Living Room Conversations: Why I Love Them

DJ Smith / Mar 5th / Comments

In a previous blog post titled “Social Media: Front Porch Conversations,” I wrote about how the more popular social media outlets could be viewed as the casual conversations that we once had on our front porches. Sometimes these new “front porch” conversations create a want for something. My experience has made me appreciate the “living room” conversations just as much as the front porch conversations, if not more. The living room of a home is the place where you allow friends or colleagues to sit, relax, and enjoy each other’s company. It isn’t a place where you openly welcome a salesperson or stranger. In certain ways it is more intimate than the front porch. So how do I get from the front porch to the living room?

1. Use direct messaging features built into social networking tools
I’ll use any form of direct messaging to establish a more pointed conversation with someone. These direct messages are more private and allow for a deeper level in the discussion. Such messages are good for establishing a better foundation for the relationship you’re building.

2. Get an e-mail address
If it seems the conversation is worth continuing and the relationship worth growing past direct messages, I’ll request an e-mail address. E-mail will allow a much larger and easily accessible means of communication. Typically, a person’s direct e-mail account is active and checked regularly. Despite spammers’ ability to junk up e-mail accounts, e-mail is often considered a more private means of communication.

3. Get a phone number
After a few e-mail exchanges I will typically know for sure if my contact and I are a good fit to get deeper in our dialogue. At that point I’ll ask for a phone number. I probably get the most excited about this part of the communication. Both my contact and I get the opportunity to put a voice with the previous exchanges we’ve had. Any future conversations are enhanced because I have the contact’s personality and voice in mind as we discuss various topics. A phone call opens the relationship up and allows your contact to see the person behind the various touch points in your conversations.

4. Schedule a meeting
People like to talk with people. We like to exchange ideas and perceptions, and we like to do this face-to-face more times than not. This is the crown jewel of the living room conversation. A friendly meeting allows not only a voice to be put with the conversation but also a face. I like to have my contact visit with me in my office. I can give them the nickel tour and meet other people within the firm. Often I find these casual discussions are much deeper than what social media can afford. The inflection of a person’s voice and their body language adds so much more to the conversation than written word can provide. It is truly a good experience.

I’ve found that there are people that I connect with better than with others. It is with these contacts that I want to move into a living room conversation. I believe the key to successfully moving from the front porch to the living room is to allow your conversations to evolve. Let the communication happen naturally. If you are successful you’ll develop new relationships and business contacts that will be profitable to you in more ways than just your bottom line.