Relationship Building in Business – Grandma and Grandpa Style
Let’s picture this for a moment:
A neighborhood woman walks past my Grandparents’ deli, Grandpa runs out and yells “Hey lady, we’ve got some great sandwiches, macaroni salad and apples. Come on in NOW!!!”
Weird, huh?
Do you think this woman would have said, “Oh, ok, I’ll come right in and shop at your store from now on!”
Well, this is what it sounds like on Twitter or Facebook when we try to sell our products or services to people we have no connection with.
Ok, so how did Grandpa build his business?
Well, when a new customer walked in, he greeted them with a friendly hello, warm smile and asked if he could help in any way.
Next, he allowed the customer the freedom to roam through the store, to look around to their heart’s content. If they walked to the very back and looked to the left, they would see my Grandmother in the kitchen more than likely preparing meatballs or sauce or maybe even a huge tray of lasagna.
So, let’s think about why a customer would choose to shop in Grandpa’s store instead of in the chain supermarket across the street.
Relationships were built first through warmth and friendliness. Oh…and the freedom to decide without being pressured.
Grandpa and Grandma’s lives were made richer because of their relationships with their customers. When he stood with other business owners to buy wholesale produce at the train station at 6 a.m. every weekday morning, he looked forward to a day of seeing many familiar faces at his deli later on.
These would be customers who had become lifelong friends and whose children and grandchildren visited my Grandparents in their store as well.
Does it get any better than this?
Building relationships in Twitter and Facebook require the same amount of effort and care my Grandparents gave their customers.
When someone follows or connects with you, you should say “hello” and “thank you”. On Twitter, if someone mentions you, you will receive a notice as well. It’s important that you thank them for the mention.
Begin to build relationships and your business will continue to grow.
“Connecting” means “building relationship”.
***I’d love to hear your comments regarding this blog post. Or, if you jusst want to say hello, please do! I would love to hear from you.***
Leslie
xoxo
