Are your bad attitudes towards social media holding you back?

It’s 2017 and we would hope that business attitudes towards social media would evolve.

There are many people that have embraced the online world and have realised the benefits both for business and personal. However, there are still people that have not embraced the online world and make comments that make them seem ignorant. This holds them back from realising that the online world has changed the way that business is conducted and it will continue to evolve.

Having had some interesting experiences over the last few weeks, I thought I would share a few.

Attending a Networking Event

I attended a lot of networking meetings and was invited once again to one. Each person had the opportunity to introduce themselves and give a one minute overview of what they do. I was the second last person to introduce myself and after doing so, one of the men at the table said ‘I won’t ever use your services, I think Social Media is a joke’.

At first, I was a little taken aback, not because of his words but because of the rude outburst. (Someone should coach him on how networking really works).  I meet a lot of people that don’t understand social media but they are all eager to listen, whether they agree or not. It’s called reciprocation during networking. Ask questions to understand more. Having a closed mind never forwards anyone in business.

My first response was to offer to meet this anti-social media ‘business’ person. I should not have been surprised at his response.

‘No way, I am not meeting with you to listen to social media stuff’.

It was at this point that I said to him in the most charming voice, ‘Well actually, with my thousands of online connections, there is always someone that I could introduce you to that may want to do business with you’.

Suddenly I could see his brain start working and he said, ‘Actually, it may be a good idea to meet’. My response was ‘No thank you!’. You could cut the silence with a knife.

You see, I have learned to value my career and more importantly to value myself.

Someone approached me after the meeting and said that I should meet with him as they knew I would convince him how important social media was. I said no, I really don’t need the challenge of trying to convince someone. Why would I waste my energy?. Besides, it wasn’t about the challenge, it was about the attitude.

Hurtful comments at a Party

Similarly, a friend of mine went to a party and his friends started making silly comments about his online job. He was hurt but handled it well by telling them how he had helped someone that had wanted to commit suicide, by being online to help.

How social media has helped people

There are hundreds, thousands of stories of how social media channels have been a ‘lifesaver’ for people. My friend and client lost his seventeen-year-old daughter and Facebook was an amazing way for the family all over to connect, send messages and prayers. It was also a way for him to go back over memories.

I have seen people help one another in Groups with their businesses, with accommodation, with donations, sharing photos, tracking adopted family members. The list is endless.

Yes, the online world is real, people are real and although we may never meet them in real life, for the most part, the human spirit is a giving spirit.

Here are 3 Business reasons why you should drop the attitude.

If you have had an experience, I would love to hear about it. Leave a comment.