By Kruse Control
“Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage. If you want to conquer fear, do not sit home and think about it. Go out and get busy.” ~Dale Carnegie
I was in Orlando last week speaking at a conference. I had a free morning so I asked the concierge where the best place to walk might be. He answered, “The Nature Walk.” That conjured up beautiful images in my imagination and I couldn’t wait to get going. The Florida Everglades are a natural wonder and for someone who grew up in Southern California, they are very intriguing.
I walked out and around the hotel’s golf course then onto the path and came upon a sign with information about the Nature Walk. It reminded people to watch out for ant hills along the way. “Ok”, I thought. I walked about a 1/2 mile further and the scenery was breathtaking. I saw beautiful birds and wondrous plants that can only be found in the Everglades. I took another turn and came upon a gorgeous clearing. I looked ahead a few feet and saw this sign:
When a hotel concierge describes something as a “Nature Walk”, one never really thinks about it being an exercise in food chain economics.For a moment, I thought about moving forward but then realized that these were REAL alligators, not the ones I’m used to seeing on the Jungle Cruise ride at Disneyland. So, I started to get scared because all the while I’d been on the lookout for those ant hills, an alligator could’ve been sauntering along getting ready to pounce. I scanned the area like the Terminator and high-tailed it for the golf course filled with the less-harmful animals.
Later that day after my speech, I walked the exhibit hall floor and met the most delightful car dealer and his Internet manager. They were from the South and were probably very comfortable with alligators in their midst. What they were apprehensive about was Social Media. They’d been hearing about it for awhile and knew they needed to find out more but it just wasn’t sitting too well with them for a myriad of reasons:
- Who is supposed to handle Social Media?
- How do we keep employees from saying the wrong things?
- What do we post?
- Where is the return on investment for Social Media?
- Why do we have to be on Social Media?
I got to thinking about how scary it must be for dealers (and most all business owners) who are new to Social Media. Those of us that adopted early and are in the trenches everyday don’t take enough time to realize how fearful this “open and connected” economy can be for someone new. What a metaphor that Nature Walk experience was for me.
The best way to face your Social Media fear is to crack out of your comfort zone, breakdown the components and load yourself with enough information so that you can make the right decisions:
- Spend 15 minutes everyday reading blogs that focus on Social Media marketing.
- Sites like CBT News offer short, information-packed videos that require a very small time commitment.
- Find people you trust or those that have credibility in the industry who can guide you without trying to sell you.
The next step is to take action and experience Social Media yourself:
- Get a Facebook account and start lurking. You don’t have to interact but it’s oh so much better if you do.
- If Facebook isn’t your gig, then check out Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, or Linkedin. The concept of Social networking is the same on these sites so find that one that you feel good about and go for it.
- Spend 15 minutes everyday interacting with those you’re connected to.
Information is power. That sign on the path gave me information to make a considered decision. Social Media is nothing to be feared. It’s a way to connect and engage your customers at every level of the sales process. Once you’ve taken the few steps outside your comfort zone, you’ll start to see how valuable Social Media is to your business.
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