What’s the ROI on Being Nice? & RESPECT [Episode 657]

Doug Sandler, CEO and Podcastologist at TurnKey Podcast Company, and Bridget Gleason, VP of Sales for Logz.io and my regular partner, join me on this episode.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

First guest: Doug Sandler

• Andy categorizes people by whether or not they are a good person. Before deciding to conduct business with someone, Doug’s client Nathan considers whether he could happily spend a day in a canoe with them.
• Different opinions are fine, but can we be civil when we disagree? Doug says social media influences how people communicate. He quotes a teacher: “Be sure that brain is engaged before putting mouth in gear.”
• Andy cites a recent case of a commentator denigrating a student spokesperson in a way that was not at all nice.
• Being nice has a great ROI. Look at yourself and ask if you are being a good person. Being nice is not a sign of weakness. Doug quotes, “If you don’t think nice guys finish first, then you don’t know where the finish line is.”
• Catch people in the act of doing something right. Show gratitude, empathy, and compassion — these are important for everyday life as well as for business. Personality and behavior are better than business skills.
• Doug quotes Gary Vaynerchuk, “What’s the ROI of your mother?” Doug’s mom said, “You can land a plane 90% correct and still kill everyone on board.” It takes years to build a reputation and one comment to wreck it.
• Doug always looks for the nice thing to do and say. This is how to build trust and relationships. Also, associate with and network with nice people with good reputations.
• Doug’s team offers steps to improve professionalism. The first is to smarten communications. Attend to detail, spelling, grammar, punctuation, and tone. Your writing reflects on you and could cause injury.
• How does the audience receive your message? For example, the symbol ‘#’ can represent tic-tac-toe, lbs., a social media phrase, the end of a press release, checkmate, or a musical sharp. Who is your audience?
• Another step is to dress appropriately for the audience. Overdressing is not harmful; underdressing is bad. Andy suggests dressing one level better than the people you’re meeting. You can always take off a jacket if need be.
• Another step is to be nice. Doug defines being nice by actions. Return all phone calls. Return all emails, and answer all the questions in the email. Be on time (early) for every appointment. Greatly exceed expectations.
• Communicate clearly. Send two text messages a day to people you have not seen in the last 30 days. This ties thin threads of relationships into thicker cords and steel cables. Better relationships equal better business.

Second Guest: Bridget Gleason

• Bridget ran in the morning. Andy is about to ride his Peloton bike for the 199th time. Andy went with his wife last month to a bike training camp.
• Since the show is now released on Wednesday, what should it be called instead of Front Line Fridays? Bridget will come up with a new name in a future episode.
• The topic is respect. Who is due your respect? Andy was taught that respect can’t be demanded; it needs to be earned. Do sales reps respect people they work with? Do sellers respect buyers? What do your behaviors indicate?
• When emailing Andy, research him. Don’t comment on his blog while ignoring his podcast. Know about him before reaching out. Do the same for all your prospects, or your email message will be counter-productive. Respect them.
• The more your message matches the interests of the buyer the more you show you care about them and respect them. Be enthusiastic. If your emails are not already hitting it out of the park, change them up.