Internet Doctor

I discovered two articles in the Wall Street Journal with regard to how Sears and Procter and Gamble are attempting to increase market share through the use of the web. One is active. The other is calculated. Which one do you think is better?

Want to watch more TV shows?  Go to Internet Doctor TV!

I am looking through the “My Documents” section of my computer and I notice that I must have 50 or more BLOG’s that I have started, but just have not finished. I know that one of the frustrating things for me to do is write.  Honestly I have never been a very good writer, and typically I must hire someone to proofread my material and write it again.  It is a frustrating process for me. So I have decided that I am going to change that. I have always have liked video. I have, in general, been comfortable in front of a camera. So I am planning and taking this BLOG (which quite frankly I am embarrassed about) and turn it into more of a video blog (VLOG). Trust me it will be better for you and for me. I will be using YouTube for my Internet Doctor TV channel.

Here is a view of what you can expect.

Thanks for watching. I will talk with you soon.

Jay

Some Twitter Personalities

While I was working on my Twitter psychology article, a friend from Twitter, @spideas asked me a question about introverts on Twitter. I have had conversations with my introverted friends and looked at the deeper psychological implications of Twitter.  I realized that there are so many personalities on Twitter it might be fun to go through hundreds of the people I follow and follow me and categorize their tweets.   I put together a list of some of the personalities on Twitter and their tendencies based on my knowledge of psychology and personality.   This is not an exhaustive list. This is also not a complete description. There are exceptions to every category. Hold off on the hate mail.

The Introvert

Twitter appears to be a great place for introverts to communicate. It is a safe haven because they can write when they want and how they want. They can keep their relationships at a distance and they don’t have to divulge any personal information. They also are free to share information at pace that is comfortable for them. Of all the social places in the world Twitter is far more comfortable than the vulnerability of Facebook and more social than LinkedIn. Keep in mind that just because one is introverted, doesn’t mean they don’t have friends or want to communicate. They just want a safer place to do it.

The Extrovert

The extrovert is seen on Twitter regularly. Part of their personality is to be the “life of the party”. They usually are. They are involved, active, quick on their feet and engaging. However the extrovert can get frustrated with Twitter if they are not being responded to. They may not get the attention they hoped. Once the extrovert gains a solid following they love it. If it takes too long to gather that following they move on to other things. The problem with the extrovert is that they can’t stop talking. Because of their many “tweets” throughout the day many people believe they have no life outside of Twitter. They can be, at times, very overwhelming to the average Twitter user.

The Logician

The logic thinkers struggle with Twitter because there is so much emotional angst going on. Remember Twitter started as a tech forum. Many of the original Tweeps became frustrated and started their own groups. You will still find that many of these logic thinkers have a unique set of followers and do not respond to mundane talk. They like people like themselves. They like being involved with Twitter discussions that make sense and make a difference for their world. They have little time for everyday chatter. They are very good at weeding people out they do not want to talk to.

The Feeler

For the “feeler” Twitter is fertile soil. There is no better place to emote with other emotional people than Twitter. They connect easily with other “feelers”. They can get their emotions on the table. You know who they are because each tweet is filled with emotion. They are the best at responding to others, and they wear their emotions on their “tweets”. You know when they have a good day or a bad day. For some, the emotion can get overwhelming. You will more than likely have a few that you follow or follow you. You need to judge for yourself how much emotion you want in your day.

The Philosopher

This is a common person you will find on Twitter, they usually pass along some philosophical thought or quote to try to make a difference in your world. They are convinced that providing a good piece of philosophy that they are making the world a better place. If it goes on for too long however, the philosopher is quickly forgotten, ignored and eventually unfollowed. Everyone has a little “tweetosopher” in them. On occasion it can be good. Too much philosophy however can get old very quickly.

The Humorist

The humorist is a character. Many times they try to combine their profession with humor. All of us, from time to time will have something funny to say. However, these people try to put something funny out there all the time. If they are really funny, people love to follow them. If they are not funny, they get booed off stage by being unfollowed. Understand that humor especially in these tough economic times is a very powerful tool. If you have the gift of humor, it is a good idea to use it. It adds a side to you that people can connect with. Like everything else, you can push humor too far and lose people in a hurry.

The Informer

The “informer” always has a piece of information that they believe is worth reading. If you choose to be an informer you need to have more good pieces of information than useless pieces. I good informer is well read and is used as a resource. You probably already know some good ones or at least have a few in mind. The problem with information is that if that is all you provide then you have no time to interact with your intended consumer. Why? More than likely you are spending time looking for good information to tweet. Remember people on Twitter like being communicated with, not just thrown constant information. I also want to caution you about being over informative, because there are widget companies out there that people sign up for and they post informational links automatically. Many long time Twitter users see this as a violation of Twitter etiquette. If you become only an information source you may be seen as nothing more than an automated service and not a real person.

The Social Media “Guru”

The “social media guru” tweets about all things social media. They want to be resource of good information and interesting topical source for social media marketing. Some of them are people fascinated with social media and are starting a new career. Some of them are marketing people looking for a job or clients. In either case, this is their way of demonstrating to the world in 140 characters that they know their stuff. What I find interesting about this group is that they talk the talk, but they don’t walk the talk. They will tell you that you should engage with people to be successful in social media, yet they spend most of their time telling people about social media on Twitter without much personal interaction. I follow a number of them for informational purposes. However, I have unfollowed more than I follow over time. Their information can be good, and beneficial, but you never see who they really are because they are too busy talking about social media. They make themselves inaccessible by their lack of interaction. It is an inconsistency that can become frustrating. As my best friend said to me before he died, “a walk talks louder than a talk talks”. I still think it is true.

The Healer

The healer has some gentle or encouraging word for people who are struggling with life. It seems that their whole focus is looking on Twitter for any followers who are “down in the dumps”. It’s not a negative. They like knowing that they have the potential to make a difference in someone’s life. They enjoy the feeling they get by knowing they have encouraged someone to take a positive step. The problem with the “healer” is that he or she can spend so much time trying to heal people that you never know what or who they really are. In looking at some of the tweets they demonstrate that they can be enabling and at times co-dependent. They need another persons drama to fulfill them. Psychologically speaking it’s not healthy. I have at times wondered, “Who heals the healer”. Another “healer” is the best answer I have.

The Salesperson

It’s not hard to spot this person. They are always looking to sell their product or service. They have a belief system that if they put their products or services out their long enough someone will buy from them. I am sure some people do. They do not care what other people think about them, or if people unfollow them. In their mind it only takes one sale for them to be convinced that Twitter works for sales. They can be good at interaction; it’s their lure to bring you in, then…Kapowee! They are of all the personalities the quickest to get unfollowed.

The Business Networker

This person has one reason and one reason only for using Twitter. Network. They look to follow people that would be a good addition to their business network. They are not interested so much in the personal minutia; they just want to build a large following of people that can potentially help them now or in the future. They are not bad Twitter users; however they will quickly unfollow someone in their network if they do not contribute to their goals in business. For them if the conversation strays too far away from business they let you go and look for some other person that can take your place.

Me

The truth is I am probably a little bit of all these personalities and more.  I am a bit of a narcissist like most people on Twitter.   I like people to read my tweets.   I like the feeling it gives me.  I am concerned about using good etiquette and want to be part of the good experience on Twitter. Over time I have discovered that to interact with people and engage with them is very rewarding. I have noted that I spend more time responding to people’s “tweets” than I do creating them. I have also developed tremendous relationships, which I value.  I probably spend more time worrying about being a good Twitter user than I spend worrying about the benefits Twitter actually can provide for my business. I am told by some business people that it is a poor business model.  I have learned that if you are genuine on Twitter, you can have some of the best supporters and evangelists you could ever ask for. It is my humble opinion, having people like them create a great foundation for any business model.

You can always find me on Twitter @InternetDoctor.

Buon appetite!

Jay

In general I do not write on topics of personal issues as they relate to business, but sometimes you need to address an issue that is moving up the charts. The issue is that of…nothing.

Today more than ever people are experiencing nothing. Nothing is happening. Your business is suffering, or you are trying to start a business and you are seeing nothing. Nothing can be worsened when the people who have had confidence in you, and have provided you with previous support give you…nothing.

It’s a terrible place to be because when you have nothing, well, you have nothing. There is nowhere to go, no prospects, no ideas, no creativity, no passion…just nothing. It can become more frustrating if you see people around you with less talent and ability have something. It can throw you into a state of depression and a feeling of helplessness. When you go there the truth is you have…nothing.

I speak from experience on this one. I know what it is like to have nothing. I know those behaviors, thoughts, and feelings. I know what it is like when life and people seem to turn on you and give you nothing. I know what it is like when you have tried for years only to fail in your own eyes and the eyes of others. I know when you are out of answers and out of support from family and friends.

Learned Helplessness
Most people are unaware of a phenomenon called “learned helplessness”. It was studied by psychologists during World War II. It is a state that occurs when someone continues to make efforts to make something positive happen and it is met with consistent failure or punishment. In other words, the person learns that nothing is all there is. I know that there are people out there who want to make you believe that behavior follows thoughts and feelings. The research on “learned helplessness” is the complete antithesis to this adage. It demonstrates that if your behavior changes then your thoughts and feelings change with it. No thought process in the world can change the behavior. Therefore it only says the behavior must change first to reverse the process. This means that if you have moved into this state there is some unlearning to do.

From Nothing into Something
Getting from nothing to something is difficult. Yes for some people they can read all the positive motivational books in the world and maybe get something, but for most people it is a short lived and they get back to nothing. Other people will surround themselves with people that have positive things to say, this is all well and good, and again can be a temporary fix, but when it all comes out in the end you still have nothing.

When you are stuck in nothing then you need to do something that you enjoy and do well. It doesn’t have to be business related, and it probably shouldn’t, it needs to be that thing that can give you a sense of accomplishment, value, and satisfaction. We all have some skill, talent, or ability that we do well. We have that thing that when done and others see it, they say something positive. Get out there and do that. Do it often. I know you don’t feel like it. I understand that you cannot see the benefit for you or you business.

Understand one principle: Start with doing a successful behavior first.

When our behavior is accompanied with positive results it changes our attitude. The positive successful behavior changes our outlook into a positive state of mind. The positive state of mind opens us up to new ideas and possibilities.

You have some unlearning and relearning to do. It’s time you do that something that you haven’t done because you have lived so long in the land of nothing, and nothing is happening. Because after all something is better than nothing.

Ciao for now,

Jay

If you are business using social media or considering using social media as part of your marketing plan then make sure you are considering your audience.

Where and Who – You Can Choose Your Friends, but Not All Your Connections

The Where

One of the first considerations you should make before you do business in social media is understand where your audience came from. Not all social media platforms are the same. They each have a distinct purpose, and a distinct audience, they are not all created equal.



For instance, in Facebook you choose your friends. Most people do not accept every friend request, and you probably shouldn’t. Typically on Facebookl we choose friends that we know or have some association with. After all they are “friends”. They can be business colleagues but we have them because we purposely chose them.

Twitter on the other hand chooses us in the form of a follower. We have little or no control over where our audience comes from. It’s easy to get followers, just start following people. You will find that if you start following enough people about 50% of them will follow you back. It’s interesting because people will say they have 1000’s of followers, but do they really? Or do they have a group of people that pay very little attention to what they “tweet” so that they can boost their own follower numbers? Can someone really pay attention to the 100’s of people they follow much less the 1000’s they might follow. Not unless it’s the only thing they do all day. If you are in business you should consider whether you would rather have a few hundred people that follow you because of what you say, or people who follow you so they can boost their numbers?



Then take the social network LinkedIn. Where do those connections come from? Here we have a combination of factors. They usually come from our initial attempts to invite people we know, or people who know us, whether that be friends or business colleagues. Then we start gathering connections from associations we have had, more than likely from business. From there we start connecting because we join a group, or know someone who believes we would be a good contact for someone else. However, what we start to see is that as we move from who we know to a recommended connection our knowledge of where and who connects with us becomes more distant. It can get to the point where you are not even sure who some of these connections are on your LinkedIn network.

The where is important because know where someone came from gives us clues to how they want to be talked to. If you know where a friend, follower, or connection came from, it makes it easier to know how to approach them with regard to social media marketing or if they should be approached at all. It also makes it easier to determine what message I want to send them. Consider this, do I want to send the same message to people I chose vs. people that chose me?

The Who

Knowing who your social media audience is, may be the most overlooked part of social media marketing. The more I research the so called “experts” and “gurus”, the more I find that they ignore this part of the social media for business marketing strategy. As a matter of fact they may be the biggest abusers of social media marketing!

If you are business who is using social media marketing right now I have a question for you. What do you really know about the people who you are connected with in your social media networks? If you are like most businesses you probably have not even looked at the data. You probably were not even told to consider it. You may have even been told by some social media expert to just blanket all your social networks with the same marketing message. This is not the most effective way for any business to run a social media campaign. Why? Does the term “target marketing” mean anything to you? The one thing we absolutely know is that “target marketing” works, it is the most effective means by which business tailors their product or service to the exact people that have the potential to purchase their product or service. We already know that there is a difference of where our connections come from in each social network, we are just as certain we know there is a difference in who those people are.

In addition, if you are like most people on these social networks you are probably connected to a number of people who are in the same industry as you are. So who is seeing your marketing message? People just like you who are not part of your real “target market”. True, they understand what you are trying to do, but, they are doing the same thing back. If you are sending your marketing message to people who may read your message, but will never buy from you, are you really marketing?

The concept of “target marketing” is so applicable and necessary. Do your research on your own networks. Please don’t ignore it. There are consequences for marketing to the wrong audience. In some cases you may not even know the consequences. For instance, people will start hiding your updates on Facebook, rather than removing you as a friend. Your social media marketing may have backfired and you may not even know it.

In Twitter, you may see more people unfollow you because of your marketing efforts. In LinkedIn, you may just ignored. The problem for business in most cases is not what you know, but what you don’t know. When people ignore your business, or do not comment about it, it is more damaging than when they say something negative about it. At least when they say something negative you can attempt to find solutions to fix the problem. When you get no response, or are ignored you do not know what you should fix. Knowing your social media target markets can help reduce this problem so that you are getting the right message to the right people in the right way.



The argument to what I just said is this: “well if people “unfollow” me, “hide” me, remove me, or ignore me then all I have done is found my target audience”. My answer: Maybe. Understand that in the case of Facebook where we choose our friends there is an expectation of why I chose to be a “friend” with you. I didn’t choose you for business purposes. Most people do not. For most people, they chose you because they expect you to be a friend. The last time I talked with my friends, I talked about what friends talk about, life. I don’t walk up to my friend and say, “Hi Bob, It’s Dr. Jay the Internet Doctor, and I have my new promotion this week, and this week only, take advantage of this great deal!” Can you imagine if you had those conversations with your friends in person? If those are the type of conversations you have with your “friends”, I would hardly call them “friends”, and I would suggest that you need to learn what a “friend” is. It’s just an entirely different audience based on who they are and where they came from.

Twitter is different, but again, many of your followers probably belong to some similar organization or group. As an example, I find this especially true of real estate agents. They follow each other. They do their marketing, and I am sure somewhere in the back of their mind they hope they market to a person who is interested in their latest listing, but typically it is going to another real estate agent who probably is trying to sell their own listings. In most cases the message reaches the wrong audience and goes no where. Just a lot of time wasted on typing up something that has very little chance of reaching the targeted audience you think you are hitting.

LinkedIn, can have much of the same problems as Twitter. While marketing is far more accepted, getting yourself in front of the right target market audience still presents a challenge. Remember these people are business professionals, do they really want their emails cluttered with your self promotion or promotion of your product or service? Probably not. They would rather that you use the market section for your promotion. They probably will not delete or remove you, but you will more than likely get ignored. Unless of course you push your marketing too much and too often, then they may be waving you “bye-bye”, and that does not help you or your business.

The Prescriptions

1. Go through your social networks and start looking at who your connections are, and where they came from and put together your social networks demographics.

The best thing you can do for your business and social media for business strategy is to know as much as you can about the people who you are connected with. Don’t make assumptions! One of the biggest mistakes we make is that we are overconfident in knowing what we think we know. Start looking at people as if you never knew them and start constructing your frame work. Start with categories of gender, age, children, no children, , type of job or career, approximate income (base that on their job, you can find an average income for any job through the search engines), etc. Be creative and keep your eyes open you may see categories that you would have never thought of.

2. After you construct the demographics of your networks determine how they are different.

Look at each network separately and look for differences, no matter how subtle. For instance, if you see that you have a network that is older in age than another, they are in a different stage of life, you are going to want to approach that network differently than if they were younger. Also if you see that you have one network that is heavy with people that are in your same industry, you may want to start working on attracting people that are more suited to your potential target market.

3. Never use a “one widget fits all” that says the same thing to different social networks.

The first thing it says, is that you are personally disconnected from your social network. It’s also says, you are lazy and don’t want to take the time to talk to people on a personal level. Remember this is “social” networking, not “advertising” networking, or “promotion” networking. Note, that people can see in any social network where you sent a status update from. If you use a widget that is a “one size fits all”, we know it. From a consumer perspective they find that to be very “non-social” in their social networking.

4. Get to know the people in your social network through comments.

The most frustrating thing for people on social networks is someone who wants to be a friend, a connection, or be followed but they don’t want to engage with those people.
they just want to advertise, promote or market. If you want me to believe that you are really the best person for the job, then show me by commenting on my updates, or let me see that you are commenting on other peoples updates. Remember if you want to understand your target market, and I hope you do, then you need to learn what’s important to your potential consumer. Again, do not make the assumption that you think you already know everything about people, even the people in your networks.

5. Track your comments, posts, and status updates.

What is it that you write that people respond to most? You will find that it is some of the most mundane, innocent, unique things that you write get the most responses. Track it. You have found another clue into what your potential consumer is interested in. It also means that you are creating dialogue. If you create dialogue with another person the potential for your business is exponential. They learn that you are human. They learn that you care. They learn that you can be trusted. If they trust you, they will trust what you do. This can be a win-win for both your potential consumer and you.

To you social marketing success!

Jay Izso, Internet Doctor

Are people unfollowing you on Twitter.  Have you ever felt like you are saying things that just are not solid.  Here is a simple solution, a gentle reminder, some coating relief for those moments when you just struggle to have something of substance to say.

Twitter, is part social, part business, part nonsense.  However, the interesting thing is you can choose which way you want to use it.  What’s great is that you can change the way you use it from day to day, hour to hour etc.   The first step is to use it.  The second step is not only to write something, it also means talking to other people about what they write.  If you think for a moment that you are the guru where everyone will just come to read your “tweets” you are sadly mistaken.  Unless you really are a guru, it is going to take effort on your part to read what others “tweet” and “tweet” back in the form  of a “reply”.  Yes sir, yes ma’am Twitter is a “two-way tweet”, if you cannot accept that, then the truth is you really do have “tweeterhhea”.

A couple of days ago the Nielson Wire reported that people were leaving Twitter at a rate of 60% per month.  Meaning that of all the people that join Twitter in the beginning of the month, only 40% will be around by the end of the month.  Pretty tough on business if you are only have a 40% retention rate…”and now for the rest of the story”.

No one should be alarmed by this news.  It actually appears to be quite typical when you compare the retention rates of other social networks when they started.  For instance, Facebook and MySpace experience similar problems in their beginnings as well.

Twitter Facebook MySpace Retention Comparison Graph

Currently Facebook and MySpace have nearly a 70% retention rate.  Which is nearly double when they started.

Honestly, I like Twitter’s odds.  If you are a regular user you already know the benefits of using Twitter.  I know that many people leave Twitter because they just do not understand the benefit.  Some just don’t want to take the time to learn what Twitter is all about.   Most of the time the problem is people want some immediate return.  If they don’t get business immediately they dump the idea, count it as worthless,  and try to convince themselves and others, that we are morons for using it.     Not to worry, we so called Twitter Morons are happy to do business without you.   After a while it happens.  The “naysayers”  come back around and start using the very thing they called us morons for using.  They are late adapters, they try to catch up only to stay lagging behind, while the next piece of the internet/social media puzzle comes into place.  Their skepticism continues, and they stay behind, because of their unwillingness to be adventurous or embrace new  technology.

Ultimately it’s all good.  Twitter will be around for a long time.  It’s perfect for the high ADD world we live in and get the information we are looking for without having to read some long drawn out column or BLOG like this one.

Happy Tweeting!

To Your Business Success.

Ciao,

Dr. Jay Your Internet Doctor

I know that there is a virus out there, no one knows to what extent the damage will be. Here is what I know…don’t panic. I had a chat with one of my IT/Server people and they were kind enough to provide me with 3 FREE tools to help remove the “conflicker” virus should you get it, or you can use these tools to see if you have it.

http://download.eset.com/special/EConfickerRemover.exe

http://data2.kaspersky-labs.com:8080/special/KKiller_v3.4.1.zip

ftp://ftp.f-secure.com/anti-virus/tools/beta/f-downadup.zip

I want to especially thank my guys at www.rtpcomputer.com for putting the time in to find the links and allowing me to share them.

Nothing Like Free Prescriptions!

Ciao for now,

Jay

Diagnosis: Your email drip campaigns are not effective.

Symptoms: The recipients of your drip email campaigns delete them, or – worse – they ask to be removed from the campaign, causing you a loss of direct contact with your potential clients. You fear you may be losing your potential clients to the competition.

Analysis

The Good, the Bad, the Ugly

When drip campaigns first came out, I, like everyone else, could see their potential value. If you provide good information, what could be the harm? As a matter of fact, I endorsed the idea.

But now, my initial excitement has dulled a bit, and I am not so sure. “Why is that?” you ask eagerly. Well, I’ll tell you.

One reason is that drip campaigns take up space. I have enough email as it is, and this is just one more thing to clutter up my In Box. So when I see these campaign emails come across my platform, I cannot hit the delete key fast enough.

Second, the information that I receive is, for the most part, uninspired, obvious, and generally less than useful.

Finally – and, I think, most important – I started to feel depersonalized. I was just another address on some auto-generated list. Simply put, drip campaigns went from something good, to something bad, and now I am real ugly about it.

Whose fault is it?

I admit that this is partially my fault. I signed up for these automated emails. I knew they were coming. But after a while I found myself deleting them without reading them, and, inevitably, I asked to be taken off mailing lists.

However, I must also blame the purveyor of these email drips. I had an expectation that the information they were sending me would actually make a difference in my business life. Unfortunately, I was being fed unoriginal ideas that provided me with no innovative insights that I could apply to my life or to my business.

The Problem with Technology

Technology is a great thing. I love it. I love the gadgets, the information, all of it. However, as we more and more frequently use technology as a means of communication, we begin to dehumanize people. One of the reasons we use email is because it allows us to avoid talking to others. Let’s face it: If I can send an email to you without you responding right away, I don’t have to immediately engage with you, which saves me time. It’s easy. It’s convenient.

However, while convenient, communicating by email is not personal. What we have created with a drip campaign is a program that sends a previously-written program to a person on the assumption that that recipient has the same agenda, the same type of mental programming. When it comes to staying in touch with your existing customers or potential clients, they don’t want some cute little email telling them you still haven’t forgotten about them. They want to feel important to you. They want to know that they are different than any other potential customer you have. That their needs are unique, and that they are unique.

The Narcissist in All of Us

I know that you have read or heard marketing gurus drill over and over that you need to understand your target market. However, I will take this one step further: you need to understand your target market without losing sight of the individual.

Humans are social beings. That is a fact. We like being with other people. We are designed to not be alone, and actually function better when we are supported by others. If you are one of those people who insist that you are better off alone, I will tell you to your face that you are in denial and you need psychological help. Please find a qualified therapist.

But despite the fact that we are social beings, we are also, for the most part, narcissistic. Each person believes he or she is special. We like it when someone recognizes us amongst others for our individuality. While on one level we don’t want to be embarrassed, we do want to others to notice that we are different.

The narcissist in each of us often drives us to success. Narcissism compels us to find ways for others to seek us out for recognition. The narcissist in each of us doesn’t want to be “just another one of the group”. We are innately intolerant of being lumped into the crowd, of being just like everyone else. We are better than that. We deserve better than that. The narcissist wants to be the best person in the group. Don’t make us feel we are just one of many cattle that you herd to the eating trough.

How did this happen?

Do you want the honest answer or do you want the politically correct answer? If you have read any of my writings in the past you know what you are going to get: honesty. So here it is.

Technology has made us lazy professionals. L-A-Z-Y. Think about it. When we didn’t have all this technology at our fingertips, our business was conducted face to face. We took time out of our lives to make sure that each customer felt that he or she was the focus of our intention and the most important person in the room. Enter technology. We hide behind our monitors. We screen our email, talk to who we want, when we want. At the same time, we still want to communicate with others.

True, the consumer has a narcissistic desire to be in control, but they don’t want to be alone. Technology theoretically gives us the ability to stay in touch with people without bothering them. The problem is that now we have crossed a line. It is much easier for us to set up an automated program that sends information to lots of people at once rather than taking the time to send a personalized email, or letter by mail, or to make a phone call. We just send out some pitiful piece of tripe that the originator has probably never fully read himself. By sending out mass emails, you are basically telling your customers “I am not going to take the time to communicate to all of you, so here is the same piece of information I send everyone else. P.S. I care about you!” Do you really expect anyone to believe that? Do you really think that we – as your customers – believe that you care about us? Hell, no! Furthermore, you can take your pre-written, simultaneously sent, skanky email, and shove it up your processor! “Please Remove.” Delete email. The only thing you have accomplished is to tell your clients that they are not important enough to get your personal attention, and that you are too lazy to pick up the phone and let them know you care.

The Prescriptions

Be part of the solution, not part of the problem: Make sure your current and potential clients have their own places at the head of the table. Find out what your clients really want, and give it to them. This may mean eliminating your email drip campaigns altogether, or you may have to come up with a customized, more personalized solution.

Do not buy an auto drip campaign: If you feel you must have an email drip campaign, then please write it yourself. Don’t outsource the writing of your campaign. If you didn’t write it, it won’t reflect your voice, and more than likely it won’t get you results.

Be more personal and less technological: We are talking about people here. We are not talking about communicating with a machine. Find out what’s important to your customers. Find out what’s going on with them. Find out what makes them tick. Then enter into their world. You will find that you have a returning customer for life. What’s more, you may even make another friend.

People are emotional, so emote: I think the reason women are the best small business owners and dominate the real estate world is because they don’t mind emoting with their clients. They don’t mind listening to them. They want to understand, they better demonstrate that they want to help, and ultimately women are better at convincing clients that they really care. Now, I know there are exceptions. I just wish there were more men who demonstrated these skills.

Take the time: There is no such thing as “making time”. You have to take the time. If these people are really important to you, than “take” the time to make them feel important.

To the Health of your Business!

Ciao!

Dr. Jay

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