March Resort Trades - = www.resorttrades.com

Page 8 - March 2009
How social = networking=20
is changing our business
by Sharon B. Drechsler, = RRP
S
ocial=20 networking is rapidly changing the Whichever services you decide to = utilize,=20 efficient =E2=80=9C=E2=80=A6sharing our knowledge will make our industry =
timeshare resort=20 business by consumers, news and effective site management requires a = plan and=20 strong, united and consistent as we all strive to
media and the = public=20 exchanging information attention to detail. As Gene Kim, co-founder and = serve=20 our owners and guests.=E2=80=9D
about travel and vacation = destinations. It also is=20 chief technology officer of Tripwire, Inc., observes in
beginning to = change=20 the way professionals within a whitepaper on better management, = =E2=80=9CIT Service Can=20 this new networking tool produce results
the industry connect and=20 communicate. The poten- Management: Metrics That Matter,=E2=80=9D = (http://edge. similar=20 to that which is achieved by standing around
tial exists for you, as = an=20 individual, and for your networkworld.com), change in business is = inevitable. a=20 tray of appetizers, clutching your gin and tonic
company to benefit = by=20 wisely planning and applying But change that creates unplanned work = leads to a=20 and making small talk? Obviously, it can be less and
a = well-thought-out=20 networking strategy. downward spiral that saps resources and time, it = can be=20 more. In the =E2=80=9Cless=E2=80=9D column, your associates
leading = to lower morale and less=20 productivity. Our cannot gaze into your baby-blues and get a sense of =
There=20 are timeshare-oriented groups in Linked In, world is being changed by = this=20 phenomenon of your advanced intelligence and innate integrity. On =
Facebook,=20 Twitter and other, wide-sweeping net- social networking. How well we = manage the=20 change the plus side, others get a chance to review your bio
working = services. Our publisher, The Trades, oper- will directly impact the = amount of=20 unplanned work, or profile and perform research about you without =
ates a=20 lively community networking service, www. and hence, productivity we = experience.=20 feeling pressured.
askmando.com, = for=20 resort managers. Another
network specific to timeshare professionals = is=20 being Our recommendation at the corporate level is that Witness a recent = success=20 story: An entrepreneur in
launched this month by Executive Quest, = led by=20 companies assign the study of social networking to Canada, Richard H., = who is=20 looking for a way to
pioneer Keith Trowbridge. a team member who can = organize the information promote a product to yacht owners, marinas and =
and=20 provide the team with a digestible report to dive companies wants to = find the=20 perfect PR indi-
Mankind learning to manage fire, tame domestic help = you=20 manage the change. You need to be vidual for their niche device. Before = deciding=20 what
animals, invent motorized machinery, harness updated on a = regular=20 basis, as well, since things are companies to contact, Richard reviews = the=20 profiles
electricity, capture data onto microchips and bounce = changing so=20 rapidly. Ideally, a brief training program of prospective candidates. = And prior=20 to asking for a
signals off satellites has changed the way people or = set of=20 instructions will be produced to encourage proposal, he can initiate a = dialogue=20 through which
think and act. And, now, the creation of the World all = personnel who utilize social networking to follow both parties become = familiar=20 and more comfortable
Wide Web promises to make another, significant = company=20 protocol when describing their organiza- with one another.
change in = the way=20 people think, work and behave. tion. Team members are encouraged to use = the=20
same description of the company, to provide Mark Gibbs continues, = =E2=80=9CA telling=20 attribute of
It=E2=80=99s clear we=E2=80=99ve arrived at a = precipice, beyond which=20 consistency in branding. whether social networking will have benefit for = you=20
extends the gaping, mysterious miasma that is and your organization = is how=20 your organization
worldwide connectivity. You know it=E2=80=99s = there; you When=20 you=E2=80=99re planning your goals for how to utilize handles telephones = and e-mail.=20 Consider e-mail --
know you have to jump in. However, proceed with a = service, Linked In executive Mark Gibbs says, =E2=80=9CAre when your = customers call, the=20 quality of how you
caution. This is a nascent and still-evolving = science.=20 you distributing news about your organization, engage with them, for = example,=20 whether or not you
Furthermore, each networking service has its own = pitching=20 products and or services, looking for rely on automatic voice response = systems=20 and
rules, language and etiquette. If you want to play feedback on = what you=20 do, all of the above, or whether (as many companies do) you do your best =
on=20 their space, you=E2=80=99ll need to familiarize yourself something = else?.... A word of=20 advice here: If you to keep callers away from real people, speaks =
with their=20 rules to avoid earning an unfavorable look at social networking as a = purely=20 advertising volumes about your willingness and ability to be =
reputation. The=20 impression others receive about you channel it is most likely not going = to work=20 well =E2=80=93 ad- engaged in a dialog with them.=E2=80=9D
or your = company from your social=20 networking profile vertising is primarily outbound and you=E2=80=99re = trying to
is=20 much like a first impression earned at the begin- engage those people = who are=20 interested in your Ouch! How many times have you reached a real
ning = of a=20 relationship: It=E2=80=99s pretty indelible. So, please organization, = simply selling to=20 them won=E2=80=99t cut it.=E2=80=9D person on your last few business = calls to a particular=20
be careful. If you try to make your first statement in company? If = the=20 answer is =E2=80=9Crarely,=E2=80=9D or worse,
this environment a = walking commercial, what do=20 Gibbs goes on to suggest that you put some focus = =E2=80=9Cnever,=E2=80=9D you can apply that=20 same unwillingness to
you think you=E2=80=99re going to look like to = others? Let me=20 into engaging your company=E2=80=99s message so that the engage = one-on-one by the more=20 traditional meth-
put it this way=E2=80=A6.Would you walk into an = ARDA bigger picture=20 of what your company does can be ods, to the social networking = environment.=20 Compa-
Convention cocktail reception and immediately start driven = home.=20 =E2=80=9CSocial networking is still very new nies and individuals who = like people and=20 who like to
tossing around your, or your company=E2=80=99s, list of = territory and to=20 not experiment and look for oppor- communicate will be the most likely = to find=20 this a
benefits? If that=E2=80=99s your idea of how to succeed at = tunity is a big=20 mistake,=E2=80=9D he adds. =E2=80=9CBut an even medium in which they = excel. Those who avoid=20
sales, God bless you. But networking means build- bigger one is to=20 experiment naively and without personal contact like the cibola virus = are likely=20 to
ing personal relationships, first, before asking for commitment. = find=20 this an undesirable platform for increasing
business. = business.
On a=20 personal level, every individual would be wise
The business world = has not=20 yet made its final to create a profile for themselves on the more There = appears=20 to be more interest in social net-
decision as to which vehicle will = be the=20 dominant businesslike =E2=80=98at-large=E2=80=99 databases, such as = Linked In, working than ever=20 before. So if you haven=E2=80=99t jumped
=E2=80=9CGoogle=E2=80=9D = among providers, but so far,=20 Linked In Plaxo, Twitter =E2=80=93 Level Ten and Facebook (which is in = yet, it=E2=80=99s not too=20 late to give it a try. Here are some
looks to be a contender with 30 = million=20 members. beginning to be seen as fifty percent socially resources to = help you=20 get started:
Even Linked In=E2=80=99s own user=E2=80=99s manual = admits, =E2=80=9CThe oriented). http://www.askmando.com/
headlon= g race=20 towards social networking continues http://www.networkworld.com/at its=20 insane pace and what=E2=80=99s interesting about David Kerr, management = director for=20 Resort Trades, http://www.linkedin.com/
much = of this -=20 dare I say, lemming-like rush - is that has a Palapa on http://www.askmando.com/. One of = his http://www.twitter.com/
many of = the=20 participants have little or no idea what posts strikes us as a balanced = approach=20 at social
they are rushing towards or why.=E2=80=9D networking. In = it, he introduces=20 himself and, with a
minimal number of words, states his objectives = and=20
Then, again, there=E2=80=99s Twitter. Keith Trowbridge uses what he = hopes to gain=20 from his spot on the commu-
Twitter like some people use Kleenex. It = can be=20 nity=E2=80=99s =E2=80=9Cmarketplace square.=E2=80=9D Perhaps our own =
addicting watching how the=20 corporate thought of a personal acquaintance with Kerr colors our =
community=20 can morph =E2=80=93 each individual=E2=80=99s thought perception, but = when he says, =E2=80=9CThe Trades=20
Contributing Editor for Resort
being sharpened by another = =E2=80=93 into an=20 amalgama- Publishing Company gives me this wonderful
tion that = becomes a=20 brand new, independent idea. ability to help champion our = industry,=E2=80=9D we=20
Trades Sharon Drechsler, RRP,
The New York Times says Twitter is = =E2=80=9Cone of=20 the know he means this genuinely. He seems to
is a registered resort = profes-
fastest-growing phenomena on the Internet.=E2=80=9D TIME have = a good grasp on=20 the more positive
sional with the American Resort
Magazine = comments that=20 it=E2=80=99s becoming the next purposes of the application. He adds, =
Development=20 Association,
=E2=80=9Ckiller app.=E2=80=9Ckiller = app.=E2=80=9D
Washington, DC and is=20 owner/
operator of the public relations
and marketing firm = Drechsler=20
Communications. Visit
www.drechslercommunications.
com or = contact her=20 at sharon@
drechslercommunications.com<= /A> or=20 (602) 370-2003.
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