Don’t Throw Up On Yourself…
By Mitch Dunford August 1st, 2011
Have you ever been to a party and found yourself talking with someone you didn’t know, and all they did was talk and carry on about themselves? You can’t get away from them fast enough. Social situations of any kind require a certain amount of etiquette to remain comfortable, enjoyable and mutually beneficial. Not surprisingly, many of the same time tested rules of etiquette found in traditional social settings also apply to the new online social media environment.
As in face-to-face situations, companies need to be careful not to violate social etiquette rules on their Facebook fan pages or by doing so risk losing “friends.” Here are some dos and don’ts:
1. Don’t Throw Up On Yourself. Ok, this never goes over well at a real party, but I’m speaking figuratively now. Throwing up on yourself on Facebook means all you do is talk about how great you are or how wonderful your company is. As in any social situation, it is important to be slow to talk about yourself and quick to show interest in others. Being a good “listener” is a valuable social skill in both face-to-face and online social situations. A good rule of thumb when posting to a company fan page is to ask, “Is this post self serving?” If the answer is yes, it’s probably not a good social media post. However, often with a little thought and effort any post can be tweaked to make it socially appropriate. For example, instead of posting a link to a press release announcing a new product, ask your fans to comment on the new product or ask them for advice on how to improve it. Always remember, it’s not about YOU.
2. Do Share. Being social is also about sharing. Think of creative ways to share socially via your fan page. Share information with your fans before it goes public, offer discounts only available to fans or think of creative ways to give to charity. Recently, Applied Systems announced they would donate a dollar to the IIABA InVEST education fund for every new follower to their Facebook fan page. In just a few days they added over 500 followers, donated over $500 dollars to a worthy cause and got the attention of Insurance Journal, who invited Applied to do a podcast about their Facebook fan page. (To listen to the entire Applied Systems podcast, click here: The Wise Use of a Company Facebook Fan Page)
3. Do Be Transparent. It’s inevitable. At some point, someone will complain or post a negative comment about you, your company or your product on your own fan page. Instead of running from the comment, deleting it or pretending like it didn’t happen, fan page administrators should publicly address the problem and provide a resolution. Most reasonable people recognize that we all make mistakes. It’s just human. What we appreciate and value are organizations that face mistakes head on and fix them. When your fans watch you publicly take responsibility and find solutions, it builds confidence in your brand, and often they will come to your defense.
4. Don’t Sell. There is nothing more annoying when meeting someone socially than when they immediately start pitching you. We have all experienced it and it’s the fasted way to hemorrhage friends. We’ve already almost ruined email by filling it full of SPAM (Something Posing As Marketing). Lets not do the same to social media. Our Facebook fan pages are about being social with our customers—not about selling them stuff. Having said that, anyone in sales recognizes that building relationships with the customers is absolutely essential to the process of establishing a long term sales relationship. Use social media as one of your best tools in building long term customer social ties.
Just because social media takes place online, doesn’t mean good social etiquette is out the window. (Well, except I guess you can probably wear that comfortable tie-dyed t-shirt and your favorite red velour sweat pants and no one will ever know.)
Say What You Mean: Character, Integrity and Independent Agents
By Mitch Dunford | April 2, 2009
“I meant what I said, and said what I meant…”
Although that quote was written in 1954 by Dr. Seuss in his book “Horton Hears a Who,” it is a powerful reminder today to act with character and integrity.
“Horton Hears a Who” tells the story of Horton the Elephant, who hears a small speck of dust talking to him. It turns out the speck is a tiny planet, home to a city called Whoville that is inhabited by microscopic-sized people known as Whos. The Whos ask Horton (who cannot see them but can hear them) to protect them from harm, which Horton promises to do — despite opposition from the other jungle animals who believe Horton has lost his mind. As it becomes more difficult to protect the Whos, Horton is encouraged to leave the Whos to fend for themselves. Yet Horton stands behind his promise, declaring, “I meant what I said, and I said what I meant, an elephant is faithful 100 percent.”
Horton’s motto is a good reminder for all of us. There is little debate on where we find our country economically. The auto industry is in crisis; financial markets are a mess; the unemployment rate is growing daily; banks are closing; foreclosures are at an all-time high; and bad economic news continues.
Despite the constant diet of bad news and stark economic realities we are left to deal with, if you look at the situation through the clear lens of truth, you’d find that what led us here was not a crisis of cash, but a crisis of character.
Decades of dishonesty, greed and the notion that character doesn’t matter have caught up to us. As business leaders, politicians and others in positions of trust have relied upon the crazy notion that competency is everything and personal integrity is expendable, we find ourselves reaping the fruits of that ideology — and it’s not good.
Integrity and trust are fundamental principles of leadership and power,
and are the foundation of a strong economy. Our unique economic system is tied to freedom, and freedom is tied to responsible and ethical behavior. When we allow in ourselves and in our leaders a pattern of irresponsible behavior, we give up our freedoms in an effort to repair the damage. And as our freedoms erode, so does our unique economy.
You have chosen to work in the insurance industry. While others seek to minimize risk you embrace it. You study it, you calculate it, you even profit from it. You are now, and have been for hundreds of years, our economy’s last line of defense. You make it possible for businesses to open and grow, for loans to be made, for new inventions to come to market, and for young people to buy their first car or their first home.
Without you and your industry, the way of life to which we have grown accustomed would slow to a grinding halt.
Inside the insurance industry, there is tremendous potential for growth, both personal and financial. The industry is one of the most lucrative professions in the world.
But with that opportunity comes a responsibility: to act with integrity and with character in how you do business. Our economy cannot afford to lose confidence in our industry.
To close a sale, there may be temptation to not fully explain a policy’s new conditions or exclusions. There may be temptation to suggest coverage exists that really doesn’t, and then to blame someone else for the error when the claim is denied. Our industry must resist temptations to deceive.
It starts with a personal decision in each of us to do the right thing: to value our character, reputation and the important role our industry plays in the health of our economy more than money. To say in our quiet moments, “I meant what I said, and I said what I meant.”
There is astonishing power when a single person makes a single, honest decision. It can be contagious. As dishonesty breeds mistrust, honesty gives rise to trust, and trust provides the foundation for more honesty. It starts with one, each one of us doing the right thing for the right reason.
A government “stimulus” package will not save us. A bailout of AIG or GM will not solve the underlying problem. Instead, the quiet personal resolve to act with character and integrity in everything we do, and to demand the same behavior in our leaders, will lead to long-lasting, positive change. There is still something noble in the American spirit. I believe in us. I believe in our character as Americans to dig deep and to dig out of any problem, to do the right thing, and to do the extraordinary.
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Mitch Dunford is CEO for Insurance Journal’s parent company, Wells Publishing Inc. E-mail him comments at mitch@insurancejournal.com