It’s Not About the Mic

I like John Lewis Shops they have a new idea in the hi-tech bit where a greeter connects you with the person on your wavelength. My family always buy Sony I’m next to the girl with the Sony logo on her shirt. I like the personal touch, so I rarely buy on the internet, except travel – have you compared the expression on people in the queues at Stations and those eager beavers in John Lewis. Oh yes and my sister works there so that means it must be alrightmaduck.

So true Chris. Instead of asking the ‘why’s and ‘what’s, business should constantly work upon improving their products. Comparison play’s its part at a consumer level but what businesses should actually do is constantly create products that create competition and fare better at it.

A marketer’s job is not just taking a product to the market, but to also help create products that market will actually accept and benefit from.

Good Post :) made my mind thinking.

Hi Chris,

I think it really depends what layer of the business you’re addressing.

There’s the general vision of what they’re seeking to establish (e.g. human business), translating that into core principles (e.g. be present where your customers are, listen to feedback, respond in a timely fashion, etc.), and expressing the principles in actions and systems, using the most suitable technologies (e.g. Facebook page, Twitter account, etc).

The technologies must always work within the principles, towards the vision. The problem is in focusing on the wrong end of the spectrum.

I marvel at the questions. They are key. So many times the client is asking the wrong questions and it’s up to us to help redirect them to not only the right answers but the right questions to ask in the first place.

I have always thought this before. It is the same when your at college and some of your friends, are arguing about whether you should have a Mac or a PC. Some people just get on an use the things not getting hung up on features, Mac is quite good for photo and film.

I think if the guys in Madmen had Social Media they would not be downing the whiskeys throught the day. I think it is not 1950 anymore and technology not people change Maria says. I tend to agree abit with Haider too, some technologies can be better used for a brand, I think your point too Chris on Facebook pages is useful. It might be better for a celeb as watching photos of the outside of your shop might not be that intersting. I think it comes maybe down to how you like your remarkable.

Seth Godin says be remarkable but he says little of “how you like your remarkable”. How you specfically are you talkable, how specifically you will achieve this, what is the flavour. Mary is right the connected idea is something that we require. This is remarkable, the web is getting bigger and noisier so it needs all that and more. It needs “talkable”

When I designed life insurance products, I thought the features mattered. We’d have 2-4 launches a year adding more and more. Competitors did the same. I thought this gave insurance advisors better choices. Instead, they got mired in the technicalities and struggled to keep up.

Now that I work directly with clients, I focus on what they want and where they are. I then help them bridge the gap. There are reasons why product J was picked over Q, but the client doesn’t need to be educated in the nuances unless they ask (and they rarely do). They mainly want peace of mind.

true it’s not about the tech. Most of the tech is so simple and intuitive that the real social media “experts” are the ones who have the social skills, collaborative and consultative sales style that finds out what people really want and makes solutions.
its just a simple matter of converting that personality and persona into a presence online.
Most often businesses have their problems by trying to translate and reinvent how they speak to earn customers in real life into some different language and different strategy online.
people are people and if the voice, message and sales process works offline, then thats pretty much the way it should feel online regardless of which platform or which tech is employed to deliver the message.

I’ve been pitching a project inside my company that’s been hitting a wall. I’m going to try your approach, Chris and start with why this will make them more money for less money.

When we talk it is always about people first. Many times even big businesses have not focused as much on who they are talking WITH as they could.

Your advice is good and reminds me of more of the internet marketing world where we talk more about leads and business VS connection and engaging.

I disagree with the comment below about not talking about how social media is more effective than traditional advertising. You cannot connect as easily with traditional media because it’s focus is pitching VS educating. Having had to shift to more eduacational based marketing in early 90′s taught me this one very well.

Thank you – too much talk about the details on the tools and not enough on the actual issues – can i sell more stuff if i engage you? DUH! back to the future – you mean it is all about marketing 101 – I can sell more stuff if i figure out how my prospects are using all of the tools not just the ones most popular that week. Once again thank you

I like the way you answered the question, Which technology will you use?. That is exactly what they are asking and it seems they want to get to the bottom of it. If they do know the technology, then they do it. The fact is, you want to hire someone to get you leads, don’t ask how it will be done, just look at the figures and pay.

throw stones, I’m a fan of Apple. I’m on my second notebook and first iphone.

You’re one smart, talented person Chris.