Mixed Messages
Being a “real” person in the digital age is becoming a dying art. More and more, we seem to be hiding behind our little electronic devices, computer screens, and social media. Although people are sharing a heck of lot more than they probably should, I really do believe that communicating in this manner is a way for us to enjoy a pseudo anonymous life. Our devices create this invisible wall for us to hide behind, and even though we’re sharing many personal things about our life, we’re still hiding our emotions and feelings from others. Unfortunately, written communications can never adequately convey what the human voice and body can.
Don’t get me wrong. I am a social media junkie. I am hooked on texting, twitter, facebook, and linkedin, and I Spend entirely too much time on all of them. As you get to know me you’ll realize that much of what I write in these posts are as much for me as anyone else. That being said, I believe that digital or text related communication can be good and bad. On the good side: we’re reading more, catching up with old friends from years past, and even getting the scoop on a cousin’s prostate exam. What we’re truly missing, however, is the emotional and social bond that comes from good ‘ole fashion conversation.
As it relates to business and sales:
Digital tools are essential to developing business relationships, but should never be a replacement for true contact. Listed below are 5 reasons why true human interaction is essential to your business and sales.
1) As I have already mentioned, an emotional bond is essential to building relationships. In running a small business, your clients should be your friends and without voice to voice/face to face interaction, this will never truly happen.
2) Emails and text fail to adequately convey emotion and as a result, can often be misinterpreted. Not everyone shares the same level of reading comprehension, attention span, and grammatical skill. As a result, it is always best to deliver bad news or sensitive info via a phone or in person. The contact will be appreciated, will strengthen your relationship, allows for immediate communication on the topic, and as a result, immediate closure.
3) Sharing belly laughs: You’ll recognize LOL, LMAO, ROFLMAO as those nifty little text acronyms that tell us that we are sharing a laugh, being laughed at, or the like. Laughing alone while envisioning someone else laughing can never replace the sounds of someone else laughing with you. Think about it! A shared laugh is one of the all time coolest things that friends, clients, and family can share. It adds to your enjoyment of the situation, and if you’re like most people, you rather hang out with folks who share your sense of humor.
4) Loyalty: Your clients, friends, and acquaintances are more likely to remain loyal to you when they feel emotionally tied to you and your business. As humans, we have a natural tendency to be more forgiving of faults, shortcomings, and innocent idiocy when we are emotionally tied to someone. I cannot tell you how many times I have been in sales situations where I had a better product at a lower price and the prospect remained with their current service because of a friendship.
5) It’s good for you! We all need to be in the company of others from time to time. Sharing thoughts, feelings, emotions, ideas, and smiles are not luxuries but necessities. Yes, we can do some of this via social media, texting, and email, but these can never contribute to our emotional well-being like face to face contact.
In conclusion, I seriously believe that human contact is essential to business and a healthy personal life. Social networking, text, and emails can be great for catching snapshots of information, but if you truly want to be known or know someone, then get off your duff, go make some friends, share some belly laughs, and grow your business. And, If you ever want to chat, just give me a call 850-710-5256.
Wes Herndon 