Comments on: Both Sides of Choosing to Disconnect, Un-Follow or De-Friend your Competitors on Social Networks

By: Nate Riggs

Nate Riggs — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 21:01:48 +0000

You bring up a very interesting point, Jay. Thanks for the comment. IMHO, if sales people are really doing their job and uilding real relationships, it’s a moot point as to if someone else connects with them on social media networks. For one, just because I follow someone on Twitter or LinkedIn does not necessarily mean that my relationship is strong enough with them that I could approach them as a sales rep.

Having the ability to monitor those relationships via SM is a good thing. For one, it allows departments to police themselves. If one of the salke associates is neglecting contact or letting the relationship slip, others in the organization will have a sense of what’s happening. Silos in organizations in terms of who’s doing what with which prospect or client have always presented challenges. You are correct in that having access to new media profiles makes some portion of previously guarded information public.

For me, I think it’s really an argument for shifting organizational culture, from cut throat and guarded relationships, to open dialog and sharing. The culture of a sales department is always the side product of the attitudes of the leaders and the tone they set. Social media tools can help make those nuances visible, but shifting organizational culture happens as a result of humans working together on the ground…

By: Jay Schmidt

Jay Schmidt — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 14:05:02 +0000

Nate, I really like all the opinions you lay out in the post. Everything makes really good sense. I’m wondering what your opinion is on friending / following as it pertains to a sales organization. Most sales organizations have archaic sales guidelines where accounts are “carded” by individual sales people and therefore cannot be called on by any other salesperson in the organization. What are the repercussions of following an individual or an organization that is already “carded” by another sales associate in your organization? Is that the same as making a sales call and violating the sales guidelines? At my company I follow several agencies that are carded by another sales associate. So even if I can’t have direct access to that organization and present a sale, I can at least track the activity and become familiar so that I might be able to engage them if that salesperson moves on or if they drop the account. Its never been brought up to me, but I have a feeling that my fellow sales associates would be a bit put-off that I have been following their clients and in some instances, RTs or replies@ could be misconstrued as actual contact, thus violating sales guidelines. Any thoughts on those scenarios?

By: Eric

Eric — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 22:46:01 +0000

I agree completely.
My company has advised us not to “friend” people from companies we contract with, a policy ignored by nearly everyone. Most people where I work came from companies we contract with. Several heard of the job they currently have via their social network.

Business relationships are with people. When people switch companies, it’s good to be able to know where to find the ones you need to get the job done.

On a social networking site, you are your own worst enemy and best friend. What you tell everyone can make or break you. Your friends (good or bad) have little to do with that.

By: Nate Riggs

Nate Riggs — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 22:26:30 +0000

Thanks for the comment Stephanie. I tend to agree with you, but I’m learning that there is a very large population of people who are guarded about their client relationships. There’s probably good reason for that – but IMHO, the access that social media creates should not be one of those reasons.

By: Stephanie Bauer

Stephanie Bauer — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 20:54:53 +0000

This is something that has definitely come up in our office when we tweet out pictures of current projects we are doing for clients. Can they go and “steal” our clients? Yes. But if I am doing a good job creating a trusting relationship I shouldn’t have to worry about my client jumping ship. And besides, companies risk competitors stealing clients every day, with or without social media!

I would rather have access to my competitors information and learn from them as well. You can have “friendly” relationships with competitors. We do. If we don’t have something, or need to know how to go about producing something in a better manner, we ask! Our competitors do the same with us. I don’t see why people want to go and shut out others from receiving their message, or vise-versa. There is a lot we can learn from other people and other companies without sacrificing ethics.