This post is meant for those people that have a difficult time adjusting from the church and state ideology. For years there has been a saying don’t mix business with personal, or the other saying it’s not personal it’s just business. Insinuating that there is a difference between the two and it should stay that way and never mix.
I’m here to argue against that thought process, simply because I tried it for years and the only thing I came to realize was that it didn’t work for me. I’m sure there are people that still believe in that method, and if that is you I would argue that you’re missing a key component to help take your business to the next level.
If you work hard, study your craft, and still yearn for higher success or results from what you’re currently seeing you may be missing that key component that oils the machine and keeps it moving smoothly.
That cog in the machine is opening up - letting people in to know what you stand for. People nowadays like to know where there money is going. It’s like looking at the nutritional facts for what you eat. CEO and upper management officials are more accessible than ever before because people want to know where and what their hard earned dollars are supporting.
Now if you are a terrible human being then maybe this is not good news to you, but I believe that most people have some good in them that they can share and everyone has a story to tell that will allow them to connect with the masses.
Not everyone likes to open up and share but let’s go over a few reasons why that can be the fuel that runs your business.
Acquiring the client: Capturing their attention, exposure
Nowadays, one of the most valuable currencies is attention. Even as I write this post on my phone I’m getting distracting notifications from text messages, Facebook, etc. We are the “gotta have it now” world and to even grab 5 mins from anyone, let alone do it consistently, makes that skill set a valuable commodity.
Initial buy: Sales, Sales, Sales
Having people already buying into you, what you believe, your moral compass, the things you find funny, or not funny is 90% of the work. From there you just have to show them why they need the product or service.
Retention - repeat business, low cancellations
Whether you are a subscription business, or transactional business, you can benefit from this. When people feel as though they are receiving something personal from you it’s an added reason to keep the product/service though they may not always need it. When things are tight for people the unsecured luxuries are the first thing to go. So having a VIP membership or customer loyalty campaign is essential to adding value to your clients. An excellent example of this that comes to mind is when Jay Z & Jack White personally called his Tidal subscribers at that time to thank them for signing up for the service. One of the most elusive public figures, Jay Z, understood the value in just saying thank you personally.
Redirect funding - less on marketing or retention
Some companies have retention departments, cancellation policies that take 3 and 4 steps because people find themselves not needing or wanting the product or service anymore. Some products are like that- it is the way it is, but, providing some additional personal care that creates a relationship between you and the client would allow you to lean on that relationship when they are considering cancelling.
Cancels/Returns is a natural thing in business. Practically everyone has buyers remorse at some point. There is no way to prevent cancels from ever happening, but that personal touch can lessen how much resources you have to put into these areas.
Here is some application that you may be able to implement into your own business to help with the above mentioned areas
Most businesses advertise their
causes or history nowadays to separate them from the rest. With consumers having access to more info about some of these companies beliefs, background and history, it allows them to be more selective. The good thing about that is once you capture them as a client or subscriber, they stay a subscriber unless something drastic happens and you’re discredited. But for most that improves the ability for repeat business and allows your business to scale itself.
If you have a cause that affects you personally that you feel can create impact and waves to help change the status quo within society, others will have that same cause that affects them and now instantly you have something in common with your consumer. In a heavily saturated market like restaurants, apparel, finance (really anything you can think of) there is competition, so having a commonality with your customer creates familiarity and separates yourself from the pack to provide more visibility.
Examples:
“Every book bought goes to support breast cancer institution.”
“A portion of the proceeds will be used to build a school in Ghana”
“We started this company with the average child in mind who has had problems with bullying”
Sponsor an event to help raise awareness about a particular cause or even throw one yourself and provide your companies product as gift bag samples.
Familial Status
You can see more and more corporations are including their family into the business as evident in one of the biggest companies, being ran by the Children of the founder, in Wal-Mart.
But let’s take a look at companies that advertise their familial status a little more...
Ford - generations of ownership from conception
Eventbrite - husband and wife super team
Johnsonville - started with husband and wife named after small hometown
You can easily identify a family run business. A lot of their verbiage is targeting and insinuating care, love, responsiveness and inclusiveness. Things that you can think when relating to your own family.
Examples:
“Become a part of the Wintercrest Family”
“We look after you like you’re one of our own”
“No matter how big or small every account matters”
These are just some of the lingo I’ve notice from family owned business looking to offer that information.
Social Media
Nearly everyone you know has some form of social media outlet that is like their own landing page for what they do and who they are. In just one click of a button and a few scrolls down, anyone can sum up a conclusion of who you are and what you represent in a matter of minutes. Now whether they are right or wrong it doesn’t matter. Their perception of you is the only thing that matters. More and more companies are creating Twitter handles and Instagram accounts to be able to connect with their audience faster. This ability allows them to see results sooner and control the narrative on their own without 3rd party mediators(One of the best business to consumer methods ever created).
To sum it all up, be yourself and show yourself within your business. The more people see you as a real human being, the more they can connect and get behind you and your company.
Hope this post has meant something to you and your business ventures
Remember to upvote, follow, and resteem & I’ll do the same!