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AN AGGRESSIVE LOOK AT SERVING YOUR CUSTOMERS
In 1997, Gary Vaynerchuk, the owner of a family liquor store who had just
launched an online wine retailer called WineLibrary.com, explained
to a local Chamber of Commerce audience why Internet retailing was the next
great frontier in business. Vaynerchuk had been preceded on stage by a
corporate VP who, using a sophisticated powerpoint presentation with scores of
statistics, explained why e-commerce would never amount to much. “How many
of you have heard of Amazon,” the VP asked the audience. A few raised
their hands. How many people, he continued, would really end their
relationships with their local bookstores or the local Barnes & Noble in
order to buy books online? Most of the audience sat motionless. At the end of
the presentation, the VP introduced Vaynerchuk with the following words:
“This kid’s now going to tell you how he’s going to sell wine on the
Internet. How many of you here would ever buy wine on the Internet?” One
or two people raised their hands, to the smug satisfaction of the VP.
Reading the following message by Vaynerchuk reminds me of developmental feedback from
superiors I’ve received on occasion for investing time, attention and energy on
the environment in which we worked in organizations from North Carolina to
Mexico to Puerto Rico to Colorado. My
direct manager would ask something like “why bother with putting a $2000
barbeque pit in the back yard? It just
seems like a waste of time and money to me…”
The very question itself told me I was swimming upstream by even making
them aware of the things I was doing to improve employee commitment. I would employ a “seek forgiveness rather
than ask permission” approach on occasion, but would always look for ways, no
matter how small, to let the employees know I was there in large part to
support their success. Vaynerchuk is
onto something here and I’m sure you’d find it a good read.
Vaynerchuk recounts the story of “Mr. Powerpoint,” as he calls the
VP, in his new book, The Thank You Economy.
Of course, Amazon did not disappear, despite the fact that Mr. Powerpoint
predicted that people would soon be saying, “Remember Amazon?” And
Vaynerchuk’s own Web site continues to thrive. Vaynerchuk is the author of Crush
It! and is now a principle in Vaynermedia, a consultancy specializing in
social media branding.
It’s easy to chuckle at the shortsightedness of the smug VP, but, as Vaynerchuk
passionately argues in his book, too many businesses are making the same
mistake today with social media. Using a variety of excuses (social media is
too young, there’s no ROI, etc), many businesses underestimate or dismiss the
impact of Facebook, Twitter, iPhone apps and all the other tools that have empowered
customers in ways that have not been seen since the heyday of small town
commerce in the early 20th century.
Vaynerchuk draws the title of the book from the concept that, just as when most
people did all of their shopping at the stores on the main street of their
small towns or in their city neighborhoods, today’s businesses can no longer
afford to treat customers badly. Word gets around — not through small town
gossip at the PTA meeting or country club, but through the growing multitude of
social media channels. Word of mouth lost its voice when people moved from
small towns to sprawling suburbs and severed their connection to local
merchants, Vaynerchuk writes. It has found its voice again — and businesses
better start paying attention.
The Thank You Economy Culture
According to Vaynerchuk, surviving in the Thank You Economy requires a culture
that puts employees and customers ahead of everything else. This is a point
that Vaynerchuk repeats on numerous occasions. Although it is one of the
guiding principles of his philosophy, readers may tire of Vaynerchuk’s pounding
this point.
He doesn’t suggest that all companies should start to act like Silicon Valley
start-ups. If you’re a conservative company, act like a conservative company.
As Vaynerchuk explains, “I care more about my employees than I do about my
customers, and I care more about my customers than I do about breathing.”
The Thank You Economy company empowers its employees so that they, in turn, can
offer better one-and-one customer service — with social media playing a key
part in the effort.
“Create a culture of openness,” Vaynerchuk urges. “Let your
employees blog and tweet as much as they like… And let them be themselves.
Authenticity is a huge part of what makes social media initiatives work.”
Is Mr. Powerpoint Listening?
Traditional media still plays an important role in the Thank You Economy. In
fact, the best companies will layer social media on top of traditional media —
running a television ad that refers viewers to a Facebook page, for example.
Bolstering his arguments with scores of examples from his own companies and
from nationally known corporations, as well as in-depth case studies of lesser
known but successful enterprises, Vaynerchuk provides compelling illustrations
that social media is a vital component in the success of today’s businesses.
