“Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around.”
Leo Buscaglia
(image discovered on Google via smartinsights.com)
One of the greatest opportunities we all have with the social revolution for business is an opportunity to listen. And for customers, a big opportunity to be heard.
Before YELP, Google, Facebook and the like, it was much harder to really know what people were saying about our salons, companies and brands. It was also not so easy for an everyday person, like me, to reach out to a mentor, a community, a brand. The social revolution has changed that, forever.
Today, the challenge for all of us is to learn how to become good listeners. And the payoff can be huge if we do. How do we do it? The following is my list of a few ways you can become a listening business.
1. Care
You have to care. If you care, you will take the time, energy and resources available to you to become a listening company. This is always the first step.
2. Make Listening A Priority
When I hear people express to me their concern about the time and energy it takes to engage on the social and digital web, my answer is always…”What could possibly be more important than engaging with and listening to your customers?”
As business becomes more social, it’s time to look at your systems, processes and activities and adjust them to meet up with the expectations of the connected customer.
You can also set most of your social pages to alert you when there is activity on your pages. If it matters, you will find the time and resources.
3. Engage On The Platforms That Matter
If you are a salon owner or work in a salon, platforms such as YELP, Google Places, CitySearch, Foursquare and Facebook are awesome listening platforms as is Twitter. Simply search the name of your business. If you are in the product business, Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest and Google are all great places to listen.
Social Business Leaders Care. They Engage. They Respond.
Recently, one of my biggest biz mentors and super smart thought leaders in the social + digital space Chris Brogan was listening. How do I know he was listening? He responded. To both an email I sent him, and a tweet. And I am not talking about auto-responded, I mean really responded, with love, attention and grace. Why? Because he cares and understands the power of one person, one tweet, one email at a time. He is a true daymaker in my book. If you are in business today, you are a social business too.
This is a pic of our Twitter convo after our email convo, in which Chris took the time to read one of my blog posts inspired by him and share his thoughts with me. Can you believe that? One of my awesome mentors who I have never met responded to my email. A true OMG moment for me. And this all took place early on a Sunday morning. Yep. Sunday morning. I heart him.
