We all know it when we hear it-the sound of the genuine. We hear it less and less these days, because marketing, politics and interpersonal communication often lacks honesty and authenticity. Stephen Colbert captured the erosion of genuine with the word "truthiness." Here's what he said in a Rolling Stone interview by Maureen Dowd:
"I'm not a fan of facts,'' he boasts. "Facts can change all the time, but my opinion will never change." Truthiness, a word he made up just before going on air, has been hailed by New York magazine as "the summarizing concept of our age."
Yep, it's a house of mirrors out there. Fortunately, after leading a session at the Multiple Sclerosis Society national meeting, the honest, transparent and effective marketers there made me so inspired that seemingly nothing could undo my faith in authenticity.
Several other great, human interactions also reminded me of the importance of genuine communication and customer service.
On a recent trip to the Natural History museum, right between the Hirshorn and the National Archives on 7th Street, smack-dab in the middle of the National Mall in the center of a four-lane road, my car broke down. It died completely.
Thanks to excellent Geico customer service, a tow truck was dispatched right away. In the meantime three separate people pulled over and volunteered to help. One tried to jump-start the slumbering Honda. One offered to push it off the road. And one, an off-duty city worker in a highway construction truck, parked behind me with a giant lit arrow in the back of his vehicle, directing traffic away from my lane. When the tow truck arrived, the driver told me he'd drop the car off at the Honda dealership and do the paperwork for me so they'd start work on it in the morning. Wow.
Unfortunately, in a city, it is absolutely extraordinary to experience that much civility and kindness in an hour.
When my wireless went down a Linksys representative on live chat was also extraordinary. When our chat got disconnected, I re-entered the system and a second representative actually successfully hunted down the original representative for me. It was quite the customer service experience, because it was so human.
This is one place where we can and should claim our superiority as marketers: being genuine about our genuinely good causes.
Being human does amazing things for you, in life, in business, as a charity. Consider doing these three human things and see if it makes you extraordinary:
1) Human customer care: Have senior staff send a personal email or make a phone call when one of your supporters is upset or unhappy or especially generous. People are absolutely stunned when a Vice President or President or Director takes the time to personally say thanks, or that they are sorry for a problem and sincerely ask how they can fix it. In a world of robot phone systems, a sincere response sets an organization apart in the best way. When my Linksys representative talked to me like a real person rather than a problem to be dispensed with, she won me over.
2) Human help: Network for Good Chairman Scott Case rightfully said we should put a personal email address or phone number online, in clear view (not hidden behind hundreds of web pages), for when people need help. Not only do people appreciate it, it's a valuable source of feedback and audience data for the organization. Keep comments open on your blog. You'll be far more respected if you let people speak out and engage them in conversation than if you try to control all communication. Don't be afraid to admit your flaws; acknowledge them and say how you're addressing them. People love when you take responsibility!
3) Human faces: Don't just talk about the number of people you help or the dollars you need, talk about the amazing, honest, human stories behind your programs. That means the stories of both beneficiaries and staff of your organization. Supporters and constituents want to know the real people they are reaching. Think this is obvious? It may be, but it is neglected all the time. If you are a membership organization, or an organization that helps other organizations, you can still do this. Tell the stories of the people that were helped as a result of the programs or partnerships you have. Don't talk as much about the journey to social change (workshops and partnerships aren't that interesting except to ourselves), as much you talk about the destination. It's about who is at the finish line.
I will leave my last thoughts on the topic to Diva Marketer Toby Bloomberg, who hit the nail on the head:
Authenticity is difficult to mask... Meeting-up offline is one more reason for bloggers to stay true to the Blog Mantra of Honesty, Transparency, Authenticity and of course Passion. Honesty, Transparency, Authenticity are the building blocks of establishing trust. Sure is difficult to do business without it - online or off.
