Why Blogging is like a Sales Meeting

Did you ever wonder what it would be like to stand in front of your office group and hold a sales meeting?  Although you may think you have never had this experience - you probably have and just didn't know it.

I am in the process of building a company blog and have begun to post about the process here in Active Rain.  At the same time I have been traveling around our 14 offices stumping the blog and what it is all about.  Guess what - the comment thread on my post Opportunity Time - Can A Company Blog Replace Floor? is almost identical to the questions and comments I get in the sales meetings.

The same can be said of almost any post where you raise an issue and the comments become as important than the post itself.  A good sales meeting, just like a good blog post,  is led by someone who can have a thought provoking discussion about whatever topic is at hand.  Participants will learn as much from the questions and comments as from the introduction that the meeting leader will provide.  The better the discussion, the more people will take away from the meeting. In blogging, the comments should be just as interesting as the post itself.

Sometimes, commentary may get controversial - this is a great thing!  Don't be put off by someone openly disagreeing with you - it's not personal and is an essential component of any worthwhile conversation, whether the conversation is online or in person. The questions that people raise in disagreeing can actually help further develop your own thought process- contrary to popular belief- it is good to think.

Commentary can also seem random.  In sales meetings I often wonder if the person was actually sleeping or on the phone while I was giving the presentation.  In blogging, it might seem like they didn't even read the post or are focusing on some minor point.  Take a deep breath and respond anyway.  Everyone's voice is important, no matter how "out there" it may seem.  You may actually find that someone else will step in and field these comments - just like in a meeting where someone in the audience chimes in "Where have you been?"

So, the next time you are working on a post - imagine that you were going to present in person to an audience in your office meeting.  What you contribute is only one part of the equation.  The comments and how you handle them should be the best part of the conversation.