Inbound Sales is ALL About Outbound Social Media? Or is it?

As the world changes, so does the way(s) we all continue to communicate with one another. According to the Merriam Webster Dictionary, “communication” originated in the 14^th century (WOW) and is defined as “the act or process of using words, sounds, signs, or behaviors to express or exchange information or to express your ideas, thoughts, feelings, etc., to someone else.” So then why do most people NOT consider SOCIAL MEDIA and SALES communicative and social tasks? What I mean by that is why do marketers, as well as other professionals think that social media isn’t the best tool available to communicate with others, thus increasing sales (i.e. inbound selling). In fact, I believe that customers take joy in being social over the web and would rather buy online at their own pace versus someone else’s or in-person. Am I being naive or do you agree or disagree? Whether you agree or disagree, one thing is certain and that is if you understand the role(s) of communicating and social media in general that these two combined can be paramount and vital to your personal or long-term business success(es).

How buying is changing online

With the advent of online sites such as Google, Ebay, Yelp, Facebook, Twitter, FourSqaure, EmpireAvenue, Pinterest, Tumblr, StumbleUpon, LinkedIn, Quora, etc people have more say “dictating the buying/selling processes” and can voice their opinions as little and/or as often as they want, thus dictating what customers/businesses ultimately buy and sell. In fact, (I believe you already may know this) but it is no longer about what a salesperson/company says or presents but instead about what a buyer says online or in person that dictates what they truly want in a (B2C business-to-consumer or B2B business-to-business) competitive environment.

Forrester, which is a leading research company recently reported that over 90% of the time B2B (in this case B2B IT buyers) are involved in some form of social media, not so much as actual purchasers but as purchase spectators. What this actually means and maybe the case more times than not in any industry is that 90% of the people or businesses that are looking for IT services or ‘YOUR services/products” are on some form of social media site. Regardless of the industry, you and/or your company cannot afford to ignore these statistics if you want to continue increasing sales over the long run. Yes, this also means that even though these people are online (i.e. social media) they maybe just there to see how you and/or your company is perceived, so they also can adjust their business strategy around what people want (i.e. again inbound selling adjustments) throughout an industry not just your company. Yes?

Not just for the traditionalists

While not too long ago and perhaps even to this day (you have more than likely experienced this) many people have/did enter(ed) into the online social sphere of things with the whole “get rich quick scheme or multi-level marketing” but as time passed we all have voiced our opinions thus we are seeing a dramatic decline in this category. That is a big relief huh? Personally, over the years I have grown to hate all these multi-level marketing schemes and am very pleased to see them fading into the night just as the typewriter of several years past. Since these multi-level schemes were and never will be credible ways of making money or advancing sales online (instead only making a few people rich) while making other people more skeptical of online buying/selling. Having a tremendous amount of prior B2B and B2C sales experience, I came into social media marketing (social media selling) with a determination to grow a community and eliminate the hard sell, since generating awareness and need for a purchase are at the forefront of sales and have always been my way of producing sales not the other way around. Let’s face it who likes that nagging sales person that calls 10 times a day or week trying to sell you something you don’t necessarily need but instead trying to sell you something they think you need in order to increase their own sales numbers, while making their boss(es) happy. Social media selling gives the customer what they need and that is relevant information that they can use to create their own need; thus, calling you (INBOUND) when they are actually ready to buy on their own terms and not yours. So, let’s say bye to all those bait and switch techniques of the past and hello to transparency of the present “gifts” that help you and your prospects make good buying decisions. An honest conversation online thorough social media and other like platforms that make your phone ring not you ringing others, thus increasing sales and creating more long-term partnerships.

Social Sales

If what I have mentioned so far hasn’t convinced you that social media is/has changed the way everyone communicates, then I ask you to think about all the people you and/or your company reach daily, weekly, or yearly to create awareness, while maintaining one-on-one contact. Do you see how or perhaps create some of the most important relationships that you or your company has/can develop online? Have you or your company closed any accounts or sales online without actually even talking to another person? If you are like most others the answer to this question should be YES (even in the lowest form you surely have purchased from EBay or Amazon)and if not then you really need to get or build your online presence immediately. If you are in sales and also answered NO to this question, you also need to start building your own online presence as well as your companies since you cannot or will not be able to rely on in person or personality only to seal more deals moving into the future.

As social media helps to continue to shaping sales by changing the old mantra of “who you know” by “what you actually know” especially what you know about others (i.e. communicative spectators). The new age of selling should demand online communication of every one of its employees regardless of position in order to enhance other purchasing decisions by adding value to an online conversation. Needless to say and long story short is that I ask you to stop convincing yourself or business that social media cannot help you and instead embrace how communication/social media can help you leverage your personal or business goals. Those people and companies that understand these concepts most and are willing to forge forward into this new business space of sales will be the ones that I will be still writing about 20 years from now.

David Dandaneau is a Consultant at [SevenTimesSeven]. He specializes in helping business owners “manage their business and not their processes!” For more connect with him via Twitter @ddandaneau or any of the other social platforms you may find him on.

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Social Media Selling! Say What?

Image via Flickr: Cambodia4kids.org

‘Social’ is the art of connecting, interacting, and engaging in a since. I like most others appreciate this broad definition of SOCIAL or in this discussion ‘Social Communication’…

So, with that being said, let’s talk about a less fashionable “S-word”: SALES.

As mentioned previously in many of my other posts, the new era of communication, engagement, sharing quality content, combined with the new social media approach makes ‘SALES’, along with its partner ‘SELLING’, a word(s) many people and organizations have started to discuss removing from the dictionary. Well maybe not that extreme but check out this article which seems a little contradictory since the author points out that social media can help with customer service, engagement and marketing (i.e. are these not part of the sales process anyway, so why not selling through these in the social space?)

Needless to say, whatever your viewpoint is of sales or selling online (i.e. through social media) almost every business (big or small) have/has to use these social medians now a days to make money, while promoting, networking, and marketing… I think others would refer to these along the lines of brand recognition, huh? Furthermore, believe it or not there are quite a few ways that you can insert yourself or business in this space in order to boost your reputation and/or revenue, while not disrespecting the developing social world, which I think is what most people are really talking about here. Yes?

In fact, I have identified a couple of techniques for you and or your team to use, so you can take advantage of engagement, networking, and referrals in the new social world.

1. Evaluation

The art of knowing everything you can about a particular product, service, and/or target market is just that… an art without proper evaluation of your network or your potential prospects. With all the online resources available to you/your business, you now have the ability to target just about anyone or any company anywhere for your ideal sale pitches… well this is assuming that you or your organizational leaders have used these tools before and you have them available to create detailed social accounts for your growth plans. If not try developing/development in this/these simple steps:

Create some saved searches based around keywords relevant to your business (Google is a good place to start, after all who doesn’t ask the Google Gods for just about everything?):

• Your product/service offerings
• Your company and competitors name(s)
• Your and other related industry sector(s)

Basically, what I am saying here is that you need to search and develop ideas or anything that reflects on you and/or your business acumen, which offers you the best ability to engage with people who are showing an interest in creating offers you may be considering promoting yourself. Let us also not forget about some other key components in selling.

• Listen and/or listening! Perhaps this is the most important part of any sales pitch but one in which many people ignore because most salespeople are tempted to jump straight to the sale in fear of rejection or needing a sale now. Whether you are in person or online remember not to take over a conversation or hijack a comment stream just for a sale, as this more times than not turn’s people off especially if you are complaining about your brand or another person or company. Instead feed people (prospects) information backed up by quantitative research in order to engage, add value, and educate people or companies in order to grow relationships that will lead to long-term partnerships and ultimately more sales and referrals- (this was a big part of my dissertation, so please email me if you would like more information on this).
• After you have identified people and other businesses of interest, try assigning some sort of “lead/prospect rating” in order to categorize the who, what, and when of first contact in your networking strategy.

Lastly, keep records of your data, findings, and future plans for all new or potential sales leads, in your CRM system. If you don’t have a CRM it is about time you put away all the Excel spreadsheets and bought a program such as ACT or subscribed to another system such as Sugar, Salesforce, Zoho, etc if you want to really take on SALES in the new Social CRM world.

“Going viral is not an outcome; it’s a happening. Sometimes it happens; sometimes it doesn’t. Just remember, fans are vanity and sales are sanity.” Lori Taylor (@lorirtaylor) 

2. Engagement

Now once you have identified, rated, and perhaps even already engaged a person or business of interest about your product or service stop a minute and think about a few other things:

• Depending on what social sites you are part of Facebook, Twitter, FourSqaure, EmpireAvenue, Pinterest, Tumblr, StumbleUpon, etc you need to start or continue to reach out and join other people or companies conversations who are talking about you, your product, service, or other similar products or services in order to showcase to others why they need you or why you or your company can add value to their life or future business plans.
• Have you ever heard of the old saying… plan the work and work the plan? Well, this holds true online also as after you have planned your networks of engagement, you need to work your leads in order to nurture future sales. If possible let others start and drive the conversation (i.e. a great site(s) for this are LinkedIn or Quora), while you listen (remember this was spoken about earlier?) for the right opportunity/opportunities to add value to that conversation. Remember IT’s NOT ALL ABOUT YOU!  

Lastly, do not forget that in this new age of communicating and engaging that the customer is not 100% of the time correct but do remember that if you engage properly, while showcasing your skills that you can gain more control even over the most pesky customers. Perhaps you may also want to check out this article out about the shifting customer landscape, as it illustrates and highlights some things (tools) customers use now a days as they communicate (good or bad) online.

“Engage, Enlighten, Encourage and especially…just be yourself! Social media is a community effort, everyone is an asset.”Susan Cooper (@buzzedition) 

3. Now Get Social and Sell

After you have joined other networks and conversations, as well as engaging with others, it is now your chance to get social and start your own conversations. Remember that social media is a two way dialogue that starts with the construction of networks and builds into relationships that you and even your entire team can use to build target messages, which

• Invite their own comments on particular topics thus building other(s) interest, potentially creating new customers especially if those who engage share with others in their network(s)
• Take the time to share company news, highlights, and goals regularly whether they are about you, an industry, or other relevant sector

Image via Flickr: Fredrick Md Publicity

Don’t forget to develop a personal face or avatar that is the face of you or your business!

“People want to do business with you because you help them get what they want. They don’t do business with you to help you get what you want.” Don Crowther (@don_crowther) 

Now Go Get’em

If you use some if not all of these tips in developing your network, you, and your sales team will be light years ahead of others that still have not decided to take a social ‘online’ approach to selling. If you have or are considering a CRM system? Stop that nonsense already and get your CRM in check and take your socialCRM and sale efforts to a new level by combing them into one approach. If I can help you or your business please drop me a line or if you have any comments, please feel free to comment below. Otherwise, thanks for stopping by and until next time KEEP SMILING!

David Dandaneau is a Consultant at [SevenTimesSeven] and a Contractor at [FedEx]. He specializes in helping business owners “manage their business and not their processes!” For more connect with him via his About.Me Page or any of his other social platforms.

Social Media Engagement – Using #HashTags

Social Media Engagement Spheres 

Image via Flickr: Cambodia4kids.org

It is no secret that in today’s world people/companies are investing/relying on social media to keep in touch and up-to-date, while looking to gain new customers and increasing sales. This obsession whatever the case maybe is vital for your personal and/or businesses long-term success (I have a feeling you may already know this), as more and more people turn to the internet to find answers to unanswered questions they or you may have. Whether you are looking for lost friends, starting or sustaining a business, or looking for additional support in a cause you deem important you probably know this and that social media can really make a difference huh? Not only does it help but if done correctly social engagement can pay huge dividends in terms of more supporters, followers, and/or sales? Yes?

Compared to Traditional Advertising

Although I personally started using social media some 10 years ago, I really didn’t write about any dividends derived from this median until my business partner posed a question to me about Traditional Media being on the Verge of Death in late 2011. At that time, we agreed that traditional media was not on the verge of death, instead it was/continuing to evolve like everything in our personal and business lives. Using that same frame of thinking now, I would like to know whether or not you think Traditional Marketing/Advertising is on the verge of death? Well if you know anything about advertising you would know that this is also NOT the case, as more and more companies still are/continuing to use these old medians to relay their messages on a larger scale and aimed at their specific local, regional, and global target markets (i.e. TV, radio, billboards, magazines, newspapers, etc.). However, unlike social media where people and companies can communicate instantly with their friends, followers, clients, potential customers, etc. these older forms of advertising merely provide content and/or images to help sell/educate others about themselves, their products and/or services. Still effective but not nearly as effective as social media has and can be… right? Let’s see how some of the people, companies, and brands I follow, shop at, and work with are using social media (more specifically Twitter accounts Arbys, Target, FedEx, & 97X) to communicate with their customers.

From this brief view of these chosen Twitter profiles you can see these companies and individuals behind the tweets are using a variety of hashtags (#), lists, chats, tagging, and/ @username, @mentions, @replies and @connect to engage their audiences. In fact, by using these medians/tools these companies don’t have to pay much for engagement, plus they can integrate these into their other online platforms (creating more reach) rather easily while providing feedback, supporting sponsors, customers, running contests, etc. How great right? What’s even better is if you do have a genuine problem or complement to provide organizations such as these, you can message, tag, or @them you can expect a reply most if not all the time in 24-48hrs… now that’s advertising that works with real ROI and track ability isn’t it?

Application Need(s) of HashTags (#)

Image via Flickr: Dan Moyle

Even though some traditional forms of advertising can be used to engage customers (i.e. coupons, snail mail, telephone, email, etc.) for many social media is the one that should be used more to create ROI that is almost instantaneously for many different causes. Other big companies like McDonalds, TMobile, Publix, etc. also provide their online social media followers with news, information, coupons, and give-a-ways to spread their message(s) and provide product/service updates. All of the aforementioned Twitter accounts along with those and many others just mentioned are also using #hashtags to imprint their digital footprint, while increasing brand exposure and reach. Yes, #hashtags one of the most important features I have found to be the most relevant in a business or even personal reach viewpoint. Why, well it’s simple more and more people use what is now referred to as Googling to locate data, information, and reviews of products or services, which ultimately these #hashtags help bring to the forefront of most search engines. By creating personal or business #hashtags whether on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, FourSquare, etc. you can help yourself and/or company grow while helping others locate reasons why they need you, your product, or service. Make since? Good, now with just a simple creation of a unique #hashtag you and or your company is set to engage, receive feedback, and provide a more customized approach to customer service without having to spend big bucks doing so… thus increasing sales, ROI, and your online reputation.

If you haven’t already, I would love to connect with you on any or all of my social networks, so we can all stay connected, while continuing to learn what people, clients, and customers really want #LetsStayConnected while providing #CustomerService that is #OutofThisWorld! Until next time continue your #Marketing, #Advertising, #Sales, #HashTags, and #SocialMedia engagement so you too can create a solid foundation and positive digital footprint.

David Dandaneau is a Consultant at [SevenTimesSeven]. He specializes in helping business owners “manage their business and not their processes!” For more connect with him via Twitter @ddandaneau or any of the other social platforms you may find him on.

Personal and/or Business Use for Twitter Vine

[Image Credit: VineTwitter Account]

Well hello again and long time no talk fellow socialites! Needless to say, hope all is well and you are continuing to grow and prosper this New Year. As with most years that pass there are many new instruments, ideas, and strategies that are continuing to transform the way we communicate and if you have been a reader here for any amount of time you already know that! With that said, recently I decided to upgrade my old iPhone 3GS to the new iPhone 5, which to my surprise if extremely AWESOME. As with any upgrade (personal or professional), of course, my initial thinking was to get used to my new device (mentally) and discover some new apps to help make my life and business more organized, which I always love to share with all you. So far and just a couple weeks in with the new iPhone 5, I have discovered a new platform known as Vine(perhaps you have already discovered this application) to continue growing online via social media? Regardless if you are familiar or not with this particular application you’ll want to check it out and/or revisit it after you read the next few paragraphs.

From my research Vine for Twitter was just introduced in January of this year, which means many (perhaps you again) have discovered how valuable this new platform can be for increases in search, marketing, and sales purposes for yourself or business? Yes/No? Okay I know what you’re thinking and that’s… great now another social media site to manage? Well contrary to your thinking (open your mind already) this application is not just another app to fill up your Twitter stream but instead this app is a new way to create interesting stories using short video (i.e. 6 seconds or less) so you/your business can share your thoughts, ideas, and life changing personal or business stories. Just like many of the other social applications such as Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, LinkedIn, FourSquare, etc. all the items (in this case videos) that you create can be publically or privately posted to your Vine followers and/or shared among your existing networks via Facebook or Twitter by recording a video with the push of a button on your iPhone, iPod, iPad or other device that may run this type of mobile application. Okay, so what does this all mean to me? Even though I am also still new to this app, here are three easy steps to take in order to find the who, what, when, and how to simply use this application to benefit you or company while staying ahead of the social media madness we often refer to in our postings.

1) Showcase what you have to offer

Have you or your company created a unique way to showcase your competences or unique qualifications yet? If not, use Vine to create a small one or multiple set of online videos (again 6 seconds or less) for others to see what EXACTLY you have to offer. This is especially important if you have decided to look for that new job (creating an online resume) or looking to bring a new product or service to market (give everyone a sneak peek into your old or new offering(s).

2) Take other people behind the curtain of your life or business

What if you don’t have anything to showcase? Well that’s okay because behind everyone showcase is a story of how you or your business was born, started, or operates right? Use Vine to create a picture of what everyday life is like for yourself or business by showing off your daily routines, friends, office, or other interesting things others in your life or place of work do on daily, weekly, or monthly basis. Give your audience a firsthand encounter of events that will get you found and/or noticed in the social cloud, or in other words, pull back the curtain on your life or business!

3) Let others help you succeed

If you are familiar with networking or use other social media sites, which have you already engaged with many of your followers, friends, and acquaintances let them know about your new personal or business plans with Vine. Once others become familiar with this new application ask them to help you achieve what it is you are looking to achieve. In fact, if you use other platforms such as Twitter or Instagram get a little more creative and create a NEW hashtag dedicated to your cause and ask other people in your network to share or use this hashtag to create additional push or buzz about yourself, company, and/or brand. The old help others and they will help you back approach to Marketing.

[Image Credit: TechCrunch Blog Post]

Obviously, these three things are not the only things you can use Vinefor but they are a good way to start or retool your account if you have already started down this road. Regardless of how you use this platform, I sure would like to hear from others (if you have already set up an account) about your successes or other techniques that you are considering if you haven’t already started. As always thanks for stopping by and don’t forget to wear that smile like you mean it today ((>>:-))

David Dandaneau is a Consultant at [SevenTimesSeven] and a Contractor at [FedEx]. He specializes in helping business owners “manage their business and not their processes!” For more connect with him via his About.Me Page or any of his other social platforms.

 

Some Helpful Mobile/Computer APPs to Stay Organized in 2013

[Image: Entrepreneur Blog Post]

Can you believe that we are closing in on the end of another month of 2013? As such, I guess it’s time to look ahead to another successful month of learning, sharing, and taking advantage of all the latest technology (i.e. mobile applications/devices, social media, CRM, etc), huh? Speaking of have any of you discovered how easy apps (especially via our cell phones) have allowed us to do most of this learning and sharing, while allowing us to stay organized, track other things such as our finances, schedule appointments, prospect, buy, sell, etc? The best part about all this (so they say or as I have experienced) is that it frees up time for us to do other things, save money, and reduce stress… or do they?

It is no secret that mobile devices/computers are changing every day with the introduction of better, faster, and more accessible applications. Now enter marketing (YES, even mobile marketing), which believe it or not is also continuing to change just as fast, which in turn is slowly becoming a must have for any business or person that has access to a cell phone or internet connection and is looking to sell, purchase, or even just browse online (do people really still just browse?) Needless to say and according to eDigitalResearch these people (YES maybe even YOU) or roughly 54% of all cell phone users are now using their smart phones to access websites, while an additional 38% of these users actually BUYing with their respected phone. Crazy huh? In other words, that is… over half of smart phone users use their phones to browse, while another 4 out of 10 actually purchase via their phone, wow are you surprised? If not you shouldn’t be since most people don’t actually think about how often they actually use their devices for such purchasing activities, instead only think about how enjoyable it is to have such convenience now-a-days. However, this is a HUGE opportunity for almost any small business with a small budget to create a big impact if you truly want to grow your business, while providing consumers with a fast, effective, and transparent way of shopping online (i.e. this also goes for all you B2B sales professionals as well).  

Nonetheless I have talked about many of the social media sites and CRM programs in previous posts (i.e. Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Flickr, Instagram, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Empire Avenue, FourSqaure, Sugar, Salesforce, Zoho, etc). So, in this post I wanted to provide you with 3 additional applications (must haves this year) that I believe will not only help you but also marketers looking to expand business the opportunity to do so while staying organized. Yes, I did just say “organized,” as organization is a vital part of not only your personal success but also you businesses success. Agree?

1. On that note, the 1^st application that you must have this year is EverNote, which allows you to capture anything, find things fast, while accessing your information from just about anywhere. Sounds good huh? What’s more is that you can do this for yourself or business from one spot, while saving links and reminders so you can access them anytime from anywhere on almost any device! What are you waiting for and if you’re not sold here is a screen shot with more since seeing is believing!

[Image: EverNote Blog Post]

[Image: IFTTT Blog Post]

2. Next up is something that I have been using both personally and professionally for the last year plus and that is the online application that automates almost any task (mostly social media related) by a simple process (perhaps you may have heard this in school before)… If This Then That, hence IFTTT? Basically this application, which you can organize online “IFTTT” connects all your personal and/or business networks together and allows you to automate what tasks you want to relay or not. Example, I often use this application for tasks such as a check-in on FourSquare (one that I took a picture), which I want to rely to my Twitter followers. Make since? One thing with this wonderful app is that you do not want to over complicate things with too many if this, then that scenarios; otherwise, this may cause more headaches then enjoyment for you. However, if you strategically plan (personal or professional) connection scenarios then you will find that this app is well worth your investment time especially if you integrate all your networks and use it with others such as HootSuite or use the EverNote app as previously discussed.

[Image: WIRED Website]

3. Lastly, if you have been a reader here for some time you may have heard me mention the many different location based services on social media platforms such as Instagram, FourSqaure, and Facebook? However, as for staying organized or especially marketing purposes new apps are becoming even more important to your long-term success online (especially small businesses). Since location based services allow you or your customers to share, I believe that they also have a place in staying organized (especially in the B2B or B2C world), as most of these programs rely on GPS data and user interaction. Since you are or maybe checking into places personally or on even on business purposes, while looking to target others with the “right message at the right time,” then ByteLight might just be the app that you are looking for to spend less while becoming more specific… organized, YES? ByteLight actually uses GPS (i.e. location based services) through a unique light bulb setting, which sends waves of unique patters only visible on a cell phone to actually determine where a consumer is in a particular store. If you are a business or part of a business that is looking for a unique way to stay organized, while targeting certain customers who reach certain parts of your store or other establishment, then you have to check out the site and/or watch the videoto see if this is something that might keep safe and/or more organized.

Obviously (and again if you have been here before) you know that these three applications are only the tip of the iceberg in my arsenal but awesome to say the least, hence why I had to share, Nonetheless, I highly recommend that you get involved NOW with these as I continue to put other lists together for you this New Year (e.g. don’t fall behind!) Additionally, I would also love to hear from others how you or your business is staying organized and/or what predictions you are excited about using next? Once again, thanks for stopping by and until next time… Keep SMILING! 

David Dandaneau is a Consultant at [SevenTimesSeven] and a Contractor at [FedEx]. He specializes in helping business owners “manage their business and not their processes!” For more connect with him via his About.Me Page or any of his other social platforms.

SocialCRM Revisited: The Continued Progression of Customer Relationship Management

[Image: Lumosity Landing Page]

Throughout the last decade, people and organizations have continued to adopt technology in order to enhance themselves and/or their businesses. In fact, with all the technological influxes we have all experienced over the years, it is no wonder that our brains also keep expanding or are you like me and finding your brain having a hard time keeping up? Needless to say… would you agree that these technological improvements and advancements, regardless of nature found in our lives and businesses are helping us run easier or do you think that they are bogging us down?

Customer Relationship Management (better known to many as CRM) is one such concept not only evolving in our own personal lives but also many of our businesses like I have mentioned many times in previous posts. This concept, which once only applied to us managing relationships in a personal setting, has now become an integral part of our online existences. Whether you look at CRM as a tool, in a business setting, or in your personal live, there are many CRM resources that are now available to us, which can help monitor SOCIAL activities (CRM systems), while providing quantitative (DATA) that you or your business can use to ultimately drive new relationships and increase sales by providing a personalized approach to your friends, colleagues, and potential friends or clients if used correctly.

[Image: CMS Wire]

It was one believed that only progressive or large corporations were the ones investing in CRM. However, most if it not all of these same organizations failed (are still failing) to accurately quantify what benefits they derived or are deriving from a CRM system, which many believe has halted their advances in dealing with customer issues and relationships through CRM. What’s interesting is if you look at these companies (many studies out there) you will almost always find that most of the time it was not the systems fault but instead the people and/or companies using these systems, as they never really figured out a way to clearly define what they wanted (will Want) out of these technologies… now enter SMALL BUSINESSES!

In today’s day and age (especially with the advent of social media) customer engagement has become/becoming a key emphasis in almost every business(es) long-term strategies (i.e. the whole who, what, when, where adage)… how to interact with customers, friends, and acquaintances in order to grow. One thing in certain and that is this integration of customer relationship management by anyone with access to social media is giving everyone regardless of size, location, age, gender, race, etc the ability to stay in touch while voicing their opinions about people, businesses, governance, etc. to name a few. Does this sound familiar?

Now enterSocialCRM. Although not 100% defined yet, SocialCRM is Customer Relationship Management in a traditional sense (personal communications) but instead of focusing on the system, more people and organizations are focusing on the channels that their friends and customers use to voice their concerns and opinions. In other words… ENGAGEMENT of the PEOPLE! In a nut shell, SocialCRM is not some new system, rather it is a new way for people and businesses to integrate social media into their customer relationship management practices to better predict behavior (personally or professionally) in order to enhance either your personal or professional brand. Make sense?

[Image: ViralBlog]

Needless to say, there are hundreds of examples now available to just about anyone with an internet connection of how they have and/or are using CRM strategies combined with SocialCRM to enhance relationships and monitor progress, while putting quantitative data behind their actions. In fact, I ran across this article Big Brands’ Journey Toward Social Business, which is what spurred me to re-visit this subject while providing our readers with yet another resource and basic explanation in order to help in understanding how other brands and businesses are successfully adopting SocialCRM strategies to connect with their audience(s), react to inquires, and give their customers what they want (I liken this to the saying, GET THE PEOPLE GOING by GIVING the PEOPLE WHAT they REALLY WANT) not what you or your company may think they want.  The important thing to remember about all this is that people and companies that include online with in-person relationships through technologies such as CRM and Social Media will be rewarded by their old and new acquaintances with new personal and professional relationships that hopefully spur growth and innovation… now that’s truly SocialCRM!

David Dandaneau is a Consultant at [SevenTimesSeven]. He specializes in helping business owners “manage their business and not their processes!” For more connect with him via Twitter @ddandaneau or any of the other social platforms you may find him on.

Things to Remember When Tagging People, Businesses, Products, and/or Services on Social Media Sites

Over the last several weeks, we have been experimenting and talking with customers/businesses about “Tagging” with social media sites such as Instagram, FourSqaure, and Facebook, which allow people or businesses to share photos with one another while tagging other people or businesses with you or them. What fun huh? This can be even more fun if you are looking to meet new people or even looking for or selling new products/services, as people and companies can tag you in them if you so choose.

Well, let’s think about that? People and companies can tag you in them if you so choose, as this is extremely important and if you do not change your settings sooner or later in these social network spaces, you will get violated and perhaps even pissed off at your friends, acquaintances, or favorite brands. So, while some social media sites such as Twitter still allow you to @username (much like tagging), which you can’t control, if you are using Instagram, FourSqaure, and Facebook, make sure you make it a point to set your personal or business accounts to private or change your settings to approve tags, communicators, and followers first. That way if you are using or with people or companies that want to display something on one of your social profiles, you dictate what it is or what it is not “APPROVAL” and/or who, what, when, or where you have been.

Here are some other things to remember when using Instagram, FourSqaure, and Facebook tagging :

1.   On FourSqaureyou can now tag location and people by using a person or businesses Twitter namespace. This is NEW, so you may not have tried it but FourSqaurewill even do an auto complete during your check-in, so if you use this make sure you are checking in with the right person just like with Facebook (ANOTHER reason to set this to approval)

2.   On Instagram you can use GeoTagging, which uses a version of “Tagging” powered by FourSqaure for location or the #Hashtag for popularity (Public Posts) in the caption field or a #Hashtag in the comment field for photos you already uploaded through Instagram 

3.   If you want a more target audience (friends, family, businesses) on Twitter make sure to set your feed to private that way those people and companies can’t @mention or @reply directly to you (essentially TAGGING you), which will cut down on direct messages and @connects

While tagging has been around for quite some time, with all the different/new social media sites, people and companies are/will continue to look for ways to communicate with you. “Tagging” or @username @mention @replies @connect are a couple of those ways. Long story short and if you use any of these sites, make sure you continue to check your settings and monitor your pages for tags of people, places, and things (sometimes you are even incorrectly tagged by accident), that way you can dictate what you want or do not want to see and/or promote. Also remember that if you want to promote someone or something to properly tag,  @username, or #Hashtag the other person or business that way they know you are thinking about them.

We sure hope this post helps some of you keep your social media privacy, while sharing with others (make sure they are the right ones) things you are doing, places you are at, and products, and services you love. Now get out there visit some people/businesses, snap some pictures, connect with others, and enjoy. Otherwise, and like usual play nice and don’t forget to keep smiling, as it really does look good on YOU!

David Dandaneau is a Consultant at [SevenTimesSeven]. He specializes in helping business owners “manage their business and not their processes!” For more connect with him via Twitter @ddandaneau or any of the other social platforms you may find him on.

5 Tips to Ask in Order to Run a Successful Social Media Campaign with Increases in ROI and Sales? Yes!

As many of you know, finding an experienced professional to assist you with anything in life can be a daunting task. Also, as many of you probably know there are so many people out there that you speak with everyday that consider themselves “experts, connoisseurs, sales guru’s, geeks” of the trade(s), etc. Well as we both know, these so called experts or what have you, don’t actually have the experience that you may often find yourself needing… good advice, that actually works or saves you money? Yes?

Needless to say, we also continue to run across these same people in our line of work (especially social media), who claim to be experts but are nothing more than users who participate in things in a limited capacity or in social media words… in the basic sites such as Facebook, YouTube, or Twitter. So, for this week’s discussion, we thought we would provide you with a few things (5 Tips) to consider or ask when you are considering putting together a social media campaign.

1)  The very first question you should ask someone that you are considering letting them help you with your online engagement is what sites do you operate personally or for your company and could you please provide me with the links to check them out?

·    Now that you have their attention, see if they provide you with more than just a Facebook or Twitter account. It is crazy to think about but many experts stake their claim on these sites and these sites alone. However, the truth is social media didn’t start with these sites nor are they the answer to everyone’s needs. Look for people/companies that give you links to blogs and old school forums, etc. Also, look at how long they have been ACTIVELY participating in online activities, since participating for 6 months or a year or two definitely doesn’t make you an expert. Just ask Melcolm Gladwell who wrote Outliersand 60 Minutesused to run a great piece on. Think 10,000 or 10 years (well maybe not that many) but at least look for 3,000 or 3 years of activity.

2)   The second question you should ask the so-called expert you are talking to is whether or not they are familiar with or know of any restrictions in online activities for your specific needs or industry segment.

·    Let’s face it much like people would like to tell you, in online or social media activities there is not one size that fits all approach… mush like Professional Employer Organizations (PEOs), Customer Relationship Management (CRM) services, etc. Sure you can participate get quotes for all the companies or operate on all the mediums but most people/businesses should stick with 3-5 networks. A good example is our consulting practice. We consult with clients on PEO, CRM, and Wireless Devices, so these are our ideal clients (companies who offer and those who also need these services), as we know the industry extremely well and any limitations that we must consider on their behalf. However, we don’t run social media campaigns for law, pharmaceutical, alcohol, etc, as we are not familiar with these segments. Sure we could figure it out but you really want a professional or business to help in your social networking that lives, breathes, and knows the industry and more importantly, where your customers hang out!

3)   The third question you should ask your so called expert is their overall opinion (personal opinion) of the industry and how thinks might change in the days, weeks, and months ahead.

·    This is a great question, as it usually lets you know where exactly the person or company started their online activities, why, and what they are trying to accomplish on a personal level. If they say they do it cause it’s their job… RUN! However, if they start out by telling you some of the reasons they started to participate in chat forums, started their own blog, or why they originally joined MySpace or sold stuff on EBay these are more than likely the people you want to deal with, as they have a personal not just a monetary investment in social networking. Also, this should clue you in, as to what other networks that they think will be the next Facebook, much like Pinterest, FourSquare, Scoop-it, etc are becoming. The true expert lives and breathes whatever they are an expert in, so they should/will always have options for you when things are not going as well as you think they should or how they are going.

4)   The forth question you should ask is who will help develop, manage, or engage your specific audience?

·    It still amazes us how many people and businesses think that social media begins and ends with a post or the creation of a Facebook page or Blog or better yet how many likes, followers, or friends you can acquire. Shoot that is the easy part about social networking… creating the sites and adding people, what is difficult part is keeping people interested, engaged, and coming back each week (CUSTOMER SERVICE). This is often the more expensive part of social media but a good investment, if you or your company is really serious about taking the next step online and something more people/businesses should be concerned about if you are looking for that so called Return on Investment (ROI). We cannot even tell you how often we see idle accounts out there that were set-up and abandoned, even some of our client accounts. Why? Cause most of the time just like in person, people and a lot of businesses do not know how to interact with others online or what they want to accomplish even if you tell them. What is the worst that can happen? Someone de-friends, un-follows, or leaves a negative response? Rejection and acceptance are both part of life, so in order to be successful online; you have to interact with others. You cannot just develop an account(s) but you must also manage and engage, so this is a very important question to ask your expert!

5)   Finally the last question, and perhaps the most important (ROI) you have to ask is how exactly social networking will improve a person or business and the measurement scale your expert will use to claim a SUCCESS!

·    This is probably one of our favorite questions to answer because more times than not, our answer doesn’t have anything to do with likes, followers, or friends. Instead we use tools that were created for measurement such as Kred, Klout, PeerIndex,EmpireAvenue, and Google Analytics.  Of course these tools do consider your Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+, FourSquare, ETC. accounts but remember that they also measure your level of interaction. Of course, these sites are not perfect but remember the more you interact with your friends, followers, and acquaintances, the higher your scores should go. If you are a business, these should also translate into more calls, sales, referrals, etc (ROI) plus the more you interact the more likely you are to create chatter that is positive even despite any negatives that others may have previously left.

Each week we try to take our daily personal/business conversations and translate them into the online world for others to view and use. This week is no different, as we hope that these five tips can help you decide on a person or company best suited for your online “social media” and other activities. Of course, this is only the tip of the iceberg, so if you need any other advice, please don’t be afraid to ask us or contact David Dandaneau directly, as we are here to help. Otherwise, we will see you back here again next week, with another tip brought to you… Well, by YOU! You know the story… Keep Smiling Kidzzz!

David Dandaneau is a Consultant at [SevenTimesSeven]. He specializes in helping business owners “manage their business and not their processes!” For more connect with him via Twitter @ddandaneau or any of the other social platforms you may find him on.

Why you Need to Identify your Social Media Influencers and Competition!

As many of you know we (Seven Times Seven, LLC) help small business owners navigate seven (i.e. Payroll, Workers’ Compensation, Professional Employer Organizations (PEOs), Wireless Devices, Social Media, CRM, and Website Design & Integration) distinct (sometimes challenging) segments required for any long-term business venture/success, regardless of the industry that you compete in. Needless to say, these seven segments most or the time make business owners want to vomit, as the commitment (time) they all require are more times than not… having you asking yourself if or how you can measure any return on your investment(s) in these things. Well, we are here to tell you that in order to produce greater profits, you need to document, make people/businesses aware of what you offer, and communicate effectively. Communication is key in all these and other segments but none more important than with social media. Before, you say you have tried it and it didn’t work for you, we want you to take a step back, and think of why or why not, as these new mediums are well worth your time and commitment(s). Here’s why!

Who is Using Social Media and What Networks are they?

The first thing you must ask about social media is who in your circle of influence (personally or professionally) is/are using these new tools effectively? Next, what mediums (Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+, EmpireAvenue, FourSquare, Quora, Redditt, Digg, Pinterest, Tumblr, etc) are they and what are they doing to communicate with their established networks? Once you have found similar (people or businesses) join these networks and start conversing with your influencers and competition to see if they respond to you. If they do, then you know that they are having success and understand the networks they are operating on and if they don’t respond, it’s probably because they too don’t understand how to use these medians to drive ROI and communicate effectively. Either you respond, like, or follow in return or you don’t it’s that easy to tell who is using these mediums effectively. Really, by scouring the landscape and finding others (networks they are using), will help you determine what networks you also need to be involved in… Really it is that simple!

Now What?

After you have found your influencers and competition online, now all you have to do is put together a few time slots during the week to develop, engage, and communicate with others (literally think about a few times either in the morning or evening to do this, 30minutes-1hr daily). Seriously, with almost any social media site they only take a few minutes to set up and most of the time you can also import your information from sites such as Twitter and Facebook to get going. Therefore, whether you think Twitter and Facebook (work or do not), set them up anyway, as these will make your life easier once you find out what sites you want to participate in… heck if you are like us, go for all of them! After all what do you have to lose… increases/increasing in your knowledge and/or Google search rankings?

Get Customers and ROI!

The most important part about social media is producing new customers, acquaintances, and/or ROI. If you stick to your daily or weekly updates (new material, new posts, blog posts, reposts, shares, tweets, retweets, or curated material), you should notice after a couple of weeks (our 90-day rule) whether your material is being accepted or not. Obviously, new friends, likes, followers, direct messages are just some of the ways to judge your success but also remember to watch your Kred, Klout, PeerIndex,and Share Prices to also judge success and potential new customers. Perhaps the most important thing to remember regardless of the mediums you use online is try not to post to much or too little. Instead, you need to focus on providing “VALUE” (daily or weekly industry, academic, or personal postings) to your network and competition, which will ultimately end up building your credibility and endorsements that eventually result(s) in even more friends, ROI, and new customers.   

So, what are you doing with social media online that is helping you grow your business locally, regionally, or nationally? Have you tried these methods in your business? We would love to hear more about how you use social media, CRM, or wireless devices to communicate effectively. So please feel free to connect with us here, any of our other networks (Google Seven Times Seven, LLC), or with David Dandaneau directly through his 25+ social networks, so we can all connect, share, and grow together to provide even more influence. Until next week, keep smiling and we will look forward to hearing, sharing, and engaging online with everyone soon to achieve even more extraordinary results. Cheers

David Dandaneau is a Consultant at [SevenTimesSeven]. He specializes in helping business owners “manage their business and not their processes!” For more connect with him via Twitter @ddandaneau or any of the other social platforms you may find him on.

Simplify your Time & Processes with a Google Gmail Account

Over the last few months, we have continued to preach the importance to our clients of staying up-to-date with all the industry trends either by using social media, networking, subscribing to industry newsletters, or by being the industry news letter. However, we also understand that this can be a very time-consuming process, so we wanted to provide our readers and clients with a few easy to understand and implemental tips online in order to save you time and more importantly money, while reaching even more people.

• If you haven’t figured this out yet, Google is slowly emerging as the industry leader in several different (working together) segments, which should/will allow you more access to data, find people, services, and businesses and/or better yet them to find YOU easier! Needless to say, if you haven’t already… you should take the time to set up a Google (Gmail account) to start your own Blog (Blogspot), subscribe to Google Alerts, AdSence, Google+, etc, which will allow you to track trends and competition, while reaching everyone else who is already using these tools and/or social mediums.
• With your Gmail address, (if you haven’t already… start a Blog), while subscribing to other social media sites such as Digg, Delicious, Reddit, StumbleUpon, etc, in order to submit your posts and to reach more people and/or business through RSS feeds. What is good about this method is that all correspondence(s) will be going to one email (personal or company) address yourcompany@gmail.com.
• Most importantly after you find industry or personal specific news sources, link these directly to your smartphone (that’s if you have one) through apps such as TipB, Pulse, Blogspot, etc. so you consistently train yourself to relay/share important information (i.e. position you/yourself/company as the Industry Leader).

Of course, this is only the TIP of the iceberg, albeit an important one. Therefore, if you would like additional tips, make sure to join us back here next week or if you cannot wait another seven days for Seven Times Seven Tip of the Week, make sure to reach out to us directly via phone, email, or social media and we would be happy to try and guide you in the right direction. Until next time… keep smiling, as it really does look good on YOU!

David Dandaneau is a Consultant at [SevenTimesSeven]. He specializes in helping business owners “manage their business and not their processes!” For more connect with him via Twitter @ddandaneau or any of the other social platforms you may find him on.