If I was to ask you what the greatest skill is in IM, what would you say?
Being able to code well?
Creating exquisite websites?
Some other highly techy skill?
I’ll tell you now that THE most effective skill you can have, either online or offline is building relationships!
Yep, as useful as all the technical skills are (and they are USEFUL), they are nothing compared to be able to connect with your potential customers.
Some of you might disagree with this.
But just think about it. If people like you, they will forgive you the odd typo in your emails, the odd mistake with links and so on.
Put it another way, if a complete stranger walked up to you in the street and asked if you could take them 100 miles down the road to get home…
…there is a good chance you will tell them to bugger off, even if there is a good reason for their request.
Now reimagine that situation.
This time imagine that person is your best mate. Now the likelihood is that at the very least you will work with them to get them where they need to be.
We do stuff for people we like.
Now relate that to what we are doing online.
If people have rapport with you, they are much more likely to check out your recommendations…
…which equates to more sales for you.
It is so easy when you are working online to literally lose sight of your customers.
It is easy for them to become just another email address, just another subscriber, just another click.
Once you stop seeing them as human, it is very easy to treat them just as another email address…
…and in the long term this can have serious ramifications for your business.
A bit of airy fairy hippy rubbish?
Well I think anything that affects your bottom line is a bit more than this.
So my advice for anyone trying to make a go of it online, is try to foster a genuine interest in other people.
For some this softer skill will come naturally, whilst for others it may be more difficult.
However I guarantee the effort will be worth it. This one simple thing will both strengthen your relationship with your subscribers, lengthening the time they stay with you…
…whilst also increasing the cash coming into your business.
And in my book, that my friend, is a double whammy win-win.
Of course I’d love to hear about what you think of this more people centric approach to marketing.
