Know, Like, and Trust
Today we are having sales training. It’s time to turn our impact into a business. I know that sounds a bit extreme. But, if we can’t organize what we are trying to do, then we are bound to struggle.
There are plenty of definitions of business. To me, it’s any combination of thoughts, actions, and people organized for a specific purpose. It’s often related to commerce and there is money involved, but doesn’t necessarily have to be structured like that.
B-Corporations
The impactmakers movement is not against money or any form of ethical economics. In fact, there is much positive to be said about doing well by doing good (which we have covered before, hear episode 8 of Speaking of Impact). I would also suggest looking into B-Corporations.
Certified B Corporations are a new kind of business that balances purpose and profit. They are legally required to consider the impact of their decisions on their workers, customers, suppliers, community, and the environment. This is a community of leaders, driving a global movement of people using business as a force for good.
These companies have identified themselves as positive impact focused. I can only hope that Initiate Impact will qualify for this prestigious designation some day. There is a rigorous process that ensures only the finest of companies are recognized.
Many certified B-Corporations were in business before the certification even existed. I commend them for either having an exceptional positive impact model previously or making the necessary adjustments to their business once the certification existed.
In 2006, the B-Corporation organization was started and the first 82 companies were certified in 2007. It’s only been fifteen years and I am excited to see what is to come.
If you watch the video on the site to which I linked, you’ll see a great example of a company that has pioneered this movement. Rick Ridgeway is the VP of Public Engagement at Patagonia. He talked about how the company helped the founders of the movement develop their certification tool. You can see their commitment to positive impact on our planet here.
Personal Application
It’s great that some large companies are making money and also supporting the impact movement. But, what about smaller businesses, non-profits, or small groups just trying to do great things in the community? I think they can learn great lessons from bigger operations on what things are the most important to consider. But, there is also some things that bigger companies don’t have to think about.
When you are an individual or just a group friends trying to do something great, you have to generate awareness in what you are doing. You have to SELL your idea in order grow your impact. You’re not looking for personal recognition. You’re not playing the social media vanity game. You are trying to highlight a need and provide. There is however, some friction.
Hey! Look at Me
I am writing about how social technology has bombarded us in my book. The amount of research I have done is extensive. The vast majority of it has led me to believe that we are beyond the point of compartmentalizing modern the modern systems that we use. Facebook is just part of everyone’s life and the other applications that we use become a part as we use them. New companies will form and try to take market share and competition will continue to press the market forward. Individuals can choose to limit their consumption or even eliminate use completely. However, society as a whole will include digital networking for millennia to come.
The establishment of social media in our system has made it a requirement for those seeking a voice to use it. It’s just not fast enough to communicate with masses of people in other ways. I need to be clear that it is NOT a replacement for healthy relationships. You can find more information on this subject in one of my most referenced pieces of research, the Grant Study. You must develop close relationships with key people in order to expand your impact project. This requires more than a social post. But, in order to make your message known to a lot of people, it was to be communicated digitally. You can’t mail a letter to thirty thousand people (for free) and expect for them to open it, no less take the time to read it.
Today’s technology is great in that it allows anyone to share a message, but the problem is that everyone can share messages. This means your message has to be unique and compelling. It really has to be “doctored” in a legitimate way. Your passion for the cause has to be evident or you’ll never be heard.
Keynote or Talk
The first time I ever experienced a big business conference I was pretty excited for the keynote presentation. There were thousands of people there in Boston and we were all gathered in one big room. This was not during a pandemic, but it almost felt a bit too close.
They really packed us in the room and the commotion before the event started was intense. I was socializing with some people I hadn’t seen in a while and trying to meet some knew people as well. All of a sudden, someone came up behind me with a glockenspiel. Yes, a glockenspiel. You can buy one on Amazon here. He was hitting it with a mini mallet forming a tune with ascending notes. It sounded a bit like the noise you might hear if an elevator was announcing its presence in a lobby. It was a surprisingly effective method for getting people to quiet and sit down. There wasn’t a loud announcement, whistling, or yelling from the conference organizer. It was soft, yet it pierced through the noise. In about five minutes, things calmed down and there was an announcement made that the event was going to start shortly and most people took their seats.
This period of five minutes showed me two things:
It’s better to calmly alert people of something important, than to aggressively command that they do it.
I should have a glockenspiel.
I will always remember how settled I felt at that presentation. In comparison, at other events since then, I’ve always felt a little interrupted and not ready for the presentation to begin. I have also never acquired a glockenspiel but in some strange way learning how to play the drums has satisfied the need to hit something and make music. The December 29, 2020 E-Impact Blog entry talks about my journey in learning to play.
Awareness
It’s time to alert people of your passion. You’ve established that you have an important message. You’ve also done your research and you may have even developed some key relationships. You might have a small group of people on board. Now, you have to advocate and educate. You also have to be a salesperson.
I’ve been through various sales training activities and I heard the words know, like, and trust a seemingly infinite amount of times. I believe there are many other aspects of a great business or impact project. Yet, those three things really stand out when it comes to championing your purpose. You can say as many great things that you know and provide all the informational material available but you can’t build awareness without people knowing, liking, and trusting you and your team.
You need to be known because that will mean you are standing out amongst the social technology noise. You need to be liked so that people will consider being of assistance. You need to be trusted so that people feel like you're supporting a legitimate cause. A good salesperson of a for-profit company needs to have these three things so that people will feel comfortable buying her or his products. You need the same so people will buy into the cause.
Bringing people to know, like, and trust is not easy for a regular sales person. But, at least they have something (often tangible) that provides satisfaction for the customer. You, on the other hand, are asking some one to know, like, and trust you so you can show them how to give of their own resources for someone else’s benefit. This is why it is extra important to stand out in our over stimulated digital world with those three things.
Execution
Standing out in a unique way takes some effort. You have to be different but not annoying. It’s just like the beautiful tones of a glockenspiel.
You must figure out a way to sell your cause in a critical, yet motivating and empowering style.
I would suggest choosing a specific medium (application) to concentrate on initially. Learn how to use it most efficiently. Find out the newest features and perfect your proficiency. Then, combine your knowledge and experiences (wisdom, see E-Impact 43) to create a story. Write it down (or type it out) and be as detailed as you possibly can. Once you have the story, you have everything you need. You just need to cut it up in to bitesize, easily consumable pieces. Use your platform of choice to tell different parts of the story over time. This is how people will get to know you.
As you are educating people on who you are and what your cause is about, you’ll develop a persona. Some people will like it, and others will not. But, it will be clear who you are and what your cause is. As long as you are reasonable and kind, there will be plenty of people who like what you are doing. The ones who don’t are not a good fit. There’s nothing wrong with you or them, it just doesn’t make sense to work together.
The third element of a good sales persona takes the most time to build. Trust does not develop quickly. The only way to speed up its progress is by consistently showing up. You need to reinforce what you are doing by gently alerting people of what you are trying to do. It’s just like a glockenspiel telling people that it is time to calm down and prepare to experience a presentation. The five minutes that it took to quiet everyone down at my conference is the equivalent of months, maybe years, of developing trust. Whistling and trying to yell over people in hopes they would suddenly stop talking and sit down is the equivalent of blasting out numerous urgent messages in order to convince people that your cause is the most important. It’s futile.
Once you’ve perfected a single medium, you can consider other methods to build awareness. The more people that are helpful, the more your scale will increase. But, don’t be come greedy or over sell. As people join the cause, they will have a bit of head start if your message is solid, but they will also have be known, liked, and trusted themselves. Coach them through it and they’ll be just fine.
You can build a team that makes a positive impact. Your impact project will be known, liked, and trusted and you will sell people on a great cause.
Just get down to business.