So, last night, after a month sitting on my shelf, I started reading The Cluetrain Manifesto (ironically, I’m 10 years late getting on the Clue train), and I’m barely into the introduction and have been inspired already.
In case you haven’t read it, you should. It beautifully demonstrates the power of the Internet, how regular “consumers” (you know, regular folks like you and me) have real power through conversations about anything and everything online. I know you’ve heard this before, but I’ll repeat it again – there are real conversations going on about you, and you should be doing something about it.
I won’t go into any more details about the premise of the book (seriously – go out and get it RIGHT NOW), I’ll just comment on something that may or may not be addressed later.
Accountability.
We all talk about social media, how it’s changed the landscape of the web, how we’re all writers, critics, creators, “share”-ers (the music industry would call us thieves), and we write, critique, create, and share our thoughts about hobbies, friends, interests, (and companies), on a regular basis. Now companies are jumping aboard the social media train to “take part in the conversation”.
The question we all need to ask ourselves is, are we just paying lip service? (See The Whuffie Factor author Tara Hunt’s blog post about her Twitter/CIBC customer service let down).
So you’re listening to your customers. Are you actually taking their feedback and doing something about it? Are you improving service? Are you giving them what they are (quite vocally) asking for?
You can listen and talk all you want. You can join conversations, make people feel good about themselves, make promises, and network yourself online, but I find so many companies are still just marketing in a more human tone.
Why can’t we all just be a little more honest with our customers and clients?
My boss mentioned last week that is the year of accountability. I’ve taken this and put it on my list of objectives for this year (FYI, so far I’m off to a pretty good start!).
And he’s right, we all need to be more accountable for our promises and following through on our actions.
An example. Last week I made plans with friends to go snowboarding, and I bailed on them. At work, I said I would write more blogs, and this is the first one in a while. I’m not sure if it’s procrastination, disorganization, or just laziness, but I think that in order to build my own goodwill I need to be more accountable for myself and for my role in my company. And I know if I do this, I’ll boost confidence with my friends, my coworkers, my bosses, and my clients.
So take some time to reflect. What is your role within your own organization? How can you ACTUALLY improve the lives of your clients/friends/family? What promises have you made, but have put on the backburner? It’s a pretty obvious premise – when you make promises, follow through with them. Don’t just talk the talk. Improve your own life and the lives of people around you. I hope you take 2010 as your year of accountability.
