If you’re in business it’s highly likely that at some point you will have been asked whether you follow a B2B (business to business) or B2C (business to consumer) model. The question is usually asked to help clarify what kind of marketing, positioning and processes and systems you might need as these can vary depending on the type of business you operate.
Making distinctions of this kind can be useful in some cases, however what’s more important is understanding that every business needs to be P2P – Person to Person. People do business with people. More importantly people do business with people they like and trust.
The more personally engaged and focused you are the more likely you are attract and retain loyal clients and raving fans. That means focusing on the individuals you deal with at a truly personal level and not considering them as a homogeneous mass.
So how can you become more P2P focused irrespective of whether you’re currently a B2B or B2C business?
- Walk your talk. Don’t just talk about being person-focused, actively demonstrate it in the way you behave. Make people feel good about themselves, and about interacting with you, by being thoughtful, respectful and truly present.
- Let your personality shine. Avoid trying to be something or someone you aren’t, instead allow your natural personality shine through in all your dealings with clients and customers. Encourage those who have high client-contact roles to do likewise, ensuring everyone who represents you is congruent with your organisation’s values and principles.
- Make processes P2P-centric. Instead of implementing systems from an inside-out perspective, that is having them suit you first and foremost, put yourself in your client or customer’s shoes and turn them outside-in so they are person-focused not system-focused.
- Be ‘Flawsome’. Don’t worry about being perfect, instead focus on doing the best you can in any given circumstance and when things go wrong, front-up, accept responsibility, and work to put things right in ways your client or customer thinks is awesome.
- Be recommendable. More than 85% of business comes from personal referrals and recommendations in many businesses. Deliver on your promises and behave in a way that makes it easy for people to feel good about putting their reputation on the line to enthusiastically recommend you.
Actively nurture a P2P focus and you’ll stand out from the crowd, attract and retain positive clients and customers, and create lasting connections no matter what business you’re in.
Copyright Hannah Samuel. All rights reserved. Originally published in Reputationz News April 2012 by Hannah Samuel. www.hannahsamuel.com
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