If you have known me (Patrick Allmond) for more than five minutes then you probably know these the factoids about me:
- I usually have 5 business cards in my wallet at all times. I keep the box of them in my car. What is the point of keeping your box of business cards at home or in the office.
- I always give you two business cards; one for you and one for the referral that you are going to give me if you like me
- The term Social Media makes me dry heave
- I have 1999 Mercedes S420 with the license plate Twitter.
Yes you can do a double-take on those last two; the guy that dry heaves over soclal media has a social media license plate.
My beef: Social Media = Customer Service at it's core. And it amazes me that it amazes people.
I am not that old. But I understand the value of communicating with my friends, fans, followers, leads, customers, lovers (business lovers - you sicko), and haters. Most of the people that I know my age get it too. You start a relationship with a lunch, a smile and a handshake. If someone is interested in some general information about you or what you offer then you share everything you can with them to educate them. If they have questions you answer them fast and see if they have any more questions. What do you do if they choose somebody else for their services? Say "Thank you and stay in touch if you have any questions". When they pick your service do everything to make their experience with your organization one to remember. Don't forget that the relationship is not over when the invoice is paid ; it is just beginning. Stay in touch with your new customer and make sure that they second-guess their decision to do business with your company. Engage them in conversations about what you are doing right, and what you might improve on.
It just baffles me sometimes when someone sees an hour long presentation that says the same thing and they are in shock and awe of social media that allows you to do all of these things. Is it because they never learned the basics of relationship management or customer services? Or are they in awe of the new tools that are being created that allow you to create these wordwide relationships with a matter of a few clicks ?
The next time you are talking about how great social media is please remember this: Social media is the TOOL that allows you to deliver an outstanding experience with your company. It is so old school. Your great-grandparents who were business owners knew how to "engage" and "Converse, not sell" long before all of us had an at sign in front of our first names. Make sure you know great customer service and you will always be able to deliver it no matter what tool you are using. It could be your smile, your handshake, or your Twitter account. Use your tools well.
If you'd like some more handy tips and Tulsa Social Media or Oklahoma City Social Media check out my corporate blog at allaboutfocus.com or catch up me on twitter at @patrickallmond or @allaboutfocus. I also have a YouTube Channel.
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