The Network is Your Customer

I am a natural networker and connector.  It is natural for me to try to connect people with other people who might be of interest.

I believe in nurturing a network and have taken time to deliberately do that.  See my blog entry on ways to network easily.

So I was interested when a book The Network is your Customer - 5 Strategies to Thrive in a Digital Age came across my desk it piqued my interest.  But -that is not what the book is about.  It is about how business thrives in the network age.

It starts by talking about the network effect.  How the larger the network, the more valuable it it and at the same time, the more power the network has if your business lacks perfection.  It then goes on to share 5 practical Strategies for thriving:

1 - Access - be instant, be everywhere, be accessible from any device all the time.  Speed in the digital age wins.  I have long ascribed to "sense of urgency wins" in business but in the digital age, it is even more critical.

2 - Engage.  Be there in all forms of social media, Twitter, blogs, Pinterest, HonestlyNow, Linkedin etc.

3 - Customize.  Make your offerings match customer needs.  I see a need for a bit of mass customization simply from a time management viewpoint.  Social media can be time consuming so devising ways to systematize it makes sense.

4 - Connect.  Of course reach out digitally to your customers and prospect.

5 - Collaborate.  Respond to what the network is saying and work with them to constantly improve.  Now more than ever, Kaizen applies.

Interesting and thought provoking book. 

Social media can be an endless task and create guilt if not approached well.  As with any endless task, goals need to be finite in order to get fulfillment.