Tech is Killing Your Business – PTC 474

Tech makes so many things easier in our lives. Unfortunately, it is killing your business. Tech may make it easier for customers to buy. But, it's making it more difficult for you to sell. THE SERVICE STATION Jim Pendergast lived 6 houses up the street from us on the corner when I was growing up. He owned the neighborhood service station. When mom had issues with the car, we'd go see Jim. It was a full service Phillips 66. Jim would pump your gas, clean your windshield and even check the oil if you needed it. We knew Jim, and Jim knew us. Today, you can fill your tank at the gas station and never even talk to anyone let alone know them. When it comes time to have your car serviced, who do you trust? For the last 20 years, I've taken my car to a Midas shop owned by Rick and Brad. When the dealer would tell me I needed work done, I'd take the car to Rick and Brad. One time the dealer said I needed brakes all the way around. I told the dealer I have a brake guy and took the car to Midas. Brad took a look at it and said I still had 3 to 6 months left. Nothing to worry about. He said we'd look at it next time I was in for an oil change. Here is a place that specializes in brakes telling me I don't need brakes. 6 months later Rick and Brad were putting brakes on my car. In July, we took my wife's car into Midas for an oil change. There was a new guy behind the counter. Rick and Brad had sold the franchise and retired. I'm stuck looking for the next person I can trust. Relationships are critical in business. Tech is making it very difficult to create those relationships when we don't interact with people. GO OUTSIDE AND PLAY When I was a kid, we knew everybody on our street. We lived on the corner of a T intersection. Because we were outside playing all the time, we knew everybody. The Nixons, the Weises, the Domenges, the Smiths, the Franks, the Schulers. We knew them all. When toys from the neighbors ended up in our yard, we just took them back over. If their dog got into our backyard, we simply returned him. Today, my son doesn't have a best friend. He knows nobody in our neighborhood, because he is glued to his tech. He hangs out with his buddies on a headset playing Xbox. It's not just my family. We live on a cul-de-sac and nobody is ever playing in the circle. Our neighbors even installed a basketball hoop facing the street, so kids could play. It rarely gets used. I would have killed to live in a circle when I was kid. We'd be out there playing street hockey all the time. And because we don't know our neighbors, it is easy to get angry at them when their dog is in your yard or you have to move a stray ball when you're mowing. We don't know each other. The relationships have been sucked out of society. Love thy neighbor is a thing of the past. ROAD RAGE On my way to a meeting the other day, I was driving behind a really slow SUV on the two-lane highway. She was going a few miles per hour below the speed limit. We were winding through these tree-lined areas, which made it difficult to know where you were or when you needed to turn. It was a bit confusing. I couldn't get around her. Every time I was turning, she would turn. I was behind her forever and felt the tension rise inside of me. My anger was building. As I approached my turn into my destination, she began to slow down. Her signal came on to make the exact same turn. It suddenly hit me that she may be going to the same place, and I might just know this person. I started to feel guilty that I was mad at her. Maybe she didn't know these roads any better than I did. Why was I getting mad? It's easy for us to get mad and lash out at people we don't know. We hide behind our screen names and post nasty things online that we would never say to people we know. We have no relationship to lose, so being nasty isn't a risk. YOUR BUSINESS But when we have no relationship, it also makes it difficult to do business. Think of the last big purchase you made from someone you knew. Maybe it was a car or coaching program. How confident were you in that purchase? Now think of the last big purchase you made from somebody your didn't know. Maybe this was a car or piece of furniture. How confident were you in that purchase? Did you get a good deal? Will it actually solve your problem? What if things go wrong? Relationships make business so much easier. THE LEMON My wife and I recently purchased a used car for my son from a local dealer. My son needed a car to get back to New York where he plays Junior Hockey. The dealer has been in town for years, but we've never purchased from them. It was a nice 2015 SUV. I was just looking for a deal. About a month after we purchased the vehicle, Simon started hearing noise from the front tire. We took it to the shop. It needed a new front CV axle. It was $1,300. The dealer called and said that fixed the noise. However, there was a new noise and it needed a new transmission. It was going to cost $2,500. I had the car towed to another shop who did another transmission for me in the past. Joel looked it over and called me with the news. It didn't need a new transmission. The new noise was because it was 3 quarts low on oil. After a call to the original dealer, I discovered this particular model is know to burn through oil. So much so that Hyundai has extended the warranty on the engine due to the issue. I can't have my 19-year-old son babysitting the oil in a vehicle. So, I wanted to exchange it for something else. The dealer wouldn't help. He wouldn't return my calls. When I did get a call, it was from his service manager or sales manager. Never the GM. THE NEW VEHICLE We finally got fed up and traded it in for $4,000 less than the purchase price at a different dealership. That sure was some deal. This time we traded it for another used vehicle to a dealer where I've purchased 3 other vehicles in the past. We dealt with Jason who has treated me great in the past. That's why we keep going back. We got a great deal and a great vehicle. My son and I just drove that car from Omaha to New York. No problems at all. It is so much easier and assuring when we make a purchase from somebody we know. The relationship makes all the difference. And one step away from buying from someone we know is making a purchase from someone recommended by somebody we know. TECH LACKS RAPPORT Rapport is such an important ingredient of the sales recipe. Unfortunately, tech doesn't allow us to build rapport. We order our groceries online and have them brought out to our car. Other than the kid that delivers the groceries, we rarely talk to anyone. When we visit a fast food restaurant, we order at the kiosk and pick it up at the window. Or worse yet, we order online and have it dropped off at our door. Our Christmas shopping is done on Amazon and delivered on our front porch. We don't even talk to the delivery guy. When I was a kid, we knew Karen. She was the clerk at Baker's supermarket. We'd see her every Saturday when we'd do our shopping. When we'd go into Manglesen's for Christmas gifts, David was there to help and answer our questions. Relationships were built with the businesses who sold us what we needed. We trusted them, because we knew them. Today, we don't know anyone except Siri and Alexa and the pretend lady that pops up in the chat on the dealer website to help you schedule your next oil change. COUNTER THE TECH Bring the relationships back to your life. Love thy neighbor. Society needs it. Your business needs it. Take action against the tech to restore relationships. Start sharing your story. Let your ideal target clients get to know you. Become well known by becoming known well. The best ways to build that rapport and drive your business is sharing your story and your why on your podcast. Audio is such a personal medium. It makes visions dance in the theater of the mind. When you and I watch a video, we see the exact same thing. There is very little left to the imagination. If we watch a video of couple horses trotting through a field, we see the exact same horses in the exact same setting. However, if I tell you a story about a couple horses trotting through a field, you envision it in the theater of the mind in a way that is perfect for you. How many horses were there? Was it an enclosed pasture or out in the wild? Were the horses being ridden by anyone? Did they even have saddles? What color where the horses. Was it day or night? Flat or mountains? Today or years ago in the wild west? WHAT DID YOU ENVISION? Earlier when I told you about following that lady in the SUV going really slow on the 2-lane highway, what did you envision in your theater of the mind? Where was I? What was on each side of the street? How many other cars were around. What time of day was it? How old was the lady? What color was her SUV? We were driving down a 2-lane, 55 mph highway off the coast of Northern California just after 8 in the morning. The sun had just come up. There was still a bit of fog in the area. Each side of the street was line with tall trees that hid the vineyard tucked behind the rustic houses. The smell of skunk would occasionally waft through my car signaling an early end to a critter out on an early morning stroll. The middle-aged, salt and pepper haired lady in the small, dark blue SUV was typically driving 10 mph under the speed limit. She was obviously unfamiliar with the area even more than I was. The six other cars with me in line behind here were bobbing and weaving looking for the right opportunity to pass her. Just before we entered the tree-lined entrance to the beach, she turned left at the big neighborhood sign where I was planning my turn. Then she stopped. I was trapped with the security guard building on my right, the island dividing the two lanes on my left, and her stopped SUV lost in front of me. GET PERSONAL The theater of the mind is magical and personal. And when people are listening to your podcast, they are usually doing it alone and often with earbuds or headphones. Where are you listening right now? Who is with you? Sure, video has all the glitz and glam. But it doesn't have the connection you get with audio and podcasting. I've had people come up to me and have full conversations as if we'd been best friends for years even though we've never met. They've simply been listening to me. People will tell me, "I know we've never met, but I feel like I've known you forever because I've listened to you years." That's the power of relationship. When people are ready to solve their problem, they will start with the person with whom they already have a relationship. Don't wait until your prospect needs your solution to start building the relationships. And don't leave it up to the tech. People don't build relationships with your lead magnet, and trip wire funnel. Share your story. Spread your vision. Start building relationships today and save your business from the tech.   If you don't have a mentor who can take your hand and walk you every step of the way, go to www.PodcastTalentCoach.com/apply, click the button and apply to have a chat with me. We will develop your plan and see how I can help and support you to achieve your podcast goals.