Team Alpha 375

Are You Tweet-Worthy by Patrick Henry Sitting in the office of the A&R Director of Curb Records many years ago, I thought "this is it." This was the magic moment I had been waiting for -- the tipping point that I had worked for since I first picked up a guitar, strung three chords together, and sang my own home-grown lyrics. With eyes closed, I played what was sure to be Tim McGraw's next chart topper. I hit every note, added the appropriate amount of emotion and pathos, mixed texture and melody, and envisioned the excitement building two feet away in the expensive-smelling leather chair. I opened my eyes expecting to see a face full of jubilation and exuberance, but was instead confronted with crossed arms and an expression devoid of emotion. I was stunned. How could this person not see the songwriting brilliance that my mother and her bible study were so quick to acknowledge? I was instead told something that changed my thinking for life. "Patrick, your song is good. However, hundreds of good songs come through my door every week. A hit song has to have a quality that will make the listener get up off his butt, drive to the record store, and pay fifteen dollars just so he can hear the song again. Your song doesn't have that." Even though the relevance of mainstream record stores has disappeared, the relevance of that statement has not. I call it being tweet-worthy. My concept of tweet-worthiness developed not long ago after a speech in Charlotte, North Carolina. I was speaking on the topic of customer loyalty and had just tried out a new bit of material that I had written specifically for this audience. It was a five-minute poem that illustrated the creation of a peak customer experience. I was a little nervous because I was out of my comfort zone, but after much rehearsal and memorization, it came off better than expected. After my speech, a woman excitedly approached me asking, "What is your twitter address?" "Why?" I asked. She told me that she enjoyed my poem so much that she was tweeting during my speech and wanted to let people know how to reach me. WOW! That was an AHA moment if there ever was one. I now create presentations with tweet-worthy moments in mind. As I'm preparing a talk, I visualize impactful moments throughout the speech that will make audience members reach for their smart phones and tweet to their followers about what they just heard. Are you tweet-worthy? Are you engaging your customers, clients, and co-workers in a way that will make them stop what they are doing, pick up their smart phones, and share with the world how wonderful you are? Who will testify on your behalf? Your customers will. As Jeffrey Gitomer says, "When you say it about yourself, it's bragging. When someone else says it about you, it's proof." Here are three ways to create tweet-worthy moments: DO THE UNEXPECTED. Observe what the other sales reps are doing and do something different. Delivering gourmet cupcakes to the office staff is nice, but hardly original. PROVIDE VALUE. Do you spend every moment in front the decision maker detailing your product? Look for opportunities to help their business succeed. Send articles, blogs, and resource links that will help them achieve their goals. When you become a person of value to the customer you create a buying atmosphere…not a selling one. BE SINCERE. If you become known as a slick salesman…you are finished. As Gitomer says, "You don't need more business, you need more friends". If you treat your customers the way you treat your friends, you will soon be tweeted to prosperity. Just don't get your tweet caught in your twitter.