media Skills To Manage The Team Strategy

Social Media platforms are not a medium through which to only push out your own marketing messages. Imagine you are in the middle of a very large networking event. What would you think if someone only communicated information about themselves and their business, never listening or responding to what you had to say? Would you want to engage in communication with them again? Social Media platforms are there to engage with people, not constantly communicate ‘Look at me’ messages!

CHOOSING THE RIGHT SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS FOR YOUR BUSINESS

It is important to choose your Social Media Platforms carefully, taking into consideration the market you are aiming at, their personal use of social media, your time to consistently use the platforms and how you will build a following. This is not a communications medium to only push out sales and marketing messages. It is a medium through which to share information and build relationships locally and globally.

Consideration as to how many platforms you choose to use is also important to its use and consistency. Effective Social Media campaigns are time consuming, requiring well thought out and planned content and implementation strategies and overall management, to be fully effective. Social Media management also includes regular weekly use of the analytical tools for each platform. Without such evaluation much time and energy can be wasted on ineffectual social media content and communication.

It is not about the quantity of followers but the quality of engagement you create

Where each member of a team is involved in producing content, sharing, interacting and following, and a dashboard such as Hootsuite is used (including its analytics) the ability to be consistent, time effective and engaging is increased. If people in the same team have their own twitter accounts with different types of followers e.g. students, business people, staff etc., where a need to communicate the same message arises, e.g. an event, the reach of communication is exponentially multiplied by the number of followers in different people’s accounts. This way of working also reduces the amount of time and engagement on Twitter needed by each individual.

Resources: http://www.techiemania.com/how-to-use-social-media-to-drive-your-business.html

IS YOUR YOUR BUSINESS TOOL KIT WORKING?

So what has Bob the Builder got that every new business should have? The simple answer is a handy tool kit for those difficult jobs you have to tackle. And what could be more difficult than the psychological aspect of running your own business? This is the area of business start-up and development that is vital to success but the courses don’t cover……

• Emotional resilience to be able to handle rejection
• Self-awareness to aid personal and business growth

So you need tools that you use every day and that are readily accessible to you. Like Bob the Builder’s tool belt the kit is a selection of tools (mental workouts) that when used regularly or in emergencies help build your emotional resilience…..

6am to 9amThe Preparation WorkoutNow, before you start to grimace at the thought of an exercise routine, this is not what I have in mind. This is a 2 to 3 minute mental workout where you list in your mind all the positive things that happened the day before. Then you play a movie in your head of your coming working day. Make sure it is based on what you will be actually doing that day and fill the movie full of interest, creativity, great people and positive outcomes. Where you are worried about something you have to do that day, make the ‘movie’ inspiring and positive!

12pm to 2pm
The Awareness WorkoutSelf-awareness is an aid to personal as well as business growth. The more aware you are of how you interact with others and how you react to different situations, the more you open up your choices for a different way of thinking or reacting. For example, how do you deal with rejection? Does it increase self-doubt, make you angry, emotional, withdraw or less able to face another rejection? The key here is to check your thinking because this is what affects your emotions and your actions. Take a few minutes to check out any interactions that have not been positive ones. Now check out what negative thoughts you are linking with the situation and turn them to positive ones. 

5pm – 7pmThe Reflective WorkoutSelf-reflection is important to anyone starting and growing a business because it helps overcome the repetitive habits that hold back business growth. At the end of each working day take some time to think about how things have gone. Then play the ‘Traffic Light Game’.

RED 
Focus on one thing (and only one) that went badly or that you were not happy with. Now think about what you can learn from it and how you could have done things differently. Now create a new plan of action for the next time a similar event occurs.

AMBER    Reflect on the day and find one positive thing that you have learnt about yourself or how you have changed your thoughts, feelings or actions for a more positive outcome. Reflect on this, the thoughts that go with it and the feelings it generates.

GREEN Reflect on all the positive things that have happened during the day and choose the three best ones. Now, one at a time replay the event in your mind and enjoy the positive thoughts and feelings as they flood back to you.

Finally, put everything else that happened during the day in its box, put it on a shelf and lock the cupboard.

Now focus on the moment and enjoy the rest of your evening.

5 SURE WAY TO BEAT YOUR COMPETITORS

The other day I was reading a blog by the acclaimed college educator, author, speaker and marketing consultant Mark Shaefer. It was all about how enthusiasm sells. It really was a ‘Wow Factor’ story about how one business person, Randy Gilson, is beating his competitors hands down. Find out more at  http://www.businessesgrow.com/2013/08/01/the-hidden-business-skill-you-can-ignite-today/ . It’s well worth the read.

This got me thinking about other types of behaviour that has in the past given me the ‘Wow Factor’ and made me buy from or give more of my custom to a business.

Here is where my mind is heading with this one:

The ‘Wow Factor’ is usually rare and therefore a great competitor beater!

There are only a few that spring to mind because they are so rare (especially in the UK!). One occurred when I went shopping for an outfit for my daughter’s wedding, a few years ago. As a lady of the larger persuasion it can be hard to find something special that I feel a million dollars in. So I decided to go to one of our large department stores, Debenhams, as I knew they had a personal shopper. I eventually found the immaculate and manicured lady. When I told her what I was searching for she looked me up and down and told me “We have very little that would fit you” and walked away.

Close to tears with anger and embarrassment I headed back to where I had parked the car. The excitement and joy of shopping for a special outfit for my daughter’s wedding had been destroyed with one short sentence.

On the way I passed Monsoon, a shop I had never bought from because I thought their clothes would not fit me. To this day I do not know what made me walk in. Maybe it was because I thought of the scene in Pretty Woman where the snooty shop assistant would not serve Julia Roberts. Then how she bought clothes elsewhere and went back to show how much commission she had lost. I was beginning to feel defiant and my head was full of thoughts like “I’ll show her!”

This is when the magic of the “Wow Factor” started working………

‘Wow Factor’ 1 – Take a Genuine Interest in the Customer

As I walked into the changing rooms one of the assistants asked me if the dress I wanted to try on was for a special occasion. That had definitely never happened to me before. When I told her what it was for she wanted to know all about the wedding. Her genuine interest surprised and delighted me.

‘Wow Factor’ 2 – Make the Customer Feel Special

With each dress I tried on this lovely lady gave me her honest and open opinion about how it looked on me. She gave me lots of positive feedback, discussing like Gok Won what styles suited me best. Then she would scurry off and come back with another dress that she thought I may like. I had never before had anyone take such interest in me when shopping for clothes and it made me feel very special.

‘Wow Factor’ 3 – Be Enthusiastic

Her enthusiasm for fashion and making me feel special was refreshingly different from any clothes shopping experience I had ever had before. When I found a dress that made me feel a million dollars she enthusiastically discussed with me the type of jewellery, shoes and handbag that would go with it. Surprisingly she was not trying to sell them to me either!

‘Wow Factor’ 4 – Take Responsibility

This lovely lady took full responsibility for my shopping experience. Her time and attention was purely on me the whole time.

‘Wow Factor’ 5 – Go the Extra Mile

I had chosen a light jacket to go with the dress. The assistant though, was not completely happy with the overall look. Then she remembered a new consignment of clothes that had been delivered that morning, but not unpacked. Off she went asking me to be patient as she would be away some time. She was convinced there was a jacket that would match more perfectly. Sure enough there was and I was even more delighted with the whole outfit.

Needless to say The “Wow Factor” worked as I am now a committed and loyal Monsoon customer. As for Debenhams I have never stepped inside the store since that day!

7 STEPS TO A BUSINESS MINDSET

Working within a University after 30 years of self employment is really quite an eye opener! This is now a fast changing world for all and to succeed it is essential to know how to ‘play the game.’ I am not talking out the political game but the ‘expectation game.’

Working in any sector there are the expectations and the rules about ‘how it works here.’ The problem arises when you engage with people in new sectors with no experience of them. Usually the expectation is for the rules to be the same as in your sector. Therein lies the problem because they are not!

This lack of understanding of these unspoken rules is vividly highlighted by some students and graduates setting up in business or freelancing. So here are a list of the unspoken rules to help match the mindset of the business market…..

1.    Dress smartly and even suit up for business meetings and networking event – it may sound patronising but you would not believe the numbers of people who
do not know this rule.

2.    Always return a phone call or email within 24 to 48 hours even if it’s to say will be in touch soon. You will not build business relationships by being
unresponsive and being busy it not accepted as an excuse in the business market – everyone is busy!

3.    You will be judged on your actions (and in-actions) not by your qualifications. So make sure your actions are positive, timely and considerate ones.

4.    When you make an appointment make sure you turn up for it! FTAs (Failure to Attends) are not accepted in the business world, especially repetitive ones. You
will lose your credibility and the potential to do business.

5.    Always consider that the other person is busy so don’t expect them to fall into your free schedule.

6.    Don’t hide behind a computer and think that you do not need to communicate with others. Business is all about communication and relationships even an
online business!

7.    The set of skills you need to be successful in business are very different from those you need to get a degree. Both are very valid and needed so become an avid
learner again and learn the enterprise skills you need for a career in self-employment.

Resource: http://www.ideachampions.com/weblogs/archives/2012/06/post_96.shtml