Generation Y and Relationship Marketing by Ryan Stephens

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25 Ways to Bolster Your Relationship Marketing Efforts

If you’ve been following along, you know that I’m working on becoming a ‘meaningful specific’ and that the particular specific in question is relationship marketing. It certainly doesn’t stand alone and I hope to examine how it fits into the other categories this blog has traditionally showcased.

I’ll think (out-loud), experiment, and share with all of you. And you’ll no doubt help me digest all of it as we have conversations and learn with each other.

To kick things off I thought I would share with you some of the things that have worked for me in terms of building great relationships with clients. Some of these are probably indisputable, others I probably got lucky, and still some I may be way off base.

I’d love to hear your thoughts. Which of these have worked for you? Where am I wrong? How would you expand on one of these?

1. Be familiar with the company before you ever approach (or follow-up if they sent an initial inquiry e-mail).
2. Stop talking about your services and listen to their problems. Recall Are You a Marketer or Are You a Seller?
3. Alter your deliverables that make it easier on you, and customize them to best fit their needs.
4. Take notes during your conversation, send a follow-up e-mail highlighting key points, and asking what other points of emphasis they’d like to include.
5. Send clients relevant articles that made you think about them, would be pertinent to them, mentioned them in some capacity.
6. If you don’t have the answer, either get it for them, or be willing to introduce them to someone who does.
7. Learn about things they’re passionate about. If they’re the type that likes small talk, mention their kids, their recreation softball game, the marathon they were going to run last week, etc.
8. Don’t pass off different aspects of the marketing mix. Get others to help you, but see the entire process all the way through with them. Chances are they have a rapport with you, not necessarily your co-workers.
9. Or do use the team approach with the expectation that the more touch points the stronger the bond, but ensure everyone is on the same page beforehand.
10. Ask a client when the most appropriate time to contact them would be. What is most convenient time for them?
11. Ask what the preferred method of communication is? Do they prefer e-mail? A phone call? @replies on Twitter?
12. This shouldn’t have to be said, but obtain permission before e-mailing them a newsletter, an affiliate promotion or anything touting your products.
13. Ensure that all communications are both accurate and relevant. Always.
14. Thank them for their time. Clients are busy too.
15. Implement loyalty programs or reduce package fees (those with lots of options) for retentive customers.
16. Bundle products, include bonuses; over deliver.
17. Do cross promotions and give your customers great deals on someone else’s newest product, beta entries prior to new launches, etc. The most successful online marketers do this stuff all the time.
18. Integrate your relationship marketing with your traditional marketing initiatives to increase the strength of your entire approach.
19. Effectively communicate every aspect of your terms and conditions, and what they’ll need to do on their end. Ensure this is 100% clear.
20. Follow up after a short period of time to touch base and make sure that their activation process is going smoothly.
21. Give out your cell phone # to great clients; give them the ability to reach out to you after office hours, on weekends if it’s really important.
22. Solicit feedback. Ask for honest feedback of what you could do better next time. Use this information to strengthen your services and the connection.
23. Be conscientious of the your body language, the tone of your voice, etc. You don’t want to inadvertently jeopardize the relationship because you were frustrated (even if it was warranted). Great relationships overcome a few setbacks.
24. Celebrate your best clients by giving them a shout-out on a blog or other form of social networking site.
25. Learn from other companies who are already succeeding in cultivating great relationships.

There’s 25 and I haven’t even scraped the surface, much less discussed relationship marketing as an internal market. What did I miss? Please extend the conversation by helping me build on this list.

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Networking: Pick Up the Phone

Just the other day I read that in order to truly connect and form an authentic relationship with someone you need to reach out to people in at least three different methods, typically via email, the phone and a face-to-face meeting. [For the life of me I cannot recall where I read this, Keith’s Ferrazzi’s Never Eat Alone perhaps, so if it looks familiar point me in the right direction please.]

Anyway, I think there’s a lot of truth to this assumption. Once upon a time I was very hesitant to reach out to people online, aside from email and social networks. Now that I have completely immersed myself in the power of social media and what it is capable of in terms of collaboration and the exchange of ideas (what valuable currency), my philosophy has shifted.

A few months ago I wrote about the value of making connections, but I neglected to mention picking up the phone and calling someone. Certainly, you’re becoming more intelligent. You’re realizing that you have to build your network long before you ever need it. Or maybe you’re just like me and you want to be challenged and inspired by a rockstar.

Tonight I had the fortunate pleasure of connecting with Ryan Coleman. [I was introduced to Ryan after another great conversation I had previously with Jeff Widman.] Ryan and I talked about creativity, social media, collaboration, networking, and a number of other topics that really got my wheels spinning. In fact, I had outlined an article I was going to write about Apple’s need for a community evangelist (or at least a balance between complete secrecy and having a corporate liaison between HQ and consumers).

It’s possible you’ll see that article in the next day or so, but it is also very probable that you will not. I keep a journal with various ideas I have for blog posts, and after talking with Ryan for just shy of 45 minutes that list had almost doubled. Isn’t that what connecting with other passionate people is about? This is why people pay out the ass to go to seminars. It’s why some of the most influential people in the world go to TED conferences, and it is why I have started picking up the phone.

Think about how much information you can discuss and digest in a 45-minute phone conversation. How many days worth of emails would that take? How long would it take to read enough blogs in your google reader to garner that amount of information? Aside from that, you get to hear inflection, excitement, passion, hesitancy, confusion, and countless others. If you’re a skilled writer, chances are you can convey all these things in an email, but you can’t fake it on the phone.

Perhaps you’re intimidated, shy, nervous, or just think it will be awkward so you stick to email. I got news for you sometimes it is all of those things, but at least it is authentic. In my experience, I have been fortunate to have some really great chats and really connect with like-minded and passionate people. To me, that’s worth the risk of all the other… …every time.

Please help me continue the conversation. Do you reach out to other online marketers, entrepreneurs, thought leaders, businesswoman, et al ? Do you like connecting via the phone? What are some advantages and disadvantages? Share an experience. Tell me your stories. I’m listening. I promise!

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Do You Separate Yourself From the Clutter?

Separate yourself from the clutter. It sounds simple, yet so many companies are incapable of doing it successfully.

My favorite bar is my favorite bar because nobody goes there. I can go typically at any point during the week and have virtually no wait for a drink and my pick of where I’d like to sit. It’s a nice bar with a solid layout, good bartenders, and great music. I like that it is never crowded, but I suspect the owner feels differently.

Nearly every other bar located in this particular strip of bars is always packed. One plays eighties music. One is country/western with a huge dance floor. Another has a bar on the roof and good drink specials. There’s one that is just a shot bar. Another mixes funny clips of Dave Chapelle, SNL, Family Guy, etc on numerous screens. The point is they all have something that separates them, makes them unique and enables them to appeal to a certain crowd, a loyal crowd.

If you are a right-handed pitcher that throws 88-92 with a decent breaking pitch and moderate change up, you are 1 in 10,000. That’s why some guys drop their arm slot and throw side-armed or submarine. It is why bloggers pick specific niches, and why others refuse to comment on their blogs, or why some utilize only video. It is why some write short posts when others write long hashed out, well researched posts with extensive case studies.

It astounds me that so many businesses, people, bloggers do not understand that there lost in the clutter for a reason, and that it is primarily their own fault. There’s not much room for those that aren’t the best at what they’re talking about.

I know what you’re thinking. Perhaps it is time for me to re-evaluate my own blog and make sure that I am providing unique content and solid value. I would like to think I am (providing both), in spite of the fact that I might need to take some time and redefine my niche, as well as my intentions.

I’d like to the best one day, but for now this blog is as much for me as it is for you. This is changing, but right now it’s a resource that enables me to keep my finger on the pulse of the things I am passionate about (generation y, social media, entrepreneurship, relationship marketing). It also allows me to meet, connect with and have conversations with some really phenomenal people.

So what about you? Are you lost in the clutter? What are some things you can do to make your company stand out? To make yourself stand out in the blogosphere? Please share your experiences!

UPDATE 9/1/08: Chris Brogan and Jeremiah Owyang both have some recent posts about reducing the noise, standing out, and getting noticed. If you enjoyed this topic and want some specific approaches, I encourage you to check out their posts.

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What I Learned From Interning With Seth Godin v1.0

So at the request of Valeria Maltoni and Connie Benson, I want to post with respect to my experience with Seth’s Triiibes project, but things have been frantic around here and I haven’t had time to hash anything out. I had been thinking about some of the most impactful things that I took away from my internship experience with Seth, and in lieu of the tribal experience (at least for now) I thought I’d share some of the things I learned. [Note: There are -many- more hence the version 1.0.]

I learned that traditional marketing is dying (or at the very least changing) and that to be a successful marketer you have to join the conversation. This process takes time and you have to learn to be a great listener because sometimes consumers are not saying aloud what they really want or mean. In the end participating in the conversations and cultivating the relationships enables consumers to trust you, to follow you, to purchase from you.

I learned that if you really want to be a successful marketer you have to learn to lead without authority. I had the responsibility to make an impact, but I could not control what people did so I had to learn to establish the tone and build my tribe in other ways. You can do this by building intricate spiderwebs that link together a bunch of small parts that invariably create an immovable object. If you become a voice that stands for something and you are building something worth building all of these intricate, connected thoughts inspire others to follow. Seth is the master of this; I have a lot more to learn about it, aside from the fact that I do know you have to be very passionate about whatever it that you’re doing for this to even have a chance of working on a large scale.

Some of my other favorite take-aways were:

• Creativity thrives in the face of boundaries
• (Sometimes) it is about making noise, and sometimes that means breaking rules.
• Taking risks and (sometimes failing) is inevitable if you are going to consistently stay in the lead pack.

Do you read Seth’s blogs? What have you learned from Seth? What other blogs do you learn the most from?

03:59 pm | 0 recommendations | 1 comment

My Favorite Blog Posts of July

Wow. The summer is flying by. My virtual internship with Seth Godin has more or less wrapped up, though I will still be helping out/participating with another Squidoo project aligned with the upcoming election, and Triiibes, which corresponds with the release of his new book in October. 

I still have another two weeks or so with my other internship, and we leave the 5th headed to Orlando, New York and Washington DC, and won’t return until the 16th. That means I’m looking for some guest bloggers/contributions, interested? Drop me a line!

July has seen me attempt to grow as a blogger. My subscriber count has doubled, so have my unique hits. Most importantly I have made a lot of new friends. July has also seen the amount of the blogs in RSS reader multiply exponentially so with the conclusion of July, I’d like to share with you some of my favorite posts from this month. I’m striving to get my finger on the pulse of my “tribe,” so if this is something you appreciated let me know, and I’ll try and make it an every month thing.

[Note: This wasn’t something I had planned on doing, so these posts are blog posts that I have starred throughout the month, printed out, etc. They’re posts that have really interested me (at least this month, my tastes change frequently), and have lasting value for me. If you want me to do this again, I’ll try to have a better balance of different topics (social media takes the case this month), and different bloggers (both well known and up and coming).]

Taking Your Blog to a Community – ProBlogger Blog Tips
This is a post from Connie Benson that was featured on Darren’s blog. The post is chock full of content on how to find new communities, how to reach out to them, and also includes tools and strategies for reaching out to the new communities.

The Future of the Corporate Website Involves People – Web Strategy by Jeremiah
Jeremiah hosted a contest, and asked readers to answer the question, “What is the future of the corporate website in 5 years?” The following post features two phenomenal answers that really gave me something to think about not only for my own website, but if I want to have a future profession in social media.

An NSFW Explanation of Social Media – PR Squared
A slide show explaining social media that is great and should be shared with anyone who wants to learn about why we should care about social media and the way we communicate with consumers.

A Sample Blogging Workflow – Chris Brogan
Chris has probably emerged as one of my top 3 bloggers since I found him this month. (Where have I been?) This is a great post for me when I can’t think of a blog topic, or if I just want to remind myself how to be semi-interesting.

What Social Media Does Best – Chris Brogan
Like the slideshow from above, this post is a great resource if you need to explain to other people what social media does and why it’s becoming an important aspect of marketing.

How to Give a Presentation to Change the World – Conversation Agent
This is a brilliant post and compilation of some great presentations from Valeria. The Benjamin Zander presentation was brilliant. I especially liked this quote, “Remember that there is a difference between a person’s competence and a person’s effectiveness based on their ability to communicate verbally. If you are a good presenter, more action will be taken on your recommendations.”

50 Ways Marketers Can Use Social Media to Improve their Marketing – Chris Brogan
With plenty of big companies starting to use social media, here’s fifty, yes fifty ways to use social media. These are just the start of the conversation, but I suspect out of fifty ways, there will be a few that will resonate; with your blog, with your company?

21 Ways to Make Your Blog or Website Sticky – ProBlogger Blog Tips
This is probably my most favorite post of July. I need to print it out and go through it, like a checklist, and ensure that my blog does most of these things. Consider doing the same.

How Does a Company Dip it’s Toes in the Conversation – Conversation Agent
Having conversations about things that make marketing better is important to me. The notion that social media is important to marketing is important to me. This post is about the convergence of marketing, advertising and PR on the Web and the surrounding implications for the professionals that deal with it. How do you get started?

Essential Skills of a Community Manager – Chris Brogan
Virtually everything I read about community managers leads me to believe I’d be a really good one. Here are 6 really important skills that I think I have a good grasp on, but that I want to continue practicing and being conscious of, hence the importance of this post, at least for me.

New Communication Theory and the New Roles for the New World of Marketing – PR 2.0
Long post, very valuable, read it. “…the future of your business hinges on the ability for champions to arise, implement, and justify the socialization of your company’s ability to listen, empathize, respond, advise, and evolve based on the online discussions that are currently taking place with or without you.” Wouldn’t you rather it be with you?

50 Steps to Establish a Consistent Social Media Practice – Chris Brogan
Are you tired of Chris Brogan yet? I’m not. I can seriously go back and read posts like this (specifically the posts in his Social Media 100 quest) nearly every day and get something new out of them. Do yourself a favor and don’t skip this one.

Community Manager Responsibilities and Goals – Connie Benson
Another post from Connie, and another post about being a community manager. Again, being a community manager is something I am definitely interested in, and Connie puts together a great list of things to think about with respect to community management.

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Six Pieces of Advice Essential to Strengthening Your Brand

The following is an excerpt from an interview I recently did for Mad Mortgage World’s owner, Daniel Martin. To check out the entire interview go here –> Ryan Stephens on “Marketing Your Brand” for Loan Officers! 

Daniel is building a phenomenal site that exists to be an online aggregator of mortgage industry best practices and marketing ideas. Click to learn more about Mad Mortgage World.

——————What are some ways that Loan Officers can begin separating themselves from the “rest of the pack?” i.e. what are some steps to take or mistakes to avoid?

• Provide great content consistently – To me, this might be the single most important way to separate yourself. If Seth Godin was a jackass, I would still read Seth Godin’s riffs on marketing because they’re awesome. They make me think, I learn from their application, and as a result I grow as a marketer. Always aim to provide the best possible value to the consumer.

•  Be authentic and honest – Loan officers, marketers, umpires… It shouldn’t matter. You should always, out of respect for yourself and your clientele be authentic and honest. Providing the great value is how you get a brand in the first place, but not obeying this commandment is the quickest way to lose it. If you make a mistake, own up right away and try to rectify the situation as quickly and as smoothly as possible.

• Value relationships – This is something that took me a while to get when I first started. Traditional advertising is dead. You can shout through a megaphone all day long about how great your product is, but I couldn’t care less until someone else starts telling me it’s great; you let me give it a trial test, etc. So don’t yell at people and shove your idea down their throat. Listen and learn what your consumer needs and then try to provide them with a solution. Value the relationship first and foremost. If you can’t give them the best solution send them to someone who can. Chances are they’ll come back to you when they need something else.

• Be more prepared – Know your industry inside and out, at least a specific niche. Be the best at what you do, or at least capable of seeming like the best. Before doing a consulting session I ask the client a few questions that give me some indication as to where they are and where they want to go or what they want to accomplish. I seek out their personal brand and learn everything I can about what they embody. This enables me to provide insight into how I can specifically help them and not just give them generic re-hashed advice.

• It’s reciprocal – Make it a conversation, a discussion, a sounding board. Bounce ideas off of people. You aren’t going to ruin credibility by asking your clients questions, you’re going to gain their respect. If you take a reciprocal approach you can utilize feedback to logically map out the best strategic insights for your clientele based on your knowledge and their insight.

• Be passionate – It speaks for itself, and it’s contagious. Aside from that, if you’re not passionate about what you’re doing then you probably should not be doing it in the first place.
  

12:55 am | 0 recommendations | 4 comments

Generation Y: Stand Up For Yourself in the Workplace

How many times have you tucked your tail between your legs, left your bosses office and wandered back down the hall to begrudgingly complete a task that was incompetent or worse yet not, even in the realm of pertinence?

I’ll be the first to raise my hand. I have always been passive and unwilling to stand up for myself in the work place. I have always done what my father would do and said, “Yes Sir,” (or Yes Ma’am) and put my head down, did the ridiculous task, and then went back to working on things that actually mattered, and did that to the best of my ability.

The misconception I had is that every boss wants the tireless, obedient worker that never questions authority. And this may well hold true for a lot of companies, but Generation Y is changing the workplace, and we’re very fortunate that we do not have to spend our entire careers working for one company, and constantly bending over to grab our ankles in an effort to ascend the proverbial corporate ladder.

One of the most important things I have realized is that I have to stand up for myself in the workplace if I want pursue my passions and achieve my goals. I have also found that most bosses will respect you more if you have an opinion of your own and are able to articulate that opinion in a tactful way. In my experience, you might still have to do that particular ridiculous request, but the stupid action items will become less prevalent if you respectfully stand up for yourself. Honestly, this advice pertains to fellow co-workers as well, but is more focused conflicts with a boss. If you want good advice for how to stand up for yourself with respect to co-workers check out this article.

Here’s three things to keep in mind when standing up for yourself:

• Always be tactful. If you are not great at thinking on your feet put it in writing after you have had a few minutes to think about it. Be respectful and candid, but say something to the effect of, “I am having a hard time understanding how my time is being maximized by running off 500 copies, as opposed to working on the strategic marketing initiatives for the new account. I would appreciate insight into your rationale regarding this decision. Respectfully. Ryan.” Perhaps this isn’t the best example (but it was on the fly). Make a conscious effort to handle the situation in a way that still enables your boss to feel empowered and in charge.
• Honestly, one thing that has worked for me is to shoot and e-mail and carbon copy another co-worker in a leadership position. If someone else becomes aware that your boss made you organize and stack all of his personal belongings on the shelf in his new office instead of working on things that will invariably benefit the company your boss might feel silly, or you might get fired.
• Which leads me to the fact that if your boss is always a jerk, why do you want to work with them or a company that supports those actions; regardless of how successful he may be at the expense of his employees? The Office Newb has a good piece about how a bad boss can be good for you, but even she recommends new work if you have a boss that is a real jerk.

Don’t be scared to stand up for yourself in the workplace. It is an important part of learning and growing as an employee, and if the boss is relentless in his pursuit of being a real tool then start looking for a new place to work; one that respects its employees, and has values that speak to you and passion that inspires you. After all, isn’t that what it’s about anyway?