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Connecting with Customers: Mack Collier SRO

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A SERIES in the quest to know more about the offline world

Part 3 in (what is now) a 4-Part Interview with Mack Collier

Last Wednesday we continued the a conversation with Mack Collier about connecting with new customers. The interview has been so popular that I’ve asked Mack to return for a few more questions and answers.

Hi Mack! Thanks for agreeing to talk some more!
Could you bring us back to a description of your typical client?

Right now it’s mainly small businesses. But have also noticed some corporations aren’t ready to put plans in action, but want to get some general Social Media 101 advice. Am also noticing that now most of the clients I come in contact with already have blogs and need help with them, instead of needing to know how to get started blogging.

Many people get a mindset that the Internet is one thing and offline is another. How do you fit social media into the whole of a marketing mix?

Here’s an example I use alot; if you sell anything online, then why wouldn’t you want to better connect with and communicate with your online customers? Social media can help you do that. Now if you run a auto repair shop, you might not even have a website. But if you do any business online, then you have customers online that you can better connect with via social media.

What is the most natural first small step for most companies to take? If you’re getting someone to ramp up slowly, what’s the first thing you suggest they do to learn the culture and why that?

I always advise clients to start monitoring the existing conversations. Figure out first what is being said online about your business. And I will show companies conversations that happened maybe last year, and ask them to think about how that exchange (especially if it was negative) could have been different if the company would have responded. When you know what is being said about your business online, then you can respond. Doing so makes you more comfortable with the space as a whole. Which makes it easier to start blogging and using other social sites/tools.

. . . More on Wednesday — We’ll talk tools, timelines, and clear results!

Thanks, Mack!

–ME “Liz” Strauss
Work with Liz!!

Connecting with Customers: More Talk with Mack Collier

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A SERIES in the quest to know more about the offline world

Part 2 in A 2-Part Interview with Mack Collier

Monday, I shared the beginning of a conversation with Mack Collier about connecting with new customers. This is part two of that interview with Mack.

What do you do when your potential client needs to sell him or her company on the idea of social media?

Make sure they understand how social media can improve their businesses. Many cos/organizations want the ‘monetization’ part built from the start. Social media is often viewed as a potential monetization channel, instead of being a communication channel. What I try to do is make sure the potential client understands that money can be made with social media, but that it comes as a byproduct of using the tools to facilitate connections with current and potential customers, and build those connections into relationships.

It’s very counterintuitive at first because many cos don’t want to enter into a space unless they can see direct monetary benefits. It takes time and much hand-holding in some cases to help businesses realize that successful social media initiatives are based on creating value for others. As you create more value, an INDIRECT benefit is that you can see sales increase, positive equity/awareness grow, etc.

What do most new clients ask for your help with? What misconceptions do they bring?

When the questions start to shift from ‘what do I get out of this?’ to ‘what do my readers/friends/customers get out of this?’ And I think that’s a normal progression for anyone that’s using social media, I was the same way with my blogging and Twittering at first. But after a while I began to understand that the more value I created for others, the more value came back to me. We need to remember that companies need time to learn these same lessons.

. . . It seems that we — you and I — have more questions, and I’ve confirmed that Mack has more answers. So Mack and I have agreed to extend the interview. Watch for parts three and four next week!

Thanks, Mack!

–ME “Liz” Strauss
Work with Liz!!

Connecting with Customers: A Conversation with Mack Collier

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A SERIES in the quest to know more about the offline world

Part 1 in A 2-Part Interview with Mack Collier

Recently, I asked Mack Collier. if he’d talk about connecting with new customers. He was more than generous in sharing how the clients he looks for and how he interacts with them. This is part one of that interview with Mack.

Hi Mack, I can tell by what you write that you meet many folks who are just figuring out that the web has something going on. How would you describe the most likely candidate to move toward the Internet these days?

I think the people that are successful in social media moving forward will be the ones that remain curious. This space is just changing so quickly that you have to keep an open mind and be receptive to the changing landscape. The people that write social media off as a ‘fad’ and refuse to learn more about how these tools work are the ones that are really going to be at a disadvantage in the coming years.

What do most new clients ask for your help with? What misconceptions do they bring?

Most are wanting help with blogging. And many are viewing a blog as a more frequently updated website. They want to use the blog to make ‘announcements’ and even view it as something to be search-optimized, as they would a website. Many can tell me what keywords they want targeted in their blog posts, but haven’t given any thoughts to a comment policy. But this is just a byproduct of unfamiliarity with the space.

Where do you usually start them out?

Usually a potential client will start off with “Well I know I need to be blogging…”, and I’ll ask them to back up and explain how they know that. They usually offer that they just assumed that blogging is the logical starting point. So what we’ll do is examine their business goals and see if blogging, or any other social tools, make sense for them. But before they launch any type of social media strategy, I want to get them started monitoring online conversations about their company. To me, monitoring and properly responding to what current and potential customers are saying online about your company, is the natural foundation of any social media strategy.

As companies begin to do this, they become more familiar with social media tools, and how to interact with customers online. All of this results in greater success for any social media initiatives they later launch.

. . . Tune in Wednesday. We’ll be discussing what happens when folks back in the office aren’t as keen as the client who connects.

Thanks, Mack!

–ME “Liz” Strauss
Work with Liz!!

Part 4: The Last Time with Matt Rissell of TSheets

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Part 4 in a 4-Part Interview with Matt Rissell

TSHEETS logo

Yesterday, Matt Rissell, CEO of TSheets explained how customers online and offline respond to TSheets. Today we’re finding about the guy who made his job tracking time for folks who work offline, mobile, and on the web.

So, Matt, did you dream about Time travel as a kid? Did you wish you had more time to play? How’d you end up in this business?

To be transparent, I remember hearing as a kid that God wasn’t bound by time. God had complete knowledge of what “I was going to do” but still gave me the freedom to choose whatever it was I wanted to create. That baffled my mind and actually still does. I think to some degree, every kid dreams about ‘Time Travel’. I even remember reading a book where a kid found a little shed that when he sat in it, ‘Time’ was normal for him but outside the box time would stop. In other words, when he was in the box, maybe 1 year would go by but when he went out of the shed, no time would have elapsed. This book inspired me to find my own “shed”. So in my 8 x 9ft bedroom- I used a secret closet behind my bed. Whenever I wanted to dream big, I could pull my bed out away from the closet door and squeeze into the closet where there was complete absence of light. And I would sit in darkness – a bit scary if I remember correctly. It was in that closet that I could shut my eyes and travel to any place or any time that I could image. As my favorite place in the world was on the Colorado Uncompahgre Plateau, where I went camping and hunting with my dad– that is where I would often imagine I was.

I ended up in this business not because I enjoyed imagining about time travel or that I liked movies like “Back to the Future”. I got into this business because Time Tracking is a real business challenge and I challenge that I experienced firsthand. One of the criteria that I use before I’ll engage in a business venture is, “will this opportunity create a win/win/win?” What I mean by that is,

Will the person that purchases my product/service truly be better off than without?
Will this have a positive impact on the environment?
Will this business provide a growth opportunity for me in every aspect of my life?

TSheets nails each one of these right on the head!

Why is Time valuable?

Why time is valuable? – I believe that everything becomes more valuable as it decreases in quantity. Simply put: time is valuable because from the second we are conceived, time starts running out. Further, to create financial wealth, we exchange our time for money. Thus, if time is worth more than money and we are willing to track our monetary investments, it seems foundational to track our time investments.

As I had mentioned earlier, Time Tracking isn’t sexy – until you turn it into making money. At TSheets, we are passionate about helping you understand where you invest their time.

Thanks, Matt. I’ve enjoyed every minute, . . . um, er . . . but I didn’t keep track.

–ME “Liz” Strauss
Work with Liz!!
Blogging well takes less time. Buy the ebook and find out the secret.

Related:
Part 1: A Timely Interview with Matt Rissell of TSheets
Part 2: More Time with Matt Rissell of TSheets
Part 3: Time Out with Matt Rissell of TSheets

Part 3: Time Out with Matt Rissell of TSheets

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A SERIES in the quest to know more about the offline world

Part 3 in a 4-Part Interview with Matt Rissell

TSHEETS logo

Last week, Matt Rissell, CEO of TSheets had just told me why “tracking time is sexy.” Now we’re back to find out more about his business that serves folks who work offline, mobile, and on the web.


Matt, As a product person, I’ve often found folks use products I’ve made in ways I’ve never imagined. What are the top three ways people use TSheets? Do you find that people online use the product differently than people offline do?

The top three ways people use Tsheets, are:

Business owners tracking the time of their team members / employees
Freelance consultants tracking the time of their billable projects
Businesses using TSheets as a Productivity measurement tool

Since TSheets is Web-based, all of the applications for tracking time are essentially on-line. However, the voice activated time tracking has really surprised me in its applications. Now, many Sales Managers, Executives and all users across the board are using TSheets to track their life. This enables TSheets to become an effectiveness training tool as well as a reflection of priorities. For instance, it’s easy to say that “my kids come first” but when you actually create a project code called “family time”, and go back and see the actual time spent with your family – it can be sobering to say the least.

How do people respond when they find out what you do? Do you talk about your product differently online than you do in person? How does that response about TSheets after they’ve had a chance to use them?

Very interesting question! Yes, they do talk about it differently. When I talk to people in person, they often say, “cool idea”. It’s not something I would use but I’m sure you’ll do great”. When people “discover” us on-line, they say, “I have been searching for you! I am so thankful to find your service. I’ll tell all my friends!” It’s intriguing to hear the difference in the responses.

Tomorrow we find out how a guy ends up in this business and why time is valuable. . . .

–ME “Liz” Strauss
Work with Liz!!
Blogging well takes less time. Buy the ebook and find out the secret.

Related:
Part 1: A Timely Interview with Matt Rissell of TSheets
Part 2: More Time with Matt Rissell of TSheets
Part 3: Time Out with Matt Rissell of TSheets
Part 4: The Last Time with Matt Rissell of TSheets

Part 2: More Time with Matt Rissell of TSheets

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A SERIES in the quest to know more about the offline world

Part 2 in a 4-Part Interview with Matt Rissell

TSHEETS logo

Yesterday, I started a conversation with Matt Rissell, CEO of TSheets to find out more about his business that serves folks who work offline, mobile, and on the web. When we ended Matt and I exchanged two questions.

Matt said: Would you be interested in knowing how TSheets can track time from a cell phone?

I answered: Sure, how do you do it and why would I want to?

Liz, fasten your seatbelt and keep arms and legs inside at all times and prepare yourself, because I’m about to change your life. The how: we are the first company in history to create a voice activated time tracking software. For example, you can simply dial a phone number and say, “Hi TSheets, clock me under job code “Bridge Project” and add notes – I’m meeting with the owner to discuss design plans.” At that moment, you are “clocked in” under a job code and notes have been attached to that timesheet. You can also clock in/out from the iPhone Web app., or regular mobile Web app. too.

The “why” is blatantly sexy! You see, tracking time isn’t sexy, that is, until you can turn your time into money. Now, Attorneys, Freelance Consultants, Web Designers, Realtors etc… can accurately track the time that they invest into clients and projects. And now they don’t have to try and remember what they did or talked about, as it can all be captured right there on their timesheet.

Hmmm. I like turning time into money. Most folks do.
Thanks, Matt! More next week about mobile time.

What do YOU think. Would track your time on your cell phone?

–ME “Liz” Strauss
Work with Liz!!
Blogging well takes less time. Buy the ebook and find out the secret.

Related:
Part 1: A Timely Interview with Matt Rissell of TSheets
Part 2: More Time with Matt Rissell of TSheets
Part 3: Time Out with Matt Rissell of TSheets
Part 4: The Last Time with Matt Rissell of TSheets