Ever worked for a large corporation? If so, then you’ve probably dealt with situations like this. I know I have!
February 5, 2010
Top 5 Posts – January 2010
January was the busiest month so far for this blog, with over 1,800 page views. My sincere thanks to all of you! In case you might have missed one, here are the top 5 posts from the past month:
Sure-Fire Employee Motivation?
February 3, 2010
Is It Better To Be Heard, Seen Or Read?
Last year I wrote a post on the potential impact of growing social networks on an individual’s personal network (read here). My belief was, and still is, that social networks in and of themselves are not a threat. However if they become a replacement for personal contact, then the overall value of your connections will be less. While I may be able to keep up with what’s going on in your life through Facebook or Twitter, I believe the only way I can deepen a personal relationship is though talking on the phone or meeting face to face.
I think the same is true when trying to build business relationships. Technology today continues to come up with new ways to find prospects. Whether those prospects are meeting planners or moms looking to send their children to camp, finding them is getting easier and easier. Unfortunately, what’s getting more difficult, is developing a relationship and, ultimately, trust with these new prospects.
We spend a lot of time creating great websites and crafting well worded email blasts, all with the good intention of getting our message out there. What we tend to forget is how people receive and process communication. Studies show that in direct communication, there are three components to the message: words, tone of voice and body language.
Of the three, words are by far the least important. Over 90% of what someone gets from a message comes from tone of voice and body language. If you’re solely relying on email or website to get your message out, then you’ve stripped out the two most important components of communication. Not a great way to build a relationship.
So, what does this mean for those of us involved with Christian camps and conference centers? It means we should continue to focus on creative ways to communicate with potential customers. Whether it be face to face meetings or video messages, we need to figure out ways for our customers to hear and see what we have to say, not just read it. The more we can do that, the more successful we’ll be!
