Over the weekend, my husband and I sat quietly watching Denzel Washington’s movie, “Unstoppable” through Netflix. There was a scene there where there was this massive unmanned runaway train and Denzel was going to risk his life to stop the train and save the town from all the toxic cargo it had. The owner of the company was livid because he already has plans to derail the train and yet Denzel is risking his life for the cause. When his boss asked him why he’s doing it despite being fired and given his 90-days notice for no reason, he said: “I’m not doing this for you…”
I had a really profound conversation with my husband about that. We went back and forth, “agreeing to disagree” but admittedly, he brought up a good question.
Do people really buy only from people they like? Do you really need to be liked to gain customers?
His background is Aerospace Engineering but prior to that, he was a Director of Sales for a big rubber and alloy company and their clients were predominantly huge aerospace companies with billion dollar programs. He said that there were so many personality conflicts and ego floating around in that industry that one doesn’t really need to be liked for transactions to happen. You just need to have the best product and pricing.
Honestly, I was almost stumped when he said that because I saw his point.
HOWEVER, here’s how I responded to that. When we talk about product and you are the only one or the best one at what’s being offered, being liked is probably not as relevant. All the customer wants is a good reliable product and of course,
A TRUSTED REPUTATION.
I told him that his clients may not necessarily like him – which they do – but somehow, they have to be able to TRUST the company and the brand.
As a Relational Marketer, having clients who are Authors, Speakers, Coaches and Business Owners, I always talk about how your marketing efforts are off K.I.L.T.E.R. if your prospects don’t get to:
K – Know
I – Involve
L – Like
T – Trust
E – Embrace
R – Respect
It is an ongoing process to make sure that your marketing efforts are on track and I have simplified all of that with The Emma5.
So, my answer to the question, “Do You Really Need To Be Liked” is YES. Do you need to like me immediately? Probably not. Just like Trust, to be Liked is subjective and it does take time. However, do you need to be liked before any business transaction could take place? Not always, but most often than not, the answer is YES!
Our potential clients are getting more savvy and rightfully so as there are so many choices out there for experts and people we will allow to speak into our lives and influence us.
Being KNOWN is the first step and that is achieved through being visible online. As you become more visible, and start INVOLVE-ing your prospects now get to decide whether they LIKE you enough to consume your offerings and content. After being liked comes being TRUSTED. Trust is the result of repetition and consistency. When you then allow them to EMBRACE you by sharing of your authenticity, you earn their RESPECT and they not only do business with you but they become raving fans and a referrals for life.
This right here is my secret in making sure that my marketing is never off K.I.L.T.E.R.
Our Facebook Group, The Relational Marketers – is a great community to exercise sharing of your authenticity and expertise and as you give to the group, you get so much in return. Come see for yourself…
Oh and as always, I encourage you to leave a comment, “Share” the love by liking and sharing this post and Subscribing to my posts by clicking on that orange RSS button on the top right hand side of this page…
Until next time…
I Am Cheering You On to Your Success!
Emma










