To Tweet or Not to Tweet...

Recently, I have been witness to a very interesting conversation about whether it is appropriate to call out a company using social media when you are having trouble with their product or service. This tracks back to the conversation being centered around the following situation:

1) The employee is open about who they work for in their social profile
2) The company encourages employees to Tweet about its products and services
3) The organization that was called out is a regular on the speaking circuit about using social media in specific Twitter for customer care.

Luckily, the employee in question is a stellar worker and smart. The individual was professional and appropriate. They did not really flame the brand in question.

It brought me to think of two instances I had reached out for help or with a complaint on Twitter and was surprised someone was listening and solved my problem. For the first time on this blog, I am choosing to tell one of these stories and name names... because I think the brand deserves major brownie points.

Back story:

I love shoes. GOD, I love shoes. I come by it naturally. As a standard procedure, my car knows to stop on the way back from Boston at the DSW store off I-84. It just does it... you know like the horse stops at Cohen's in "The Quiet Man"? On the way back from e2.0 in Boston this summer, I was making an pilgrimage again and buying a couple of unnecessary and well given I wasn't working, not bright purchases. I had asked the clerk if they could honour the $10 loyalty coupon I had sitting at home with my Rewards points. The answer was she was terribly sorry but no. I took it at face value. Bought my additions to my ever growing collection, and drove along home.

Fast forward one week....

I am on the phone doing a telephone interview. Who calls? DSW with a random ROBO call about a sale. Sure, I am great target. I walk into the store with a glazed look on my face every time. However, this is some thing I hate. It interrupts my train of thought. I get email from them... I turn to Twitter with my frustration and...
Tweet the following:

Hello DSW .. I love you but Robo Calls Please Stop. They will make me seek out other stores and Zappos.com 11:29 AM Jul 1st from web


Followed shortly by:

DSW. I would have been happier if you spent more $ on linking your membership system to know I had a $10 coupon last week & honoring it 11:32 AM Jul 1st from web

Only to be shocked by getting this:

per robocall tweet , I work for DSW and would like to resolve. I'll need to get some info, so please DM. thanks 8:20 PM Jul 1st from TweetDeck in reply to xxxxxx


The end result was WONDERFUL. The person from DSW and I chatted about getting my name off the ROBO list and more importantly had a great conversation about their venture into social conversations. We talked about some vendors that might help them. I have to say how delighted I was with the response. Beyond this, a couple of weeks later I received a hand written note from a VP at DSW hoping we had solved the problem. As a result, this brand advocate, me, will always turn to them first when physically possible... another public beg to open a store in Danbury, CT! DSW is my guilty pleasure.
Beyond this... I turned back to my twitter audience with the following tweet:

Just had a gr8t call with DSW after my rant yesterday. Fixing my problem. As you know I love heels! 9:31 AM Jul 2nd from Tweetie

I also mentioned the person's twitter handle in a #FollowFriday for being an excellent brand representative.

BRAVO DSW !!!!

So what are the lessons here?

1) If you Tweet and are connected to your own company brand, ask for help ... don't flame the conversation. BE PROFESSIONAL... Honestly, I could have been nicer in my original two posts. I admit it. .. as a side note... I wasn't connected to any employer at that time beyond my own brand which is JUST as important if not more.

2) Be proactive. If you are going to complain... you better have thought out some ways for the product or service to be better and solve your complaint in a REASONABLE way. Don't ask for a year's worth of service free. You are telling someone their product or service is broken... help them to fix it for you... don't be part of the problem.

3) Tell the World if they solve it. Tell the success story... Talk about brands that do things right and you love. Close the loop. Don't start a forest fire and walk away from it. DSW Shoes went above and beyond my expectations.

Remember the Golden Rule.. and think before you Tweet...How would you feel if it was you or your company that was badmouthed?

Sales Social Networking Success Stories

Beyond my own job search, I wanted to comment on a couple of recent successes I have had prospecting using social applications to drive business for my company and self. This is going to be a down and dirty quick list without a ton on detail since I am still prospecting the companies:

Twitter: Have scheduled appointments and spoken with two large household name companies after engaging the appropriate people via Twitter. These contacts were introduced to me only because I either had originally commented on the company (in a good way) or had done a search for people that had the company name in their bio.

Facebook: Because I am a fan of another company on Facebook, I realized they were having a bit of a social PR nightmare on a given day. Rather than reach out with a sales pitch, I sent the contact an "At-ta-Girl" email complimenting her grace under pressure and overall savvy with social marketing. This also resulted in establishing a terrific conversation.

LinkedIn: A colleague of mine noticed a request for help finding an expert agency and consulting with a new product he was managing... they needed specifically information on social strategy. Again, this has resulted in a great first step ... he immediately trusted our company having previously worked with about 3 people now at Neighborhood America.

Only one of these relationships existed prior to Twitter, Facebook, and Linked In. As we speak, I have updated my various statuses about career openings at my company. With in minutes (like under 10), I was notified by two former co workers about candidates and will be sending me resumes.

It works .. if you work it....

ps. I have lost 3 lbs to date...

Hello Monday

I wanted to give myself a quick update on my last post. How did I do last week? Well, I did stick to the plan. I have a bottle of water already 1/2 gone on my desk and I haven't had a diet soda or soda since like Tuesday! Fiona and I have been doing a ton of trotting around the neighborhood. Sometimes, it is only a quickie walk at lunch for 30 minutes. The point is we are getting are feet on the street. I tried a fabulous Weight Watcher's recipe on Thursday night that is a huge success. Tonight, I am looking forward to making homemade black bean burgers out of Cooking Light. Dinner out on Saturday night was a home run. I am feeling like I can actually do this maybe. Better yet, as a good friend and family member said last night, "We are also starting WW's this week. I want the bloat out prior to Thanksgiving" I feel like I have gotten the bloat out this past week. The better news is this person is the lead menu planner for Thanksgiving. Perhaps, we can strategize how to lighten up the menu on the 26th!

YIKES!!!! - A picture is worth 70,000 calories

Some say a picture is worth a thousand words. Well, one taken at the victory celebration for the Mayoral race in my town finally (I hope) did it. I was helping our Mayor pour a ton of champagne for to toast her re-election to her fourth term as well as being elected myself to the Zoning Board of Appeals. The photo which I may add to this post .... I saw yesterday. I was shocked. Heck, I knew I had gained weight. My friend Diane and I had tried to start a little challenge to lose weight and that hadn't kicked my fat a$$ into gear.

However, that picture along with a couple others I have seen recently horrified me. I thought Halloween was OVER!! The funny thing is the last time I made a successful run at changing my habits, weight and health... I started in November. About the same time actually!

What is worse? I want to lose at least 20 pounds. I took the metric approach. 3500 calories equate one pound. 20 x 3500 = 70,000 calories. In order, to do this in 90 days. I need to burn or reduce 777 calories a day.

I am going to do this because I HAVE TO. So, I have joined Weight Watchers online. I am going to eat my own carrot sticks by blogging about the successes and failures. Today, that equaled one Halloween sized milky way bar. My success is already getting in a good walk with Fiona this morning and 1/2 way to my water goal by noon.

I have also printed out the class schedule for the gym I have been paying for and not going to for oh.. a year!

Wish me success. Help me not to cheat. Ask me to go for walk. Congratulate my success. Support my new clothes addiction in 3 months...

Lessons from The Great Pumpkin

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Linus: He'll come here because I have the most sincere pumpkin patch and he respects sincerity.
Sally Brown: Do you really think he will come?
Linus: Tonight the Great Pumpkin will rise out of the pumpkin patch. He flies through the air and brings toys to all the children of the world.
Sally Brown: That's a good story.
Linus: You don't believe the story of the Great Pumpkin? I thought little girls always believed everything that was told to them. I thought little girls were innocent and trusting.
Sally Brown: Welcome to the 20th century!


Last week, I was pulled away from my computer at exactly 7:55 PM by my husband because "The Great Pumpkin" was going to be on TV. The King of the DVR was insisting nothing could be more important than my 30++ time watching this classic. You see, the Lord of Brannydoon is a raging Charlie Brown fan. We had Linus and Lucy music playing during the cocktail hour at our wedding reception.

As usual, life's most typical moments now are viewed with different eyes. This quote above is one of the stand outs, for three different reasons.

1) Sincerity - I thought about this for my customers and the difference is success with a social strategy and campaigns. When you are approaching building a marketing program to engage your customers, member, prospects, etc. Another word to evoke in your head is I need to be sincere with my audience. I need to care about them. Listening is going to be a key way to be successful as well as being sincere or human in my communications. Plainly, the Great Pumpkin will never come to a Pumpkin Patch that shows hypocrisy. Don't let your social communication be hypocritical!

2) Little Girls are trusting and innocent - The next day I traveled back to New England College to speak to a group of female students about "Women in Careers". We talked about the gender difference that still exists in the workplace. Some of the good things and some of the realities that are just a function of our gender. I can tell you these ladies are headed for real success. There were about 30 people there to hear the session. About half of them were underclasswomen. I congratulate them on being proactive to ensure the education they are paying for is going to lead to a path of success. They are trusting in themselves to make a difference.

3) Welcome to the 21st Century - The more things change the more the stay the same. The lessons from 1966 are very applicable today. Be sincere in your interactions and good things will come. Believe in yourself and your beliefs. Don't underestimate women and their convictions...

Even Linus learns a lesson!

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Linus: [to Charlie Brown after Sally just ripped him a new one] You've heard of the fury of a woman scorned, haven't you?
Charlie Brown: Yeah, I guess I have.
Linus: Well, that's nothing compared to the fury of a woman who has been cheated out of trick-or-treats.