Comments on: Are You Educating or Alienating?

By: Eric Lukazewski

Eric Lukazewski — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 20:35:55 +0000

Jenise, thanks for your insights. It’s pretty easy to get caught up in the next wave of technology or the next big tool that is useful to our business and I think it’s great, as you say, to step back and ensure that you’re sharing AND educating your clients on those things as well.

Spot on with regards to blogging. Are you blogging for you or your customers? Both are appropriate and acceptable, but do you think you’re blogging for one but are actually the other?

By: Jenise Fryatt

Jenise Fryatt — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 20:07:47 +0000

Great post Eric. You’re right. We all can really get carried away with ourselves if we don’t constantly consider the viewpoint of potential clients. Education is VERY important. Every once in a while I try to step back and consider what information would be useful to someone who is new to social media. The more they learn about it, the easier it will be for me to communicate with them.

Also, as bloggers, we always need to keep that potential client in mind when we write. I see way too many audio visual blogs that are so full of geek jargon that it looks like another language. Now if these people are writing for their peers, that’s one thing. But you aren’t going to get clients by speaking a language clients can’t understand. The more they understand, the more likely they are to actually use your services.

By: Eric Lukazewski

Eric Lukazewski — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 18:40:01 +0000

@ Mark – Great points and thanks for expanding. I love the idea of crossing the finish line with as many people as you can. Trust is not necessarily a decision; it often comes naturally when you’re shown value beyond expectation, without a requirement of reciprocation. Education is a powerful tool for exactly that.

@ Heidi – I believe there are two main type of sales: Relationship sales and Dollar sales. Dollar sales being predicated mainly on simply establishing the best price, whereas relationship sales requires a value beyond cost. However, I believe relationship sales is the only way to compliment a social strategy and to retain long term relationships (duh). It’s great to see that you’ve embraced an education to your clients in an effort to do such.

Thank you both for reading and commenting!

By: Heidi Thorne

Heidi Thorne — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 18:21:28 +0000

Some very good insight on not only social media, but what it really means to be an excellent salesperson.

For me, sales has always been about educating. Not just educating about your products and services, but educating your customers on how to be successful.

Thank you for your usual insight.. and for referencing one of my articles in your post!

By: Mark Ley

Mark Ley — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 16:58:39 +0000

Great Post Eric! I think you nailed it. Two points in particular stood out to me.

Firstly, There will always be those within our industry who are first to the starting line with new technology. As those people who are there first we are usually very quick to take off and run with the technology. When we do that we definitely run the risk alienation.

Secondly, we don’t necessarily want to be the first to cross the finish line….we want to cross the finish line leading the largest possible crowd. The only way to do that is to educate our customers and community along the way. To be an evangelist for the technology and an educator who helps others feel at ease.

By striving to be an educator I have found that my relationships with my community have become stronger. Helping someone out is the easiest way to provide value. The more one provides value, the more they are trusted…and people with always do business with people they trust.

Thanks for the great post!