LinkedIn Letter, click to enlarge

I have a habit of saving and forwarding many of the ridiculous voicemails that salespeople leave in my inbox, but it isn’t too often I receive a letter of this quality, pointing to the problems that salespeople face when introduced to social networking.

The beauty of social networking is that I can typically gain value from the people I am connected to, before I am asked to buy something..  The danger comes when we decide to sell before providing any real value. Gary Vanerchuk said at Big Omaha, “we are like 18 year old boys trying to close too fast.” –This is why salespeople ruin social media.

In sales, people are told that they can reach a broad audience through social media and think they can reach this audience without working at it. To provide real value to the people you connect with takes real work. Social media doesn’t eliminate working hard, in magnifies it. We now have more messages and more people, but each person seeks information. Our messages are read much quicker and distributed to a larger audience, making it more important to respond.

I’m waiting for the realtor who wants to answer my questions online and tell me about market conditions, helping me to learn their expertise.  Teach me about how I can use my home and rental property better.  If I met you at a social gathering, you probably wouldn’t ask me to list my house immediately, you would probably find out my needs and I would describe my situation.

Finally, to this realtor’s credit, I do admire his personal touch in a handwritten letter but I think his effectiveness will improve if he provides content to his network and improves his penmanship.

As 8″ of snow blanketed the Midwest, many grumbled about the challenges of conducting business in while worrying about road conditions. Several brave souls at Five Nines dared to think differently, creating the first ever Five Nines Flyers. These unique thinkers crafted a one-of-a-kind racing sled from a Dell r710 server box, a little extra tape, a trash bag and a passion for fun. Was this a lesson in the uncalculated risks of a tail-bone injury or a way to keep work from becoming stale?

Five Nines Flyers

Developing a culture of innovation begins with individuals who are willing to think outside of the immediate work in front of them.  Businesses often expect individuals to come up with an idea when asked, but we need to understand that innovation often begets innovation.  That is, whether you are looking for a fun idea with 8″ of snow on the ground or a creative way to structure a 25 branch office, it is easier when you are surrounded with innovators.

While at Five Nines we may not have discovered a new Olympic sport nor did we actually break Clark Griswald’s land speed record, we may have inspired a few to think differently about work, life and even innovation.

For more exciting video visit Five Nines on YouTube.