The Groundswell Effect Part III

by John R. SedivycloseAuthor: John R. Sedivy Name: John R. Sedivy
Email: john@capecodbranding.com
Site: http://www.capecodbranding.com
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Introduction
This article is the conclusion of a three part series which is based on the marketing book Groundswell: Winning In A World Transformed By Social Technologies. In Part I I had discussed what exactly a groundswell is, the changing rules of the free market, outlined the concept of the sum being greater than individual parts and added some personal reflections on these topics. In Part II, I had discussed the traditional marketing approach, the changing direction of marketing caused by the groundswell, and the threats and opportunities caused by the groundswell.  Finally, in this article I will address the importance of relationships and how the groundswell impacts relationships.

Relationships
Relationships matter – plain and simple. Your marketing efforts, your network, and your overall personal and professional brands are only as strong as your relationships. Create deep and strong relationships and word of mouth will spread and opportunities will come your way. This has been true in the traditional branding and marketing sense and I have certainly found this to be true in the groundswell.

So how does one develop meaningful relationships? Like many things in life there is more than one answer but I will give you what has worked in my experience. Be true to your word, create value, and be consistent. In my opinion, being true to one’s word, or having integrity is most important and lays the foundation for the other two attributes. If your relationships are built on deception, they will be short lived, regardless of the value you create, and even if you are consistent in doing so. Act with integrity – always.

Secondly, create value in the services you provide or by your mere presence in a given situation. A common theme I had picked up during my time in the Marines and while attending business school was to always leave a place or situation better than when you have found it. In the military, if you were in charge of a given piece of property, take the initiative and clean, organize or improve it in some manner, therefore it is in better shape for the next person. In the business school sense, when participating in a consulting engagement the company receiving your services should be better off than when you arrived – they certainly should not be worse off.

Finally, act with integrity and create value consistently. This is easier said than done, but in my experience if you strive for perfection, you will at least attain excellence. Life is full of ups and downs, and it is admittedly difficult to perform consistently throughout life’s challenges. However, strive to be the best at what you do, and do so in a consistent manner and it will become second nature. Life’s ups will counteract the difficulties and you will achieve consistency. Consistency is enhanced with persistent deliberate practice as I had mentioned in my The Five Keys to Success Part I article.

Relationships & The Groundswell
Although this advice is pertinent to traditional, offline relationships, I believe it holds true for virtual, online relationships as well. In fact, I believe these attributes are even more important in the groundswell – here’s why. Given the nature of the groundswell, and the Internet in general, it is becoming increasing common for people to make personal and business relationships without meeting for some time, if ever. Without the benefit of meeting one another, it is vitally important that relationships be based upon integrity, value, and consistency.

Furthermore, without the benefit of meeting one another in person, budding relationships need to gain a sense of trust – virtually. Furthermore, they need to be confident that you will create value, and do so consistently. Anyone who has ever started and maintained an online business will attest to this. In the beginning, traffic is slow, but builds up quickly over time once a few people are willing to take the risk of dealing with a new business and leave appropriate feedback. Of course there are things that can be done to compensate for not meeting or not having a brick and mortar presence, such as providing your contact information such as e-mail, phone, or physical address on the website.

I have found this to be true with my experience working in virtual environments and increasingly so with Cape Cod Branding and CCB Buzz. In my case, I pledge to write only information that I know to be true from references or from my personal experience; trust is built over time through regular readership and I recognize how sacred a thing this is. The value I offer is by keeping abreast on relevant topics for personal and business development and offering a unique style based upon my personal and professional experiences. Finally, I do so in a consistent manner by striving to write consistently in regards to quality, and frequency of posting and above all else providing a positive experience for my readers.

Cofebuz & Relationships

One last word on relationships. I recommend that anyone interested in further discussion on relationships should head over to cofebuz which is a blog authored by Tim Klabunde. Tim is a former classmate at the Johns Hopkins Carey Business School and serves as Director of Marketing at William H. Gordon Associates. I am a regular reader and Tim’s overarching emphasis on the creation and maintenance of quality relationships has triggered ideas which I use for my writing.

Relationship fundamentals are amplified in the groundswell!

-John R. Sedivy of Cape Cod Branding

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