Become a fan

In today’s busy marketplace, we all want to stand out.?We want to create a buzz about our business or non-profit organization.

That’s why it was interesting to read Jeff Henderson’s Know what you’re for, a leadership book that explores how we can make ourselves memorable to our clients or customers, or in the case of non-profits, donors.

The answer might surprise you.?We do this, not by creating the best product or service available, we achieve this by becoming fans of our customers, by connecting with them on a more personal level.

Two questions he asks throughout the book are

What do you want to be known for??And what are you known for?

Sadly the answers are not always the same, and in truth if we want to focus on providing the best product, but neglect the customer appreciation bit, we are losing out on an opportunity to create a fan base that will spread the word because they are impressed.

So how do you do that???He observes that we tend to use social media as a megaphone to promote our product, instead of a telephone where you have a dialogue.?Focused on building our follower base, we spend more time promoting what we have to sell, rather than visiting our customers’ social media platforms and getting to know them there.?

When you follow your followers, there is more dialogue and less monologue.?Spend time giving more likes and comments and talk more about the customers and less on your business.

Henderson gives advice on building and motivating your teams ?- “ The more personable organizations can become, the more meaningful they will be.“ It is all about creating a sense of belonging – for your team, your clients and the community.??One way would be to highlight people who are doing great things in your community.

One example he gives that created a difference at Home Depot was when the CEO Frank Blake would send personal handwritten notes to his staff.?On his tours around the different stores, he’d meet staff, listen and make note of what they were doing well and then write and tell them so.

His last section in the book is about You Inc.?After all you need to know what you are for, and be able to deliver on your commitments to yourself.?Part of doing that is practicing self-care.??Rest is not an option.?He suggests getting one hour extra sleep; cutting yourself off from email and social media for a day and taking a break every quarter.

He also talks about think 30 where you spend 30 minutes each morning thinking about your day, and suggests that a great day begins the night before when you write down three wins that would make your next day great.

I got this book because I wanted to gain some leadership insights, and I am glad I did.?It worked. ?I’ve become a fan.