Turn Social Relationships into Customers For Life

Customer For Life

Tag Archives: Social Media

CEO: Need to Relate Better

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If you want customers for life AND loyal employees, learn some basics.  According to Letitia Baldridge who was chief of staff for Jacqueline Kennedy’s White House:

“There are major C.E.O.’s who do not know how to hold a knife and fork properly, but I don’t worry about that as much as the lack of kindness,” Letitia Baldridge told The New York Times in 1992. “There are two generations of people who have not learned how important it is to take time to say, ‘I’m sorry’ and ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ and how people must relate to one another.”

Knowing how to relate to people builds trust and value. Leaders and managers of companies need to understand what it takes to increase loyalty. This is in a bricks and mortar environment as well as through Social Media.

Using Social Media to Develop a Customer For Life

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Developing a Customer For Life means listening and giving customers what they want. Wal-Mart, Frito Lay, Estee Lauder, Samuel Adams and others ask their followers what new products they would like to see. The old way was convening ‘focus groups’. Social Media proves to be more immediate, effective, and having statistically greater significance. Learn how data is leveraged in novel ways to grow customers and sales.

Social Media Are Giving a Voice to Taste Buds

Frito lay million dollar contest

Google vs. FaceBook

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Many believe that FaceBook is a significant threat to Google. It is predicted that FaceBook will earn $1B in 2010. Google has revenues of over $26B. There is an obviously huge disparity there. FaceBook has 500,000,000 active users. What Google has is a more solid foundation (code and biz model) for business. This is more than ‘just users’.

Adwords will grow organically because of support through business apps such as Google Apps, Android and its growing ecosystem, YouTube and Google Earth. There is even tight integration with salesforce.com. Why Google has not purchased Salesforce is an open question for months if not years. While Google has business and monetization at its core, FaceBook is trying to morph into a more business/ sales model. The bottom line seems to be that Google because of reasons  mentioned and its deep pockets is a freight train that is impossible to stop; at least for the foreseeable future. For additional conversations visit: http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2010/08/16/why-google-will-triumph-over-facebook.aspx

Why Cloud Computing

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It is amazing that some folks still question the validity of cloud based computing. This doubt was somewhat understandable 10 years ago. Clearly, software as a service (SaaS), Cloud Computing is here to stay. If you still have doubts consider these facts:

  • According to IBM global revenue from cloud computing will jump to $126 billion in 2012 from $47 billion in 2008
  • Steve Ballmer, CEO of Microsoft, recently said his company is “all in” when talking about Cloud computing
  • IBM last week purchased Cast Iron, a powerful Cloud data integration provider. According to IBM: “The acquisition expands IBM’s industry-leading business process and integration software portfolio, which grew more than 20 percent in the first quarter of 2010.” This may not seem like a big deal but s/ he who controls data connectivity wins.

The Cloud delivers agility and on demand productivity. Sales always needed and continues to need up to the moment relevant information to close more deals. Opportunities happen in real-time. Responses to emerging opportunities must be swift and comprehensive in scope. Information must be accessible in the now.

Social media, including Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn are Cloud platforms for which business benefits have not been fully realized yet. With the advent of connectors such as Salesforce.com Chatter, this may also change. Tell us what you think.