In an age of technology, gadgets and social networking, the clamor for real human interaction is on an all time high. We all hate hearing automatic phone responses, recorded phone interactions and spam mail marketing because they’re all so impersonal and irrelevant.
Authors Leonardo Inghilleri and Micah Solomon proposes something that is highly needed in our times.
The best thing you can do for your business is not about new technology, brute force, or first mover advantage. It’s nothing like that. It’s something simpler. It’s something more dependable. Humanize each customer interaction in order to turn your product or service into much more than a commodity. In your customer’s mind, commodities are interchangeable and replaceable. Humanized relationships are not.
Humanize it! The more personal, the more effective.
This is the secret if you want to be effective in almost anything. Discipleship, evangelism, inviting people to church, conversations are far more effective than announcing something on the pulpit, giving out flyers, having a super duper nice poster – all those are impersonal and ineffective in communicating to your people and your target niche.
Let me give YOU as an example. You are walking in the mall and a complete stranger comes to you and gives you a flyer inviting you to look at their model condo units. You either politely decline the ads being given to you or get the flyer and don’t even bother looking at it because you don’t need a condo and you are not thinking about condominiums. You then find the nearest trash bin and dunk it there – am I right? Yes, maybe 99.5% of the time.
People don’t want to be disturbed, distracted and marketed to in a traditonal way. They hate it and the guys giving the flyers also hate their job – believe me. Why? It is impersonal. It doesn’t provoke me to take significant actions. What do people who are looking for condominiums do? They google it. They research. They ask their friends in real estate and sales.
Same goes with church. The more personal, the more effective. Instead of investing on a 3 pesos flyer x 1000pcs – why don’t you just invite your friend for a donut and a coffee. I think that would be more effective.
Same goes with discipleship. As much as I love blogging – this thing is not as personal as me calling you and telling you that I want to sit down and have coffee with you. I have had readers comment how helpful the blogs are but nothing is more effective than sitting with someone and exchange ideas with them.
Yes there are product problems but don’t forget that people problems are just as important.
Thanks for this article Dennis! It gave me ideas for my work.