January 2, 2010 63 Comments

How Relationships Improve Sales

glynne soaps I was in the shower yesterday morning and found myself thinking, “we’re almost out of Glynne soaps.” Now, what’s weird about this is that Glynne soaps sent me review products last summer, and it was good, but let’s think about it. It’s soap. I can buy soap very easily at my grocery store, where I go all the time. Why should I have Glynne Soaps in my mind? Why should I buy them?

Relationships Help Sell

It doesn’t hurt that the product is really good, but what made them come to mind was all the times we’ve chatted on Twitter, and/or seeing their social media conversations unfurl on Facebook and other platforms. They’re friendly. They’re part of the story. They’re here.

It’s not enough, obviously. Being around and chatting with me on Twitter doesn’t help if your product stinks. But here’s where it helped: when I realized that I was almost out of soap, they were top of mind.

How Do You Stay There?

I think this is the meat of most marketing. How do you stay top of mind with your customer? Let’s stick with soap. I’ll presume you use it daily (or mostly daily), but it’s not something that you think about.

In the old days, advertisers kept a brand top of mind by repeatedly pushing ads into our vision. Axe spends tons and tons convincing me that their products will make women go wild if I use them. Dove tells you that you’ll be very beautiful if you use them. Soap, of all products, is well known for working hard on staying top of mind. Remember the “soap” in “soap operas?”

To stay top of mind in the modern space, I think you have to be there. You have to be one of us. At least part of it is that. I can’t see Ford throwing away their campaigns and just count on Scott Monty to build relationships (though he’s definitely wearing the Ford colors in a powerful way). But it has to be both.

The Difference Might Be the “Both”

If you’re Glynne Soaps, you can’t pay for full spread magazine ads and soap operas. You can spend time on social platforms meeting people, talking to them about their stuff (and not just soap). Maybe you don’t pick up the ad campaign for a while, but that would be at an inflection point.

If you’re big, you do both. Ads alone don’t cut it. If you’re Pepsi, you maybe do the campaign, but you also put the humans in the game (like Bonin Bough and team).

It depends on the product, I believe. There are “commodity” transactions where I don’t care. But the other thing is, we all have different opinions on what we care about or don’t. For instance, I don’t really care who changes the oil in my car, but because of my conversations with Sullivan Tire on Twitter, that’s where I’ll probably go because they’re top of mind.

What Can We Do?

I think it’s a choice. I think that if you’re a bigger brand, you have more to think about. If you’re a smaller brand, this almost feels like a “must” at this point, trying out social media conversation channels. You might not get the mix right. You might have to experiment until you find what gets people to respond and take action in a relationship-minded way. But without starting to experiment, you won’t find it.

Will soap companies that make relationships on Twitter clean up? I’ve got a hunch they’ll do better than not. But is it all just a matter of working us up into a good lather? I don’t think so.

Start by observing other brands in other verticals and how they’re getting it done. Then experiment. Try making relationships before trying to sell. And be ready to apologize. You will likely make mistakes. But I think there’s some gold in this, done right.

Want some people to observe? On Twitter, check out:

@Glynnesoaps
@RSHotel
@SullivanTire

And maybe you. Are you a smaller brand building relationships one at a time? Brag it up in the Twitter feed.

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  • http://www.raisetheeup.com/blog MikeHolmes

    This is a great post!

    You just reinforced, in my mind at least, the necessity of relationships. I can be honest in saying that most of my book sales have come from me talking to people and them talking to people about me. Granted, I'm no where near the best selling status like you and Julien Smith…but it definitely helps.

    Thanks again!

  • http://genuinechris.com genuinechris

    There is no “must” regarding social media. I'm here, I believe, but it's still possible to grow a business without getting onto twitter/its ilk. I've seen them…an insurance agent in Ohio that's growing because he helps people.

    Could he do better on social media? Dunno. Maybe, maybe not. Point is, that saying social media is a “must” to have an effective business ain't right

    Happy new year.

  • http://www.howtomakemyblog.com/ Marko Saric

    Definitely! You have to “sell” yourself first, connect with the audience, interact with them, bring them value and then it will be much easier to sell your product to them or get them to spread the word. Very similar to what you are doing yourself!

  • SallyFalkow

    Yes Chris I do believe that being top of mind makes the difference. And it has always been touted as the result you want. It's why we did newsletters and networking and other traditional marketing actions. Now social networking offers a new way to build relationships. @jowyand just posted this question on Twitter: is your company living social or just outsourcing it to PR? Building a relationship with a company or brand requires an ongoing conversation with someone at that company who is passionate, who cares, who is interested. It may be their in-house PR/Social media manager. But I doubt it will work when it's their PR agency.

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  • http://snowcrashing.com Antonella

    All you say is very true. The problem is that a lot of companies embrace social media with false expectations of “viral”/free promotion and therefore fail to see the bigger picture.I like your 1 to 12 Twitter rule as a simple reminder that selling is 1/12 of the job (scares many ppl, but educates a lot more:)

  • nancymyrland

    Chris, I agree with you when you talk about putting a human in the game. I think this is critically important these days. Consumers have always been largely in charge because they have the wallets, but they haven't necessarily been in complete charge because they didn't have the voice they do now.

    Today, they have more control because they can go out and find the human, or the voice, of the brand. In some cases, they can simply speak, or write, and the brand will find them. This is extremely powerful and is what will allow more level playing fields for products and services than we have ever seen before.

    You mentioned not caring as much when needing some products that are considered commodities. The interesting notion, though, is that if these products don't have a human, a heart and a voice in the game via social media, or traditional media for that matter, then you and I begin to shop by price, which creates a bunch of non-loyal customers out here who will jump to the next low-priced competitor next time we need that commodity.

    It's time. It's never been a better time. It's never been a better time to make connections with those we would like to use our products and services. The tools are here. The practices aren't rocket science, but need to flow from a sound business plan and a good, caring heart beating within that company. It will be obvious to the customer or client who is different, and who is worthy of a share of their loyalty and wallet.

  • AmberNaslund

    I think the difference at scale is the shades of grey in a “relationship”. We use that word as a catch-all a lot. But in our minds, we usually jump straight to the idea that a relationship is longer term, more intimate or friendly in nature, personal, and lasting.

    But for commodity products or transactional purchases, the impact is when the meaning or feel of “relationship” can be translated down to a short burst of interaction. In that case, I think “relationship” is defined much more in terms of courtesy, personal touch, friendliness, and sense that you'd be welcome back anytime.

    Some people don't *want* to be in any kind of interpersonal relationship with a brand. But they'll never say no to being greeted on a first name basis by someone else with a face and a name, or having their preferences remembered, or making a return or a customer service call that's smooth sailing. A conversation with a business on Twitter hints to us that those things are likely part of their DNA, and helps us set that brand aside in a different light.

    Human touch and a long-term, winding relationship don't always have to go hand in hand. But the former is something that has to be part of your intent as a business, no matter how small the touchpoint may be. And with a solid product or service at the core, there's nowhere to go but up when you're nice to people.

  • http://www.ivanwalsh.com Ivan Walsh

    <How do you stay top of mind with your customer?

    In the 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing (Al Ries and Jack Trout) they suggest that you 'own' the word. For example, fast food = MacD, toothpaste = Colgate, Soap = Dove and so on.

    If you can't own the word (ie incumbent in too deeply associated with it), then select another brand attribute, eg Whiteness, Freshness etc for toothpastes, and then own these 'words'.

    Benefits, not features, is what customers respond to.

    Great little book, by the way.

  • jpirrello

    Relationships certainly have an impact. Like you said, a relationship would *not* get you to buy a poor quality product. But, all things being equal it can be a differentiator. We all like to give our business – our hard-earned money – to people who we feel deserve it.

    For example, relationships are a huge part of the 3/50 project. If shoppers didn't like their local retailers they'd be a lot less apt to make an effort to support them. But that's only part of the motivation. Those retailers also need to offer something of value as well – proximity, unique product offerings, specialized services, etc.

    Relationships are an important part of the mix – along with quality, service, price and availability.

  • http://www.ivanwalsh.com Ivan Walsh

    Chris, you're right, it's not mandatory.

    I see it as another item in my toolbox that I can use to raise awareness, interest, etc.

    One of the questions people ask me re SM is about ROI. What will I get back if I invest 100k. I think we're going to see a lot more of this in 2010.

  • http://www.ribeeziemedia.com/blog Ricardo Bueno

    They seem like little things (the small interactions like the “hello's”, “thank you's”, “Have a great day”… The moments when you're helpful because you can be… etc.). But those moments go such a long way! People remember how giving you are and how willing you are to help. When it comes time to buy, you'll be top choice. And if they can afford it, even then, they're still ready to refer their friends to you because they know you're the type of helpful and giving person that is sincerely interested in having them succeed.

  • http://genuinechris.com genuinechris

    And the answer, Chris, is not much. If you throw $100k blindly at social media, go nuts. You can do that. Thanks for the $100k.

    if you spend 10 minutes a day locating and engaging people, then you'll get your $100k to reinvest in social media. ;-)

  • http://www.SenseAbleSelling.com Howard Howell

    Chris… You definitely can't make a sale until a relationship has been created. It's been true since good old fashioned face-to-face selling was the norm. Thank you for sharing a great example of how to create relationships in the New Media Reality.

    You don't mind if I quote you and share your story, do you?

    We are also seeing a whole new profession (corporate job, industry, whatever?) emerging for businesses to contract with or hire individuals to work as their brand's twitter pro, facebook pro, blogger pro, etc. It will be their responsibility to create and maintain the customer relationship in the appropriate social media sphere. Some of the social media junkie's need to take note.

    What do you think? …Howard

  • Marilyn Zayfert

    As a Pharma rep for over 18 years the first thing I learned was to build the relationship. It helped my customers trust me, It is not easty to build relationships with strangers. It takes a skill that many do not have. Not only did it help in business but added to my good reputation. Now as a marketer for my own company I rely heavily on relationships that I have built.

  • http://www.mikestenger.com Mike Stenger

    Love the post Chris! It reminds me of the age old advice, “People buy from those they know, like and trust.” And if there's anyone you know, like and trust, there's a relationship that has been built there. Without relationships, there would be far less sales and overall awesomeness that comes with knowing and engaging with others.

  • http://twitter.com/mckra1g mckra1g

    I think that most people make social and moral decisions when they spend their money. Their money is a conduit for their values. That's why boycotts are held and that's why, all things being equal, most will choose to spend their money with a business that they trust over one that they either don't (or is an unknown quantity).

    I live in small “city” of 26K people. Every day, there are those who buy from Merchant A over Merchant B because they want their money spent on widgets sold by Merchant A to pay for Merchant A's kids' college tuition. They have a relationship with Merchant A. They want to reward Merchant A for being a solid, trustworthy business.

    Having the ability to connect with your customers (both current and future) through social media channels helps you build a stronger business. Listening to and partnering with your customers helps you to build a stronger product line and you can be more responsive in providing value (ie. Dominos, anyone?).

    As always, great springboard for ideas. Thanks for the post!

    Best, M.

  • http://glynnesoaps.com Gayle & Jenn

    Hi Chris
    Thanks so much for your kind words!

    I am thrilled to know you think we are 'doing it right' with social media. For me, Gayle – the social media part of the team – I have had a whole lot of fun over the past year getting to know people and sharing experiences. I now feel that I have become a social media evangelist! I can't stop sharing the message of what social media can do for a business.

    In my opinion, a business may not have to have social media to be successful, but I cannot imagine Glynne's Soaps being as successful without it. People say they know us because of facebook or twitter on a regular basis. Why would any business not explore the possibilities?

    Thanks again Chris! We'll be looking forward to your order :-)

  • http://www.keithburtis.com Keith Burtis

    I agree with Amber here. I chat a lot about social media with folks that know very little about the technologies. When I explain it to them talking about trust, relationships, the ability to be top of mind, thought leadership, customer service and the like they often ask me “what's new?” These are the traits that have made business successful for hundreds of years.

    The difference here is the breadth and speed in which we can use these tools to engage a community, provide value, hear what they are saying, expose our products and more. I call it “The Fundamentals on Steroids”

  • http://theheadhuntersvoice.blogspot.com/ Jay D'Aprile

    Hi Chris,

    Developing and having strong relationships is critical when selling products or services and utilizing social media is a great tool to help achieve that goal. I have been amazed at the relationships that I have been able to develop through sites like LinkedIn and Twitter. But I think that you may have missed one point and that is offering to help people without expecting to achieve instant gratification or “giving before you get”.

    I am a retained executive search consultant who specializes in the insurance industry. I work for the insurance companies; they are my clients (Companies pay me to find their senior level executives) however, I am always available to help people during their job search with tips or connections. When I do that often those executives remember me when they land in leadership positions and that is when my relationships pay major dividends. Having relationships and offering to help people without expecting anything in return is key in capitalizing on the relationships you develop in social media. http://theheadhuntersvoice.blogspot.com/

  • http://tongstromberg.com Lars Tong Strömberg

    @Ivan Walsh, Great point. As a matter of fact, it can be taken even further having your brand name become associated with the whole product category. Take Xerox for example.

    This is of course great, but at the same time it can be a bit risky as pointed out by Tom Parette in this article in Adsoftheworld.com:

    http://bit.ly/6sQU3g

  • http://tongstromberg.com Lars Tong Strömberg

    Interesting article and example. Wrote a reply to your post here:

    http://tongstromberg.com/2010/01/02/social-medi…

    Basically, I follow up on some of the comments I see have popped up here while I was writing that post. I agree with your point that building relationships via social media is an attractive strategy, but as @genuinechris not the only way to build relationships. Especially for these non-engaging product categories.

  • http://twitter.com/oded0007 oded segev

    Liked the post, not sure that social networking can be a “stand alone” for driving the brand to the top of your mind

  • http://www.talentbuildersinc.com/ Barb Giamanco

    Though talking about building relationship is sort of the buzz these days, as someone who's sold professionally for close to 30 years, the truth is that sales has ALWAYS been about the relationship. I'm betting that Chris will agree. And these days it is even more important, because buyers are sick to death, I think, of the hype and lies that vendors tell. Yes, shocker I know:). I assume that's why Chris and Julien wrote their book – Trust Agents. As providers of products and services, we have to build trust into everything that we do. That takes time, commitment, transparency and sincere desire to want to help others. Research conducted some years ago by the Forum Corporation confirmed what most of us already knew. People will buy a less superior product if they like the people they are doing business with. You might have the best offering available and if how you treat people sucks – you'll be out of the game fast.

    As for using social media to increase sales. Like others have said…it's a mix of great off line relationship building coupled with appropriate uses of social media that can help you scale your business to greater heights. As for the ROI question that always comes up. Frankly, sometimes I just have to laugh. Ask a sales person how much ROI they are actually receiving from running all over town to any networking event that seems interesting. Most of that is wasted effort. Of course, as someone noted earlier, it's not a good idea to throw out thousands of dollars or invest hours of your time if you aren't clear when you are headed.

    As always – great discussion!

  • http://twitter.com/FrankKenny Frank Kenny

    Top of Mind. That is what we are doing for our Chamber members by using our large social networking following. We have created “Visibility Packages” that harness the power of the social networking sites and the old media printed newsletters and such to keep our members top of mind. Cheaply.

    Chris you keep nailing it.

    Frank

  • http://lifedestiny.net Tanner @LifeDestiny.net

    Interesting post Chris.

    This brought up the name game association in my mind. For instance, take freezer pizzas and think of the first brand that comes to mind. To me it was DiGiornio. On a different brand aspect, take baseball and the first brand that came in my mind was the Yankees (might be because I am a Pittsburgh Pirates fan). I probably thought DiGiorinio pizza because of their commercials. I see the Yankees because they are constantly on ESPN or in some kind of big time trade or scandal involving one of their players.

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  • http://chrisbrogan.com Chris Brogan

    I agree.

  • jadecraven

    I find this is something that has really influenced my purchasing decisions. A personal note included in a purchase goes a long way.

    I'm now interested in finding ways that, as a soloprenuer, I can focus on creating sales based on the relationships I have with people. :-) Your blog should come with a disclaimer: blog will make your brain hurt from thinking too hard

  • jadecraven

    I find this is something that has really influenced my purchasing decisions. A personal note included in a purchase goes a long way.

    I'm now interested in finding ways that, as a soloprenuer, I can focus on creating sales based on the relationships I have with people. :-) Your blog should come with a disclaimer: blog will make your brain hurt from thinking too hard

  • http://nathanhangen.com/blog Nathan Hangen

    I always prefer to buy from the community if I can…regardless of the product. The problem is there aren't enough Glynne Soaps.

  • http://www.BeAwesomeOnline.com Catherine Caine

    The thing that I find fascinating about your example is that soap is a small purchase. It used to be that that level of relationship-building seemed to be reserved for $50,000 purchases, not less than $50 of soap. It's so encouraging that it works at the small scale, where the margins are much tighter.

  • gliss

    “Think Digital, Act Analog.”

    That's what the theme of this post reminds me of. I first heard this quotation in about 1999 or 2000 and found it applicable at a membership-driven non-profit arts organization I was running at the time. Use the digital tools but use them in a human way.

  • http://chrisbrogan.com Chris Brogan

    By all means, sir. Share it up. : )

  • http://twitter.com/togetherwf Susan Smith

    I recognized the impact of social media in a very personal way when I went to the grocery store and bought Egglands Best eggs one day. I didn't think about it at the time, but I did not even look at the price. I simply reached for the box because I felt a connectiion. Why, because months ago I had shared a few tweets with Egglands Best. It's real stange how those interactions can impact our unconscious thinking.

  • http://www.thegardenofwords.com/ Katie

    I agree with your article, just like your other posters. I actually live in #ILM (Wilmington, NC) where Glynne Soaps is located. I met them through Twitter, and have since interacted at local tweet-ups. I RELIGIOUSLY bathe my dog with their soap. And you're right: I never, EVER thought about dog soap before I met them. (Their soap is great for people, too!) They have also stopped by and supported various other business functions that I've organized locally. They're naturally giving, something you talk about frequently, as well.

    Because I know them in person, and on twitter, I can say that they are real people, who are really nice! Twitter is a great medium for their business, because it suits their personalities, budget, and product. Twitter doesn't work for people who aren't “human,” as you might say.

    The Glynne Soap folks deserve to be loved for their product, and their personalities, and I hope they're a great success story of social media. Your spotlight on them will help! Thank you!

    Since the rise of Twitter, I've become much more attached to specific brands-those with which I can interact. Especially, with local businesses. We have a pretty tight-knit twitter group, locally, and we rabidly support each other. I'm chatty. I like to interact with people at the businesses. I like them to know my name and greet me-whether over the phone or in person. I'd still rather buy books from a local bookseller who knows my preferences, or get my breakfast at a local cafe that enjoys my favorite “breakfast” combo of a Ruben sandwich and a pancake, than some random big-box. Not for any moral reason, but because it is pleasant, and in a world where everything is remote and impersonal, the personal gets my attention, and holds it. And, because of that, they hold my money, too!

  • http://www.ivanwalsh.com Ivan Walsh

    Thanks for the link, Lars.

    Xerox is the classic example, I guess. Another way of looking at this is that 'words' have lifetimes and eventually run out of steam.

    Also, Chris B 'owns' the word TRUST in many people's mind's.

    My long-term concern here is that this word may become overused (and ultimately devalued) which could prove tricky. I feel that the word Trust is now so widely used that it's in risk of becoming a fad/cliche and this may accelerate the process. No reflection on Chris Brogan by the way.

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  • paul martin

    I was at the checkout of my equal least favourite supermarket mouth open that I had spent over 50% of my two bags of shopping on liquid soap (powder). If I were in small market I would have joshed and left with a smile, if I were using the Casino-Mail carrier we have here I would have rolled my eyes as I realise that it is 50-50 whether my parcel arrives, if I am at John Lewis UK and I don't get good service (NEVER HAPPENED) I realise that I can instantly return the item. I find it is easier to judge in real life, starting with the shop window.

  • darni

    You are right,Chris.To a great degree,doing business is the same as doing relationship. :)

  • http://tongstromberg.com Lars Tong Strömberg

    @Ivan Walsh, Agree about the devaluation risk. “Friend” is a good example of a word that does not mean as much anymore since the social media revolution.

  • stanphelps

    I posted last night on @ajbombers who really seem to get it.
    The owner Joe Sorge followed up via e-mail to give me the backstory of how he got started and a few great examples. In his words:

    “It all started with a conversation with a guest after a night at Swig, albeit a short conversation as we had to communicate within a 140 character message and it was viewable by anyone who cared to see it. This guest had tweeted that she had thoroughly enjoyed herself the night before at Swig, I was new to twitter and happened to be doing a search for our restaurants to see if anyone had mentioned them. I replied with not much more than a simple thank you for her business and within minutes she had rebroadcast (RT’d) my thank you to her personal twitter world of over several hundred twitter followers, many who then turned and decided to follow Swig on twitter.

    It was at that instant of one-on-one communication rebroadcast to many, many others that I realized we were onto something that could be great for our group of businesses that try so hard to foster this sort of personal connection. And now, the guests could speak directly with me about their experiences and thoughts about our restaurants. It seemed this medium was created to perfectly complement our company’s overall marketing strategy of permission style marketing as opposed to the traditional style of interruption marketing that most companies employ.

    Today we also utilize Facebook, YouTube and micro blogging for our social media presence for Swig, Water Buffalo and AJ Bombers.

    At AJ Bombers we used Facebook to create initial awareness of our brand via a facebook profile picture promotion, where our customers were assigned the task of taking the most creative photo in our logoed, signature, extra large beach chairs and post that photo as their profile picture, also leaving that photo up for the entire month of July. The winner, Karen Louw is currently receiving free burgers for a year at AJ Bombers.
    We even created a YouTube video for our website explaining the promotion:
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b1e1BGmtBgQ

    And here’s our You Tube page with our other videos:
    http://www.youtube.com/user/ajbmer

    Despite all that fun, we have without question, found the most direct and measureable impact and interaction via our twitter accounts.

    One of the best examples of twitter at work is our Burger of The Moment special at AJ Bombers. These unique and creative sandwiches are often dreamt up by our twitter followers themselves and then made available to those same followers first for testing. I can honestly say that our menu at AJ Bombers can change daily because of our twitter followers input and feedback and the creation of items by this group. So much so that these specials were formerly referred to as Burger of The Month, but there are so many ideas being generated that we switched to Burger of The Moment.”

    Here is the original post on AJ Bombers: http://www.marketinglagniappe.com/blog/2010/01/…

  • http://www.businessbuilderbookclub.com Joy Johnson

    I passed your last post about Glynne soaps on to my partner who has allergy issues. She ordered a sampler, loves them, and gave me the pumpkin spice sitting on my desk as I type this – and it smells great! I got my new head shots from a photographer in a neighboring state because someone I know tweeted about it. What I discovered, and passed along, is that they have something wonderfully unique going on. They have a makeup artist right on the premises and a hairdresser a couple of miles away so people can get hair, makeup, and photos all done easily. How cool it that? They didn't even know they had this unique offering until I told them. Now I'm encouraging my husband, and all of my Duct Tape Marketing clients who need to redo their marketing kits, to make use of their services. I love it! Sometimes the relationships are one-sided. I think that stops a lot of people. They expect instant and equal reciprocation. That's not how life works. You get back, but often from a different source.

  • bsimi

    Thank you for mentioning us with some great company !
    The pressure is on for 2010.

  • http://socialmediasoapbox.wordpress.com Stephen Rothman

    Hi Chris. Love the thought that today, to stay top of mind “you have to be one of us.” In the broadcast era, brands aimed to do that by creating brand images, driven through broadcast communication, with which their existing and potential customers could identify. And it worked quite well. But now the connectivity of the social web, among groups of people with a common interest (like a category or brand) and between the brand and those people, fuels higher expectations of what it means for a brand to be one of us. It's not enough to broadcast an image. In the post-broadcast age, the people behind the brand are the brand. They need to connect with their customers, one human being to another.

  • laurademeo

    In a consumer world with so many choices of products (and sometimes can be overwhelming), I find that I am more loyal to companies that provide excellent customer service and of course are quality products. I love it it when a company also provides a memorable experience along with their services.

    I recently was in Napa touring the wineries and we ended up buying a case of their wine because our Tour guide was so much fun and just exuded so much positive energy. The funny thing is the wine was just average! But the Experience was amazing.

  • http://Guestbloggingtips.com/ Peter

    This is an awesome post Chris. Now I see why you have so many followers.
    You not only have the goods, you also deliver.

  • http://www.netwitsthinktank.com frank barry

    This seems to apply with many things on a general level. The nonprofit space is no different.

    @epicchange is doing some great things with #tweetsgiving. They are engaging on social channels in a way that most big nonprofits are not. It puts them top of mind for those of us who are also interacting on the social channels they are a part of.

    #Tweetsgiving can't do big TV ad's like Susan G. Komen or American Heart Association, but they can engage with people on a personal level and they're doing it well.

    Some big nonprofits are figuring it out. @livestrong is a great example.

    At the end of the day, relationships matter. They can improve sales and help draw in more supporters, volunteers, donors and advocates.

    http://franswaa.com

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