Your future as a merchandising rep lies in your relationship
with the brands you represent. These brands aren’t sunglasses and sneakers,
they are people. They are the livelihoods of everyone who produces them, and
the face of the person with whom you connect on a regular basis. That face
deserves a place in your circle of friends.
Let’s review what friends do. Friends connect. Friends share stories. Friends help. Friends also bleed
for one another. That’s right. Your connection to the people in your circle of brands needs to be personal, genuine, supportive, real. Of course, I’m not talking about sharing your love life or your latest doctor’s visit, but personal isn’t private. It’s genuine, supportive, real.
It means you include them in a Facebook group and post
daily. Post things that encourage when you know one of them is going through a
rough patch. Post things that make them smile when it’s Wednesday and will this
week ever end. Touch their lives by being real enough to post something
personal to you that you know is a struggle for one of them. Connect, and
connect daily.
It means you know their kids’ names and what’s important to
them. You have an open eye on topics that might be of interest to them and
share those topics in your group. It’s okay—no one is going to share something
uber-personal that you find embarrassing. They would find it embarrassing, too.
The thing is, these people whom you meet live at work eight hours (or more) a
day, but they live their lives outside the office. Those are the things that
matter to them. Be interested in what matters to them.
It means the aren’t just a paycheck. They are real
connections, heart to heart, I-know-how-you-feel connections. Like it or not,
we live in a digital age, and our connections are online. I know, a phone call
is sometimes the most important connection you can make, but for the sake of
the group, still connect daily on Facebook. For one thing, these people all
know you represent them, and there will be an unspoken agreement that they are
in this together. That helps your business, right? It also helps them.
The Rule of 5 always applies. For every five posts that
build relationships, you may use one self-serving post that builds your
business. Share educational material. Share a meme about a holiday. Share
something funny. Share how something engaging. Share something of universal
interest. Boom! Share a picture of a dynamite display you just set up, or a new
display gizmo that will do wonders for their brands. See how it’s done?
Some social rules do apply. Read
up on the dos and don’ts to be professional, yet open. Social
media experts emphasize adding value to your posts. Absolutely. Add people
who represent businesses and who want to be included. They aren’t your
brands yet, but they have asked to be included. It’s called building
your network. Through it all, have a heart and show it online.
