Proposals, Surprises and Musings: the Question of How

How will social media affect work? What will be the next hot trend and tool? We can hardly predict what will take off a day from now, never mind a month or a year. My suggestion is to focus more on the social part of the expression -- this will give us more information about ourselves and our behavior and perhaps an idea or two about where we want to take this conversation collectively. 

Social media is already affecting the way we work and think. When I first came to the U.S. some nineteen years ago I didn't know a soul and I didn't own a thing -- my coordinates started with me alone, my skills, and past cultural references. As I adapted to the environment, I created new mash-ups of knowledge and people filtered through and via me. The result of this two way exposure is an international network of practice that comprises more than 1,800 individuals. Could this be my customer database?

Hold that thought for a moment and come with me to visit another how as in How do I feel about my experience? A question we may ask ourselves sincerely and often and that companies may stumble upon asking with the same sentiment once in a blue moon. This was the center piece of a recent Friday Musing by Becky Carroll at Customers Rock! If we are so intent on talking about relationships, then the way our customers feel about us matters -- yes, to the bottom line as well.

Taking a look at how most blog posts are written, they are usually a mash up of ideas by a number of authors and people who build on each other. This is not new. What is new is that with new media, free or low cost software, more voices have joined the conversation in more ways.

Most organizations are beginning to think about how to insert themselves in the conversation. To me B2B businesses have tremendous opportunities to become more strategic about how they work with supply chain, alliances, and customers. Is social media changing the way we work? Will it allow companies to do away with RFPs? Lewis Green has a provocative post over at the MarketingProfs:Daily Fix that reveals the Dirty Little Secret about Proposals. The how question there is How would you change RFPs and proposals? In this case we already know how we fell about them, don't we?

Organizations like predictability because markets like and reward predictability. The more established a company and its track record, the harder for it and its people to make conscious decisions on how to change the way they do things. Social media sounds fascinating and at the same time quite subversive and upsetting. The most upsetting part of course is the deal with reputation.

Yet it is a proactive, open conversation that can build reputations and brands. So are there any surprises in your thinking? Are we going to change our practices as a result of an increased demand for transparency in the democratization of broadcasting? Andy Nulman thinks the surprise in satisfying the question How do you live your life and conduct your business? resides in changing what people know about you.

Take these questions, mix them up and what do you get?   

[when the logo is created by consumers, it may express more the reality of how]

Comments

[Lewis Green]

Excellent post Valeria. Even when we ask the "how" question, more readers than not want to share their feelings instead of their ideas. We should honor both. Conversations are both about ideas and feelings, and that's good as long as both sides agree to have that kind of conversation.

I doubt the CEO of a large manufacuring company cares more about my feelings than my ideas. On the other hand, you and may care about both when we are conversing.

[David Reich]

Very good post, Valeria.

Mix up all the hows and you get more interesting conversation -- combining ideas and feelings.

I think marketers will find their own ways to work with and capitalize on social media. Some will do it beautifully and many will fail, probably by trying what worked well for someone else rather than doing what makes sense for their own brand. But that's not unqiue to social media, is it?

Have a great 4th in the City of Brotherly Love.

[Becky Carroll]

Thanks for this post, Valeria. As someone who has also has lived both overseas and here, I agree that it is necessary to create one's own "mash-ups" of information, just to get a bearing on what to do next (and how to do it!). Social media is helping take that to the next level.

Will social media help take customer relationships to the next level? I think it depends on how it is used, whether customers feel welcome in the conversation, and whether there is sincerity.

On another note, tell us more about your international network with 1800+ individuals. Do you consider this your customer database? If so, how do you continue to nurture those relationships? :)

[Valeria Maltoni]

Lewis -- the how question comes into play when we are passed the idea and are heading to execution. How are we going to do it? The feeling part is "who cares?" In my book that is a very important question. That was a provocative post, and you were on the scene here fast.

David -- I know this is a topic you are passionate about. Failure is an option, as long as we learn from it. And social media is a place of education and learning, more so that training. Thank you, I hope it won't rain on the parade.

Becky -- my take on social media and customer service is another question: "who owns it?" I've been asking it for several posts at FC Expert blogs now... no takers so far, but maybe it is a good prompt to think about it. As for my extensive network, that is a good question, I should do a post about it.

[Becky Carroll]

Who owns social media? Here is the related question: who owns the customer? It has been asked for years, and the answers usually bounce between sales, marketing, and service.

Really, no one does; the customer owns himself.

I look forward to your post on your extended network! :-)