I really like this idea as expressed by Jay Deragon at Social Media Today:
The social web is creating a reversal in the process of managing customers. People learn from people and subsequently are avoiding influence from institutions rather the conversations of people, one to one to millions, have become the power of influence.
I'm not sure there is anything particularly new here except perhaps the language. What's is new however is the sense of connectedness that many are enjoying through the medium of the new technologies we see springing up.
Later this week I will be engaging in a series of calls with people from whom I need an opinion. In all cases, these are people I have 'met' and conversed with over Twitter, at this blog, at Seesmic or through my affiliation with the Enterprise Irregulars. What sets these relationships apart is that 'we' have grown into them at a much higher rate of velocity than would be possible by other means.
In many cases, we exchange snippets of Twittered conversation, or express opinions through our GoogleGroup, often on a daily basis. In one instance, a chance viewing of a video about telemarketing drew a response from me that led to a Skype conversation (with video) that will be reprised for the benefit of others.
Developing these kinds of relationship would be impossible on a day to day basis as I am physically disconnected here in Andalucia and some of these folk are on the other side of the world. I have met some of the people with whom I'll be talking but just as many I haven't and may never meet.
The ambient intimacy created through these media works to help us figure out with whom we wish to maintain and develop relationships. But what really strikes me is the degree to which media like Twitter are forcing us to be candid. 140 characters in Twitter isn't a lot but it sure as heck focuses the mind.
In all of this I'm wondering the extent to which my thinking about relationship is changing. I've long argued that the professional relationship with clients is lopsided and not conducive to getting the best from either side. It starts with what I call the 'separation of the desk' where partners sit behind an antique desk while the customer is ushered in to sit on the other side. The partner holds the hallowed papers, only decipherable by someone who spent 3-4 years in training while the poor client is meant to soak up what is said as though the wisdom of God was being handed down. What nonsense. But that's how it so often plays out. So when Jay says:
Managing and acting on the intelligence gained from conversations is a much more effective way of building stronger relations. The outcomes should scream "I heard you" and subsequent actions should demonstrate that we've changed or learned something as a result of what we heard.
...then I know it is time to listen. What do clients really want and have we ever bothered to truly find out?
Technorati Tags: conversation, seesmic, Twitter
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