Make Blueprints

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If you intend to build something, there are a few ways to do it: inventors do it by hacking things out in their lab, and then finding success. Builders do it by taking what the inventor did and making plans and blueprints for the same result, so that others can translate their work and execute it similarly to what the inventor uncovered. I suspect that many of us showing up at the doors of prospective clients with our inventions, or just crazy talk about our inventions, but no blueprints.

Think about this from the perspective of the buyer. Would you buy a house from a guy with a great set of tools and resources, but with no plan of what you’re getting? No. All the reputation in the world won’t carry you through that purchase.

So, when thinking about how to sell social media integration into a company, turn your invention into blueprints and some “artist’s renderings” so that your client will see what you’re talking about and understand how it fits the rest of the business. Be mindful of the connecting points, or how these social tools will connect with the rest of the business at hand. Be ready to talk about the benefits of adding on this new project, and what it will yield the customer. Remember: people don’t use social media because it’s cool.

And in the end, be a mix of flexible and responsible. If you were building a home for someone and they asked for a toilet in every room, you could technically accommodate that, so be clear to point this out. But then, it would cost a fortune because plumbing is an expensive part of building, so point that out, too.

Make sense, my fellow builders?

Photo credit Mark Coggins