I'm from a small town in Oregon - the city is best known for being the "End of the Oregon trail". Where I grew up the homes are protected by the historical society, stories are shared by generations of 'Ol Timers, and the high school mascot is a Pioneer.
When I was very young my parents only had one car. My mother would take Main Street every day to pick my father up from work; this was my favorite car ride of the day. You see, I always sat at in the back on the passengers side - it provided me the best view of what was happening in the world.
Main Street was only a few blocks long - at one end was the paper mill, then a family owned furniture store, followed by the court house, the 88 cent store, 1st Interstate Bank, a car dealership, a tavern, a few empty lots and finally the battery plant. That was where my father worked as an engineer.
Main Street was always bustling with people this time of day. I assumed they were all in a rush to get home for dinner; except for one business - the car dealership. Every day, at the end of the day, several men would always be crowded around each other talking, laughing, and slapping each other on the back. Why weren't they rushing home like everyone else?
14 years later I received the answer to my question. Just shy of my 19th birthday, I began my career in the car business. Much to my surprise, that same group of men were huddled together at the end of the day still talking, laughing, sharing, encouraging and engaging each other. I asked the office manager
"Who are these people?" She began to name off each member of the aged ol' huddle... Well, you know Mr. Weiler (The Dealer), and that tall man in the suit is the Judge, the man standing next to him is a public defender, the balding man on the right owns the furniture store, that shorter man owns the tavern next door, the other two are bankers, and the skinny man in the uniform works for your Dad.
"Why do they meet here every day?" I asked. This is a way for these businessmen to share stories about their business, marriage, children and life. They are trusted friends!
It was at that moment I was introduced to the true meaning of "Social Networking". It was clear to me now - all of these men were each others influence. They needed each other to help the other succeed in every aspect of their lives.
Although, I've since moved away, I have a clear memory in my mind of how powerful community influence can be. Let the truth be told - we are all members of a community. Some of us have boundaries defined by city limits, or city council. Others are defined by membership dues, or a chosen place of worship. Most of us today have infinite boundaries; today we are separated by
Pixels not people.
One thing is for sure - consumers do business with people they
Know, Like and Trust. By proactively managing your business and personal reputation, you will create a round-the-clock income stream. To start, consumers need to know
who you are - what you do - where you work. By building your reputation online, and creating a personal brand message that can be shared between friends - your business will begin to generate what I call
"Reputation Revenue". Consumers will choose you and your business just because someone within their community said too. There is a chance that "that someone" is a person you've never met - but they will believe you are the best choice because the community of which they reside shares one of your advocates!
Listen to your customers, share relevant content with them, allow your customers to interact with you. By empowering your advocates to help influence your success, they will then share that information with their friends - and those friends will share it with their friends, etc.
for those of you who do not yet understand what all the hype and buzz is about Facebook, Twitter and online review sites - that's OK!
If you are a leader of your industry - I challenge you to continue to learn and understand more about how to engage with your customer. If you are a student of your industry and understand how to use online social networking tools - I challenge you to become an industry leader.
Regardless of your years spent in business, we all have something to learn from each other - Isn't it time you become a Social Pioneer?
