“Who’s This Guy?”: Bridging Social Status Gaps in 1-to-1 Outreach
There’s an old African proverb that says, “The lion does not turn around when a small dog barks.” That proverb points to a common obstacle in 1-to-1 marketing outreach: Differences—real or perceived—in social status between the person or entity doing the outreach and the recipient of the outreach. There are many different types of relationships […]
Could a 1-to-1 Marketing Model Be Effective for Your Business?
All business is ultimately about personal relationships, but some relationships are more important than others. For example, if a majority of your customers are referrals, or you rely on a relatively small number of high-value sales per year, you target a few important, high-level decision-makers. Not everyone who likes your business on Facebook or follows […]
Building Human Relationships in a Digital World
CEO Kim Troy sits down with Relationships Rule podcast host, Janice Porter, to talk about genuine, human-to-human relationship-building in this increasingly disconnected digital world. Take a listen here.
Even More Ways Building Business Relationships Is like Playing Golf
When I was younger, I dreamed of being Douglas Adams, writer of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. He is one of the most innovative and entertaining storytellers I’ve ever read and I relished his sense of humor. One of my all-time favorite Adams lines was from his 1992 book Mostly Harmless. It was the […]
The Universe of Potential Relationships, Part 1: People You Want to Meet
One concept I explore in Clicksand is the Universe of Potential Relationships. It is a concept we use a lot with our clients at Civilis Consulting. The idea is that for any new relationship to form between you and another person, three conditions must exist. First, the person must be the kind of individual you […]
The Universe of Potential Relationships, Part 2: People Open to Meeting Someone New
In Clicksand, I explore the concept of the Universe of Potential Relationships. There are three overlapping circles: the people you want to meet, the people who are open to meeting someone new, and the people you can build rapport with. You can only build a relationship with the people who meet all three of those […]
What’s Lost (and Can Be Regained) with Virtual Communication
The advantage of digital marketing is reach. You can reach so many people so often, so fast, and (if you know what you’re doing) so effectively. But at what cost? And I don’t mean financial cost. I’m talking about the potential relationship cost. We’re social creatures after all. So, what can happen to relationships—personal and […]
Three Ways Building Business Relationships Is like Playing Golf
With the warm weather of summer, a lot of business owners find time (or would love to find time) to hit the golf course. Golf season always reminds me of a great analogy I heard from Frank Agin, owner of the business networking company AmSpirit. Frank explains that building and nurturing business relationships is a […]
Three More Ways Building Business Relationships Is like Playing Golf
In my previous article, I talked about how the many organic variables involved in playing golf make it a lot like trying to navigate business relationships. The article struck a chord with many readers and I heard from several avid golfers who suggested more ways in which the two are similar. So it’s time for […]
Where Do You Start? “Do unto Others … ” No, I Mean Literally
Whenever I make a keynote speech about the dangers of Clicksand, almost invariably the same question will be raised in the Q&A afterward. Business owners always want to know how they can get out of the trap. One of them will usually ask, “What is one simple thing I can immediately do (or have my […]
