The Basics

September 20, 2008 · Comments

Gary Vaynerchuk and Deb Schultz Social media “stuff” is hot right now. It’s almost a bubble. And yet, several companies are seeking to learn more about how to use these tools and strategies to build business relationships, deliver new customers, solve customer service education issues, and more. This post is intended for the aspiring social media types.

Part of my energy around this post comes from a great speech by mister Gary Vaynerchuk I attended yesterday. Gary is nothing if not passionate, clear about his plan, and focused on his next steps.

You MUST do the basics.

If You Are A Business

  1. Be as professional as you can be. If you’re looking to help these businesses, realize that they need you to be reliable (something I wish I could do better). They need you to be there.
  2. Educate people from their side of the fence. If you’re providing advice and training, don’t talk about your tool knowledge. Talk about their business challenges.
  3. Study the market. Don’t just do your own thing. Learn how other people are selling. Learn how other people are marketing. Learn how other people are educating.
  4. Know your price. Know how much you need to make to do business. This is so important. It also relates to how people value you. Be sure you value you.
  5. Be clean and clear about selling. If you’re selling something, like consulting, like a service, like design work, whatever, be really open and clear about what you sell.
  6. Ask. Ask for referrals. Ask for the sale. Ask for advice from lots of people. Make sure that asking is part of your DNA.
  7. Be personal. Be real. Be who you are. It won’t last long if you try to be other people, or try to be something you’re not. This includes admitting when you’re wrong.
  8. Know what’s next. Always have a plan. Always have a sense of where you’re going in your business, and what you need.

Why are these the basics? Because this is the baseline price for entry to doing this work. It’s what people are expecting from you, especially when you get the opportunity to work with them.

What have I missed? What do you know about?

Photo credit, Brian “I have every web person’s photo and you don’t” Solis

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  • Great list, Chris! I might be able to add to it a little:

    - Know what it is you're really selling, in both the ephemeral terms and the practical/logistical terms (i.e., sizzle AND steak).

    - Have a process and make it the DNA of your unique value proposition. You have to be able to easily explain the process to others in a way that presents a business case.
  • Heather
    Awesome post, full of great points. It's easy to get distracted from the simple stuff that makes things work.

    To me, the idea is integrity. If you've got real integrity--rock-bottom honesty with yourself--then the other things will fall into place. People know when you've got it, too. You can fake sincerity, but you can't fake integrity because you won't realize when you're acting without it.
  • Brad Hanks
    On the money Chris. And #1 (being reliable) and #2 (having empathy) are critical. Thanks for a great post.

    BTW, hope you're enjoying BlogWorld, and say hello to Rob McNealy for me.
  • paul
    Great list, Chris. The only thing I'd add is this: Think Best-Best. Always do whats best for your client AND best for your business. There's always a middle ground that will lead to success.
  • This is a really good post and provides some really good advice. Thankyou
  • #6 is a strong one for me - every day I am amazed at the incredible generosity of others in helping me be even better at what I do. It still surprises me when I ask and hear a yes from one of my heroes- surprises, but delights. I used to be afraid of being rejected, now I just let it roll off my back and ask someone else. The right answer is waiting for me to discover it, so I keep going, encouraged by what's been given already.

    Thanks for the great insight, Chris. Love your work.

    Together, we are stronger.
    Vicki Flaugher, the original SmartWoman
    follow me at http://twitter.com/smartwoman
  • KarenSwim
    Chris, so many great comments and several resonated. I would expand #2 and #7 to include, understand that social media is one tool and not the only one. A large part of knowing your client, their market, their customers, their competitive landscape is taking that knowledge to either develop or align strategies to a comprehensive plan. To #7 I would add don't make your clients try to be someone they're not. Far too often I have seen disastrous results from clients being sold on the "hot thing" when their culture was not prepared for it.
  • I was recently energized by a Gary Vaynerchuk speech as well. He has really got it, doesn't he? And as usual so do you! Thanks for reminding us that sometimes it's as simple as the basics. Great post.
  • A great list of basics which I think could be applied to most industries - suggesting there might be a more general point here.

    As more people and businesses come into the social media fold so to speak, there's a need to do business more on their terms. i.e. 'educate people from their side of the fence' and 'don't just do your own thing'.

    If social media is a tool just for 'social media types' to use amongst themselves then there's no need to try and relate it back to others - no need to make a business case. You're preaching to the choir.

    If social media is to become increasingly adopted in more traditional business circles we need to show those businesses how it relates to them. Often that'll be through incremental, not fundamental change.
  • kevin cimring
    Thanks as always Chris. I would like to endorse Karen Swim's comment and agree that social media must be contextualized as being one tool out of a number of tools, which together must form a comprehensive and integrated plan for a business. There is so much buzz around social media right now, its easy to focus on it to the detriment of other tools.
  • This is a good baseline, Chris, for every "sole proprietor." Thank you!
  • I'd add; 9. Be real. Just be who you are and don't where a mask that hides the real you. Gary is enthusiastic and a great business guy but I think it's also his quirky authenticity that attracts his customers and fans.

    This one cannot be stated enough. Far too many folks forget that we are all merchants and merchants need to as for the order.
    6. Ask. Ask for referrals. Ask for the sale. Ask for advice from lots of people. Make sure that asking is part of your DNA.
  • Like Vicki and Tom, I like #6. And #3, which nobody commented on. We've chatted about this, Chris, and I consider you part of my market of education.

    And can I add that for the first time in a long time, Chris, you inspired me to select the above text and print it. On paper. I rarely, if ever, print blog posts on paper because I try to be good to the environment. So, thank you.

    Wow.
  • I just didn't get who is this intended for exactly? Businesses teaching other businesses how to do social media marketing?
  • #3 is extremely important. Don't necessarily reinvent the wheel, but think of how you can make something better or more relevant. Or introduce something "new" into the market. As Mike said, jumping in headfirst can be troublesome and can lead to some unnecessary drama.
  • I understand your inspiration by Gary. Part of why I wrote about his unmistakable personal brand most recently. He inspires me too and I have not met him!

    Anyway, yesterday I spoke to a bunch of entrepreneurs about launching products in a customer-centric approach. As usual we covered:
    Why you/your product
    What it does for them
    So what?
    And how

    As usual, "So what" got the most attention. I recommend people take your wonderful list + and critical think (so what) each down with customer/client in mind. The clarity is remarkable and not letting the "so what" come up closes with confidence.
  • Chris, this is a very helpful list. I admire your enthusiasm and insights.

    I would add one more, which is "Connectivity." This is a slippery term from Communications theory. What is could mean in this context is, understand that when interacting with social media, you are connected to others, in that, without them, you are no one. You depend on others to visit your site and, perhaps they depend on you to feed themselves with "information." As Marshall McLuhan talked about, there is no performance without an audience.
  • Simplicity + Clarity + Integrity. Beautiful.
  • Chris - Great post. It encompasses my underlying belief that social media exposes you and you have no other choice than to be yourself, and hold yourself to the highest level of professionalism. It is going to either make you great at what you do, or turn you to stone. And that's what I love about it!
  • I would add to know your value proposition. That is the basis of your company and you should know what value your customers will receive from your product,/service. You need to learn the basics before you can take off, good post.

    Craig
    www.budgetpulse.com
  • Tom O'Brien
    One more thing that I find really important in this space.

    Be explicit about what you don't do - there are many, confusing, overlapping claims by providers in this space. When you say what you don't do it adds clarity and understanding.

    TO'B
  • I saw Gary speak last week and loved it - here's the keynote speech he gave last week at Web 2.0 Expo in NY.

    http://web2expo.blip.tv/file/1277374/
  • Study not only your market, but your competitors. Or is this too obvious?

    One of the best things I've learned about recently is Competitive Intelligence from Suki Fuller and how to study your competition, to listen, to take those tidbits you gather form multiple places and learn to put them together into meaningful answers.

    This can be remarkably helpful for #8 too.
  • Thanks for summing it up so nicely. This is the PG13 version of his speech;-) Gary's passion and energy are amazing.

    He acted and sounded almost like Joe Pesci - only better.
  • There is more power in asking "open-ended" questions than "Yes-No" type.

    What problem are you trying to solve?
    Who are the players?
    When is a solution desired?
    How does this effect the client's customers?
    Where is the negative impact felt?
    Describe for me...
    Tell me about...

    Consultative selling at its best.
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