Nate Riggs: Social Business Strategies; communication, social web strategies, & passion in Columbus, Ohio.

Harrison Hove is a trust agent, and I’m glad we met.  I’m so grateful to him (and ONN) for featuring me in this TV interview.  Harrison really went the extra mile to give me some good face time, and I’m truly humbled.

Anyway, enough shameless self-promotion.  There’s much learning to be done regarding human business from my experience with Harrison.

Ready?  Good.  Class is in now session.

Human Business Lesson 1 – Impressions are Gold
I first talked to Harrison the night before we shot this interview.  He was respectful and polite on the phone, and had obviously done his home work.  Harrison knew about my online presence, what I speak about and write about here, and he was able to quickly let me know why he wanted to chat.  Let’s be honest.  I’m a small business owner, so any time the traditional media calls me, I’ll pretty much jump through flaming hoops to get on TV or in the paper.  It’s great exposure for Social Business Strategies and validation for this whole movement towards the social web.  Harrison’s approach was a breath of fresh air.  He made me feel like he really cared about what I had to say, and not just how he was going to get his story finished by the deadline.  Good first impressions are gold.

Human Business Lesson 2 – Social Capital is a Two-Way Street
Harrison came in the next morning bright and early, right before his trip to Cleveland for another shoot.  Even though he was busy that day, he was cool and conversational, and we started to chat.  I used to be involved in broadcasting and continue to be fascinated by the latest equipment and tricks-of-the-trade.  We spent some time talking about cameras and post-production software, and even our personal use of Facebook and Twitter.  It was a really pleasant conversation and it helped me start the morning off on a good foot.  Then we started the interview.  What’s important here is that Harrison didn’t rush in for the sale.  He moved slowly, added some value, and when the time was right and enough social capital had been banked, he asked for what he needed – the interview and my content.  On the flip side, because he had invested in the relationship first, I felt obligated to do the best that I could do for him.  I wanted to give him good stuff he could use.  Welcome to the bank of human business.  For the most part, social capital is a two-way street.

Human Business Lesson 3 – Repeat the Cycle
When Harrison left, I tweeted at him.  Shortly after, he tweeted back.  I think we’ve connected on LinkedIn, but if we haven’t we will soon.  I’ve just sent a friend request on Facebook.  We’ll most definitely cross paths again and I welcome that (no news story needed).  It’s been a few days since we met and we’ve had at least a dozen short communications on various platforms. Notice the progression of the relationship:

1. Harrsion contacts me by telephone.
2. We meet in person.
3. Exchange of value in person.
4. Short and continued contact via Twitter.
5. Permanent connections established on profile-based networks, like Facebook and LinkedIn.
6. Harrison tweets that the story is done and emails me a link.  I reply.
7. As a next step, we’ll probably use the same tools (+Tungle) and have coffee or lunch (Harrison, it’s on me, dude.)
8. Continue to repeat the cycle.

Human Business Lesson 4 – Keep the Power of Broadcast Media in Mind
Never forget the power of traditional media like TV and Radio.  Internet enthusiasts, like you and I, are still small in numbers (comparatively).  The larger part of population is still married to sitcoms, nightly news and talk radio.  Humans who make the web their playground are still in a supporting role.  Always keep the power of broadcast media in mind.

What do you think of the idea of human business?  Does it make sense?  Did you learn anything?  How can you teach others?