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When I was in Primary School, I would spend my afternoons on IRC (Internet Relay Chat – does anyone remember mIRC?). Needless to say, my social life suffered then (I like to think I’ve learned a few lessons since). During this anti-social period, I met two friends online who incidentally met each other. They were from different states, they fell in love and after some time got married. I even got to go to their wedding – and I was in year 6 at school! It shows you the power of relationships.
While mIRC is largely behind me, I have learned a few lessons about getting along with people without meeting face to face, lessons I’ll share with you here. Above everything, the most important principle to remember is that online relationships (read: friendships, business associates...) work the same as off-line relationships. How to develop them: Email people.
It’s like sending a letter in the 21st century. It shows friendship, and that your were thinking of them. No, don’t write a novel or you’ll be at risk of seeming lonely. Simply put, if you have an idea or thought that might be relevant to them: share it. Ask for their feedback, or give them encouragement or a tip. Just make sure you don’t come across creepy! Instant Message people.
Again, don’t pester them. It’s like running into someone at the supermarket. You might stop and say “Hi”, or you might decide to chat for a while. The idea is to build rapport, and solidify the friendship – not a major business proposal! Set meetings with them.
It sounds funny, doesn’t it? No really, set meetings. Imagine you run into an acquaintance at the shops. You tell them your fantastic business idea, and they have the means (read: money) to make it happen. Naturally, you don’t say “It was great to chat! When I see you next, let’s explore this further!” or even “Let’s meet here again next week to talk more”. Realistically, you would set a time to meet up, do your research, and in the Web Worker World, use something like Skype to really have a valuable discussion. Set reminders to followup on a situation.
This is simply basic practice for many successful sales people. If an online contact shared with you that their click-through-rate on a certain ad or page was low, follow them up next week to see if they have improved. If you need to, create a new calendar in Google Calendar or iCal simply dedicated to followups. You’d be amazed at the effect it has on people to realise you were listening and actually remember, regardless of whether you needed a computer to help you out or not. Offer help and referrals.
In the last two weeks, I’ve probably spend four hours on unpaid work for an online contact. He’s awful at the technical side of things, so has asked me to fix the mistakes he’s made. I don’t mind helping because it means we talk more, and since he’s earning a lot more than I am, I’m able to ask more questions and receive answers he wouldn’t share with others. The same works with referrals, it builds the relationship by giving them something (that usually costs you very little). What do you think? Are there other ways we can build relationships online?
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