06 Nov Today’s Relationship Building. Click to keep reading…
While so much of our everyday lives are conducted online, it is still important to me to build personal relationships while doing my job. An early reliance on automation can hinder the development of an authentic and genuine personal connection.
Admittedly, I did not come of age during the social media era, and I do not use it as the basis of my business interactions. While it’s true that social media offers tools that can be very helpful when gathering information about a prospective customer, customized services and solutions like Lupton Associates’ offers, require a personalized approach to communication.
For example, a new Gmail feature is completing my sentences, and I don’t like it. Well, I do like it when I’m in a hurry, but I like to be as distinct as I can, addressing each connection as I know them, as opposed to how well the newest algorithm knows me.
The common tenets of good communication– be a good listener, ask open-ended questions, be focused on other’s needs — should be used for all audiences, both in person and in writing. Without acknowledging the individual, however, you are treating everyone as the same person. And this is my issue with Google trying to finish my thoughts: they appear to be providing the most common or most expected phrasing.
My hope while I initiate relationships, is to never make the people with whom I interact feel common, or feel that they’ve been given a circle response when a square was needed, simply because circles are expected.
Being genuine is equally as important when I’m “in person”. This example reminds me of how to be real when face-to-face. An individual I met for the first time had difficult first and last names to pronounce. When they introduced themselves, I repeated their name back to them—incorrectly the first time—and then asked with a smile if they could say it again. I was genuinely interested in getting their name right, and they appreciated it.
Time is precious, and auto-fill and templates can be very helpful tools. Without personalization, however, the relationships that develop will be as non-committal as the tools used to initiate them.
Since I’m relatively new to Lupton Associates, I may not have had the chance to meet you yet. I’d love to chat live to learn more about who you are and what makes you tick. You can reach me at (617)777-4623.–Commentary provided by Greg Hébert, Lupton Associates
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