The 3 P’s of Social Networking

Posted on Sep 2, 2010 in Blog, Client Experience, Entrepreneur by Lisa 0 Comments

Recently I had a conversation with Cathy, someone I have known for years, about Facebook and Twitter. I have always known Cathy to be very witty, conscientious and thoughtful, fiercely loyal, and as someone who always delivered above and beyond most people’s expectations when it comes to service.

I was curious, so I asked her why she doesn’t let her personality shine through in her on line interactions.

What she said shocked me!

She said that she didn’t think it was appropriate to talk about anything but business on line. She didn’t feel it was right for people to see into her personal life for fear that somehow, it could diminish her professionalism.

Cathy is the mother of 4 young children, so I asked her if they ever do or say anything that makes her laugh. Without hesitation, she began telling me a story about something her son had done that had her in stitches that very morning. As she related the story, her personality and passion shone through.

While listening to her talk I felt myself going into coach mode. I gently asked her if she could share that story without sharing her son’s name or photo and feel okay about it. She thought about it for a second said she could do that. I went on to explain my philosophy around Social Networking and how to interject personality without making it too personal. My three P’s guide me in every interaction and today I want to share those so that you may benefit from them as well.

Private

This is the stuff I hold near and dear to my heart and do not share with everyone. It includes things such as where I live, things about my personal relationships, confidences I have made and more. It is the type of thing I would never want to see on the front page of a newspaper or written in a magazine.

Personable

This is my personality. It is the person people are attracted to – who I am and how I interact and build rapport with others. It involves being real and sharing funny stories, the odd photo or video.

It is my fundamental belief in everything that I do, that people buy from people they like and trust.

My “personable” side is the side that people like and trust, and it is through the relationships built that business is usually exchanged. I say exchanged because it is not a one way street. I do not engage in Social Networking for the sole purpose of gaining business. I regularly use the services of others I find to be personable as well and enjoy getting to know people every day.

Professional

This is the business professional in me. When someone asks me a question, I respond and offer as much help as I can, I demonstrate my level of expertise whether it is about Parlez Wireless or Lisa Larter Consulting. With any interaction that is tied to my business, I do my best to demonstrate the type of professionalism that my clients expect of me.

When I went through this with Cathy I could see her begin to understand. There was true value in her personality, her humour and wit.

Her personality was her greatest asset and needed to be shown.

Throughout the last week I have watched her take cautious steps forward to engage and show a bit more of her personable side. We are now working together on how she can utilize this to help her build stronger relationships and increase her client base. I am so excited to see what this bright young woman can accomplish when she brings her incredible personality to the forefront for everyone to see!

How do you showcase your personable side? The one that people like and trust? I’d love to hear what works for you.

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Tags: 3 P's, Build relationships, Business, Customer Service, Facebook, information, intuition, Lisa Larter, make a positive impression, Networking, Parlez Wireless, Personable, Private, Professional, relationships, Results, sales, Social, Social Media, Social Media Expert, Success, Twitter