How to Build Successful Customer Influencing

Ever wish you were better at building successful customer influencing? You can be. All it takes is practice and desire.

I know this from experience. When I first got involved in the writing I quickly learned a few things about freelance writers. They’re (mostly) brilliant. They’re creative and articulate, accustomed to living literally by their wits. But for the most part, they are not joiners. They’re self-motivated, self-directed, and not inclined to go with the flow (or else they’d be working in an office somewhere). They’re individualistic and can be cantankerous. And here I was, trying to get them to follow my lead.

My first initiative was an internal market to match volunteers with volunteer jobs. It didn’t go well. The people giving out jobs either didn’t want new volunteers or didn’t want to put their jobs in my market. They didn’t want to hear from me or the volunteers I’d recruited. Despite my best efforts, the project fizzled out. I couldn’t figure out how to sway them.

It’s been 15 years since then, and I’m now president of Digital Spark Marketing, which is a job that still in large part consists of getting businesses  to follow my lead. And sometimes to set aside their strongly held opinions for the good of the organization. I couldn’t do it if I hadn’t learned a few things over the years about how to get people on my side. Here are my best ten tips on improving influencing:

Spend lots of time listening

Even if you already know what people are going to say, and even if there’s no way you can do what they want, start by listening. Being listened to is one of the things they want–that’s true of just about everyone. That was one mistake I made on my first project: I had listened to people who wanted to volunteer, but not to those who had volunteer jobs to offer. I assumed they’d be happy to have new volunteers, but I was wrong.

Don’t fear letting your own guard down

It’s always tough to know just how much of your personal life it’s OK to share in a business context. Many people err on the side of caution by sharing little or nothing about themselves. Instead, decide what you feel comfortable having other people know, and then give them a few details. You’ll make other people feel safer and engage their human side. 

Ask lots of questions

Not only because everyone wants to be listened to. Careful questioning will help you determine what people really want, which is often different from what they say they want. It will also tell you what they have to offer.

Give praise when you can

Most of us never get enough praise for the things we work hard to do. So if you want to influence someone, make sure to call out what he or she has done well and how he or she has contributed to your organization or your well-being. Do it in public if you can.

Make relationships matter

Look for ways to connect that have nothing to do with the work at hand. Maybe they have children the same age as yours, or they live somewhere you’ve vacationed, or you share the same hobby. Even if none of that’s true, you can still make a bit of a connection on the basis of universal experiences. For instance, right now a large portion of the United States is suffering through extreme winter weather.

Never miss a chance to say thank you.

Think hard about who’s helped you or put him- or herself out, and make sure to thank him or her. That makes it much likelier he or she will put him- or herself out again for you next time.

Never fear apologizing

If you hate apologizing, get over it. An apology is one of the most powerful tools you have for winning people to your side. If a decision you made caused someone inconvenience or upset, an apology lets him or her know that you care. That’s true even if you don’t regret the decision itself but only the harm it caused him or her.

(One word of caution: Don’t ever apologize, praise, or thank unless it’s sincerely how you feel. People can tell when you’re faking, and it will backfire.)

Strive to do what people want

Obviously, this isn’t always an option. But if you can figure out what people really want or need and make sure they get it, they’ll be that much more likely to give you what you need from them.

Always let people save face

Sometimes you know that someone would be disastrously bad at a job he or she wants. Should you say so? Unless you’re giving him or her feedback with a view to his or her being qualified later on, don’t. You’re better off giving that person a more palatable out. For instance, you’ve already promised the job to someone else.

Be the first to pick up the phone

Do you find yourself getting and making a lot fewer phone calls than you used to? With email, text, and social media, I do. But there are times when a phone call or face-to-face communication makes a big difference. One of those is if you have disappointing news to deliver. Another is if you are asking someone to take on a bigger role or added responsibility.

On the phone, you can answer any questions he or she has or listen to any venting he or she may need to do in real time. You’ve stepped away from your other duties to spend time with him or her. That lets him or her know you really care about whatever you’re calling for. It’s a powerful way to make him or her care, too.

The bottom line

“The value of an idea lies in the using of it .”

You have an influencing idea that will change the world? Well, it’s not worth anything unless you can turn that idea into a reality. So take the plunge and see just how far that idea can take you. Or, you can sit around trading advice over the internet.

The choice is yours.

Now, what about you and your business? What are some of your ideas for collaboration and potential partnerships?

And what’s the conclusion? The conclusion is there is no conclusion. There is only the next step. And that next step is completely up to you.

 

It’s up to you to keep improving the growth hacking of your business. Lessons are all around you. In many situations, your competitor may be providing ideas and or inspiration. Or maybe offering to collaborate. But the key is in knowing that it is within you already.

 

All you get is what you bring to the fight. And that fight gets better every day you learn and apply new lessons.

When things go wrong, what’s most important is your next step.

Test. Learn. Improve. Repeat.

Are you devoting enough energy to improving your growth hacking for your team?

 

Mike Schoultz is the founder of Digital Spark Marketing, a digital marketing and customer service agency. With 40 years of business experience, he blogs on topics that relate to improving the performance of your business. Find him on Twitter, and LinkedIn.  

Digital Spark Marketing will stretch your thinking and your ability to adapt to change.  We also provide some fun and inspiration along the way.

  

Check out these additional articles on local business and its performance in our library:

 What Makes a Day at Brevard Zoo So Enjoyable

14 Walt Disney World Stories and Facts Not to Miss

7 Ways to Create a Customer Service Evangelist Business

The Art of Improving Business Execution for Small Business Entrepreneurs

The art of improving business execution? Social media community engagement? What does it mean to your business? Dialog with customers for sure. What about reading your content and remembering? Appreciating your help? We believe it is all of these things. Especially knowing the art of improving business execution.

art of improving business execution
Art of improving business execution

In the ever-changing landscape of social networking, you might be wondering if you are getting the most out of your business’s social media community engagement?  Here we define social media community engagement as the process of gaining website customer traffic, attention, and interaction from customers through social media sites.

Have you ever thought about how to improve business execution and build positive social media community engagement?

This task starts with what customers want and need. Most people want to: feel needed, be valued, be appreciated, be fulfilled, share emotions, laugh and be happy, succeed and be inspired.

Make them feel something that feels unique to what other brands are blasting at them. To do this you must know who your community is. You must know how to catch and hold their attention.

So let’s examine our recommended game plan to build the art of improving business execution:

Win the first impression battle

What are you doing to make their first 30 seconds on your platform useful and worth their attention? If you can’t answer this question, you need to start here. First impressions are everything.

Be human

be human
Be human.

Humanize your brand. Realize that your brand is everything about you from what you tweet to how you respond to comments on Facebook.

Don’t hide your employees. Let them shine and be a living, breathing representation of your brand.

Be patient yet persistent

You aren’t going to capture your community overnight or on the first day you launch any social media site. Building and launching an integrated online community takes time.

Give yourself and your team the time to do it right. Have patience and persistence. Slow down and do it right and at the end of the game you’ll be the winner, guaranteed.

Connect emotionally

Make them feel.  If you want to grab my attention on G+, make me laugh. Make me cry. Make me feel something, anything.

connect emotionally
Connect emotionally.

When I have a super busy day and I am replying to posts I have no choice due to the amount of them and time constraints but to choose where and when I am going to respond. It is an easy choice for me.

I respond to the people who grab my attention. The people who are nice, who make me feel good. The people who are genuine. The people who make me laugh, playing the emotional card.

Focus on relationships

The life of social media is people. People like you and me. People who laugh, cry, get mad, go crazy, get married, divorced, have kids, lose family members, win jobs, lose jobs, get promotions, win new clients, get new opportunities, have fun, play hard and work hard.

Offer value to the people in your community with the goal of building real relationships. Offer value and knowledge.

Inspire them

Inspire your communities to connect with you with a foundational goal of achieving their objectives. Inspire … Connect …Achieve. To do this you must know their objectives and goals. You must know them.

When you know your audience then you can know how you can help them be better. How can you help them learn? How can you help them go faster? Work smarter? Be smarter? Share more valuable information with their colleagues, clients, partners, and friends?  Figure these answers out and use them to help.

Teach them

What knowledge can you share with them that will make them smarter? How can your knowledge drive real efficiency in their life or business?

Share your best stuff, not just the same old, same old you wrote two years ago that is overused and oversold, by everyone everywhere.

Make it easy

People want to connect. They don’t want to be spammed at every opportunity. Give them an opportunity to engage with you, your brand, and your team.

Great stories succeed because they are able to capture the imagination of large or important audiences. A great story is true. Not necessarily because it’s factual, but because it’s consistent and authentic.

Consumers are too good at sniffing out inconsistencies for a marketer to get away with a story that’s just slapped on. Great stories make a promise. They promise a fun, safety or a shortcut. The promise needs to be bold and audacious. It’s either exceptional or it’s not worth listening to.

Be available. Open up your comment stream on your blog. Listen and be relevant and responsive.

Listen

The most important thing you can do to create a positive engagement is to listen carefully. Listen with a goal to understand. The bottom line, listen more than you talk. You’ll be amazed at how much you can learn about your audience when you shut up and listen.

In summary, building a positive social media community engagement is very similar to making friends. Keep it simple and be genuine.

The bottom line

Being social with a great positive engagement isn’t a new way of marketing; it’s a way of doing business. Follow these simple tips and you will be leading the way.

Read more related posts from Digital Spark Marketing’s library:

Competitive Growth Strategy … the Story of In-N-Out Burger

7 Ways to Create a Customer Service Evangelist Business

Customer Service Tips … How to Take Charge with Basics