Treat people like people

 

Sometimes we forget that our employees, our vendors, our customers are just human. We see employees as uncaring, lazy bums. We see vendors as vampires eyeing our money. We see customers as demanding and complaining Karens. We see bosses as cold-hearted and stingy slave drivers. A little empathy can go a long way in understanding others and working with them to achieve shared goals.

Marketing Tricks #04 - FREE

 

Free stuff is often not free. In exchange, you give them an opportunity to sell their real products to you. Free attracts you. Free allows the seller to get a foot in. Maybe they'll get your email, or your time. At least they'll get your attention.

What to do with this information:

When you are a buyer, recognise these tricks and don't let them affect you making the right decision. Don't hate marketers. It is their job to help sellers connect to their target audience. As a buyer it is your responsibility to understand the product and whether it fits you.

When you are a seller, this is a trick you can use. No matter how well you market, you must still have a good product if you want to stay in business. Do right by your customers.

Who do you promote?

 

Do you promote the employee who is great at her job but gets along poorly with her peers, or the employee who is moderately competent but works well with her team?

You owe your staff an explanation, always

 

Yes, as a leader, you are responsible for making that difficult decision. You not only have to make it, you also need to communicate to your team why. Even if not everyone agrees it is the best way, they must understand the reasoning behind the decision. If your staff has no clue how the big decisions are being made, they won't know how to make the small decisions.

This and other tips in my book Every Employee an Entrepreneur:

Shopee Malaysia

Lazada Malaysia

Google Playstore e-book

Amazon

Amazon Kindle e-book

"I hate networking"

Networking is so fake. You join some event with the intent to know people so that you can build more work relationships or sell stuff to them. You know your objective is career and money, and you have no interest in them as persons, only as potential clients or supporters at work. Indeed, taking this view, I would dread networking.

Human civilisation is built on collaboration. Knowing people is fun because every person has a different story. Knowing people is about understanding their needs and seeing how we can help them and add value to them. It is silly to think that by just knowing people you will be able to milk them for your own selfish benefits. Lasting and fruitful relationships are based on cooperation and mutual help. Just enjoy discovering stories and helping others. And relax. It's not a work assignment.

What percentage of your colleagues are emotion driven?

The answer is 100%. Unless your colleague is a robot.

All humans are emotion driven. Even the calm peacemaker is driven by a strong desire to stay cool and help others resolve conflict. Emotions are part of our survival toolkit. Fear helps us run from danger. Anger gives us determination. Happiness helps us bond with others. When you understand and harness emotions, especially your own, they help you achieve great things.

Link: why social media may not be the problem

https://markmanson.net/social-media-isnt-the-problem

Zoom tips

1. Camera at eye level. Don't let people look up your nostrils. 

2. Lighting should be bright and cheerful. 

3. Use virtual backgrounds only when you need to display your brand or some other important information. Otherwise they feel impersonal, especially the default ones. If you want to use a virtual background, find something different that says something about you. Real backgrounds are more authentic. Find a place which is neat and tidy. Blank walls are good. 

What story do you tell yourself?

 

How we feel about our situation and how we react to it are highly dependent on the stories we tell ourselves. An illness can be an annoying disruption to work or a reminder to rest and take care of your health. An old friend gradually becoming distant can be an uncaring friend, or just you two growing apart and getting into different new interests. Winning the lottery can be a lucky break or an undeserved fortune. If a person is determined to tell himself sad stories, no good circumstance will be spared. If a person is determined to find hope, every dark cloud has a silver lining.

The 1997 movie Life is Beautiful is a good example.