Jeffrey Gitomer March 4, 2014
March 5, 2014
By Jeffrey Gitomer
March 4, 2014
What’s the “RAP” on you and your business?
What do you mean you don’t know? YOU CREATED IT!
Just ask Mother Google. She is standing by with millions of info-bits andinfo-bites about you and your business that you (or anyone) can have in a nanosecond. For free.
What is posted about you (not what youhave posted about yourself) on Google, or on any social media, is areflection of how others perceive you. It’s also what others, who arelooking for you or what you sell, may think of you once they find you.In short, it’s your “RAP.”
The old word is “rap sheet.” It was a police term for a summary of what was factual about your past – yourrecord of events – mostly bad. It was a forerunner to Google.
Iam creating and redefining a new “rap sheet” that encompasses both goodand bad. It’s not just about “what was” – your 21st century RAP sheet is about both “what was” and “what is.” And just like the old rap sheet –you create it.
Unlike the old rap sheet, the new RAP sheet canhelp you attract and grow IF you’re aware of your online presence andhow that affects and impacts your sales and your business.
The new RAP sheet – or should I say the “RAP of sales” – is broken down into segments that define the process by letter(R.A.P.) and once you read them, you will at once have an understandingand a game plan to improve in each area. You’ll also have insight as towhy the new RAP on you can make or break your business.
Here are the RAP elements:
• Reputation. Built slowly over time, your reputation defines your present situationand your next sale. It documents how you react, respond, and recoverfrom service calls and issues, and it cements your image both online and in the customer’s thoughts. Your reputation is a reflection of yourstatus in the business world, and a reality check from your customer’sperspective.
DO THIS: Take responsibility for your reputation, and take all necessary actions to build and preserve it.
• Attraction. Not the “law of attraction” – rather VALUE attraction. What value-basedmessages are you sending? What messages are your customers respondingto? How are these messages creating a bigger, more responsive, morepositive, more loyal customer base? Everything from daily tweets andblog posts to one-on-one customer interactions create your word-of-mouth and word-of-mouse attraction.
ASK YOURSELF: What’s attractiveabout me and my business? Why would a customer follow me? What do I have to do to create more positive followers?
• Profit. Notyour profit, THEIR profit. Make certain that every customer knows andunderstands how they win AFTER purchase, how they use and produce, andhow they benefit and enjoy. Concentrating on customer value also has apositive internal effect. When customers are happy and feel valued, itcreates a loyalty-base of customers AND employees. Profit is way morethan money.
Here are a few companies you can look at as examples of good, mixed, and bad:
BAD RAP: Borders, Blackberry, Yellow Pages, AOL
MIXED RAP: American Airlines, Goldman Sachs, JC Penney, DISH Network
GOOD RAP: Amazon, Zappos, Southwest, Bloomberg
It’s easy to see the RAP of others. It’s often way more difficult (and painful) to see your own.
Here’s a bit more on how you create your own rap:
• Your corporate and personal philosophy guides your words, actions, anddeeds. Your philosophy is comprised of the principles you live by.Beyond your mission, it’s how you help others and how you live your core values.
• Create a culture of comradery and support, communicationand truthful information, service and response, and availability andhelpfulness. Culture is your long-term essence. Your spirit. Look at all the companies I listed under “good rap.” They all have amazing internal cultures. Not a coincidence.
• Treat your people right and they will treat your customers beyond your expectations.
Reputation, Attraction and Profit are THE three words that define your business in the minds, responses,posts, and actions (including purchases) of your customers andprospects. Now that you know the words, their definitions, and theirimpact, it may be time to do a review – both internal and on Google.Identify your RAP, define it, and make whatever positive changes arenecessary to build it.
Your RAP is out there – the question is: what are you doing about it?
March 4, 2014
What’s the “RAP” on you and your business?
What do you mean you don’t know? YOU CREATED IT!
Just ask Mother Google. She is standing by with millions of info-bits andinfo-bites about you and your business that you (or anyone) can have in a nanosecond. For free.
What is posted about you (not what youhave posted about yourself) on Google, or on any social media, is areflection of how others perceive you. It’s also what others, who arelooking for you or what you sell, may think of you once they find you.In short, it’s your “RAP.”
The old word is “rap sheet.” It was a police term for a summary of what was factual about your past – yourrecord of events – mostly bad. It was a forerunner to Google.
Iam creating and redefining a new “rap sheet” that encompasses both goodand bad. It’s not just about “what was” – your 21st century RAP sheet is about both “what was” and “what is.” And just like the old rap sheet –you create it.
Unlike the old rap sheet, the new RAP sheet canhelp you attract and grow IF you’re aware of your online presence andhow that affects and impacts your sales and your business.
The new RAP sheet – or should I say the “RAP of sales” – is broken down into segments that define the process by letter(R.A.P.) and once you read them, you will at once have an understandingand a game plan to improve in each area. You’ll also have insight as towhy the new RAP on you can make or break your business.
Here are the RAP elements:
• Reputation. Built slowly over time, your reputation defines your present situationand your next sale. It documents how you react, respond, and recoverfrom service calls and issues, and it cements your image both online and in the customer’s thoughts. Your reputation is a reflection of yourstatus in the business world, and a reality check from your customer’sperspective.
DO THIS: Take responsibility for your reputation, and take all necessary actions to build and preserve it.
• Attraction. Not the “law of attraction” – rather VALUE attraction. What value-basedmessages are you sending? What messages are your customers respondingto? How are these messages creating a bigger, more responsive, morepositive, more loyal customer base? Everything from daily tweets andblog posts to one-on-one customer interactions create your word-of-mouth and word-of-mouse attraction.
ASK YOURSELF: What’s attractiveabout me and my business? Why would a customer follow me? What do I have to do to create more positive followers?
• Profit. Notyour profit, THEIR profit. Make certain that every customer knows andunderstands how they win AFTER purchase, how they use and produce, andhow they benefit and enjoy. Concentrating on customer value also has apositive internal effect. When customers are happy and feel valued, itcreates a loyalty-base of customers AND employees. Profit is way morethan money.
Here are a few companies you can look at as examples of good, mixed, and bad:
BAD RAP: Borders, Blackberry, Yellow Pages, AOL
MIXED RAP: American Airlines, Goldman Sachs, JC Penney, DISH Network
GOOD RAP: Amazon, Zappos, Southwest, Bloomberg
It’s easy to see the RAP of others. It’s often way more difficult (and painful) to see your own.
Here’s a bit more on how you create your own rap:
• Your corporate and personal philosophy guides your words, actions, anddeeds. Your philosophy is comprised of the principles you live by.Beyond your mission, it’s how you help others and how you live your core values.
• Create a culture of comradery and support, communicationand truthful information, service and response, and availability andhelpfulness. Culture is your long-term essence. Your spirit. Look at all the companies I listed under “good rap.” They all have amazing internal cultures. Not a coincidence.
• Treat your people right and they will treat your customers beyond your expectations.
Reputation, Attraction and Profit are THE three words that define your business in the minds, responses,posts, and actions (including purchases) of your customers andprospects. Now that you know the words, their definitions, and theirimpact, it may be time to do a review – both internal and on Google.Identify your RAP, define it, and make whatever positive changes arenecessary to build it.
Your RAP is out there – the question is: what are you doing about it?
Jeffrey Gitomer is the author of twelve best-selling books including The SalesBible and The Little Red Book of Selling. His best-selling 21.5Unbreakable Laws of Selling is now available as a book and an onlinecourse at www.gitomerVT.com. For public event dates and informationabout training and seminars visit www.gitomer.com or email Jeffreypersonally at [email protected].
© 2014 All Rights Reserved. Don’t even think about reproducing this document without written permission from Jeffrey H. Gitomer and Buy Gitomer. 704/333-1112
© 2014 All Rights Reserved. Don’t even think about reproducing this document without written permission from Jeffrey H. Gitomer and Buy Gitomer. 704/333-1112
