So Much Peopling

Have you ever suffered from social overload? I know it occurs across social media, especially when you have a controversial topic with hundreds of comments and replies. You reach a point where your brain shuts down. You go numb and move on or just leave the platform for a while.

I remember the feeling when I was running sound for bands. The music would get so loud that the amp would shut down to avoid burning out. Although it was an abrupt shock just having the sound go from loud to nothing, it was a self-preservation technique I ultimately learned to appreciate.

I was just in Chicago at the American Marketing Association's Leadership Conference, where 400 people from around North America, representing 50+ chapters, came to learn and grow with and from each other.

Conferences are great for networking, learning, and getting out of the routine work rut, but they are also very peoply. Sometimes, too peoply.

Like social media and audio amplifiers, my brain has a self-preservation technique of shutting down when I spend too much time with people.

Work-Life Balance

All businesspeople have to deal with people. The vast majority have known entities such as coworkers and vendors. But if you are in the sales part of your business, you have the added stress of connecting and relating to people you don't know (prospects and leads).

Maintaining relationships is always a challenge. People have lives that flow between personal and business. With known entities, you often can get a small peek into their personal lives that will give you better context on how and why they are who they are in business.

Over the last weekend, seeing the people known to me ( Hank Hoffmeier , Chuck Hester , Hayden (Brooks) Sherwood , Gene Pinder, Kelly Parisi , John-Paul Schick , Dana Newell, MS, MBA - AMA board members in attendance) in a different environment helped me gain that perspective. Having meals together, watching them interact with other people, participating in training sessions, and asking questions helped me better understand how to relate to them on a different level. I learned about their lives and families, and they knew more about me.

I now have a new perspective on the people I am volunteering and working with.

The Known Unknowns

When we went to dinner as a group, we invited a few people from other chapters to join us. Although multiple people at the table knew them, I did not. I specifically sat by the new people to get to know them better. When you have multiple conversations in a noisy restaurant, it's hard to go deep and learn much about their world.

During the conference, there were people I recognized from past events. Still, there was also a mix of many new people trying to take in all that peopling primarily from a business and association perspective. It was getting very peoply.

Although the conference provides multiple opportunities to get to know people one-on-one, it's usually in short spurts and often combines multiple interactions with multiple people in very short bursts.

The Lightening Talk

At the conference, anyone can apply for a short, fun presentation called a lightning talk, giving you a chance to be one of the twelve to sixteen presenters. You have to submit a topic and 12 slides that will automatically change every 15 seconds. That gives you 3 minutes to present an idea or introduce yourself. I knew this was my chance to develop deeper relationships and conversations.

After our group dinner, I submitted a topic, and it was accepted. When I woke up the following day, I had one hour to create my talk and rehearse—no pressure.

On day two of the conference, I was honored to be one of the eight presentations given over lunch. My topic was about personal branding. You guessed it—BACON!

In building the presentation, I knew I could give three points per slide at five seconds a piece. If done well, as each slide would switch on cue with the next three points and have it flow to a crescendo.

I started with my book, networking with Bacon, and how the brand exploded. That followed me moving to Raleigh and joining AMA. I ended by getting them to think about their personal brand (what's YOUR BACON?) all in three minutes.

The talk went well, but I knew the topic stuck when I walked down the halls between sessions and people greeted me as “BACON!” Also, that led to a bunch of people reaching out to connect on LinkedIn, which led to deeper conversations.

The main point is that when people know more about you and feel there is a reason to, they will connect and allow you to dive deeper.

When Peopling IS Your Job?

As a salesperson, peopling is your job. The barrier is that you are reaching out to people you probably don't know and trying to converse at a noisy dinner table.

Promoting your brand is not 100% about what you sell. It's about you as a person and how business and the personal interconnect. LinkedIn is one of your best platforms for sharing and caring if you are in the business-to-business sales world.

By presenting some of your company's marketing on your account, you are promoting your business side. Then, suppose you mix in a little personal, like hobbies, networking, or something NOT 100% work-related. In that case, you create an authentic, personable online persona that may be worthy of a deeper one-on-one conversation.

The real challenge is consistently posting a measured mix of business and personal posts. That is your lightning talk to an audience of known unknowns, which might lead to creating a collaborative relationship of mutual benefit.

And I am here to tell you it beats relying on cold calls and emails to get people's attention and interest.

Closing Thought

I keep thinking of ways I could have improved that lightning talk, but I find solace in the fact that simply doing it was a challenge accepted with positive results.

I ended up sharing my personal story and brand by giving this quick little talk. It was not only new to the AMA crew who already knew me, but it entertained some who were meeting me for the first time!

I made some great new friends by making it easier for people to approach me. It also gave people something to think about: What was their BACON, and how could they use their personal brand to break down barriers and develop better interpersonal relationships in business?

My closing line was, “I hope you found this interesting, and I wanted to leave you with a question: Did you know that your personal brand drives people to you… while I get to drive my personal brand”

Comment below and share your thoughts, ideas, or questions about business-to-business sales and marketing today! Do you have a sales or marketing communications strategy that works for you? What tips or techniques can you share that work for you and your business?

To learn more about this and other topics on B2b Sales & Marketing, visit our podcast website at?The Bacon Podcast.