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September 20, 2011

What's your favorite breakfast cereal?

I've watched Zappos twitter posters and Zappos bloggers effectively deploy questions like that one to engage their social media tribe. I was speaking at an event in Las Vegas today and heard a panelist offer one of the best distinctions between the…

I've watched Zappos twitter posters and Zappos bloggers effectively deploy questions like that one to engage their social media tribe. I was speaking at an event in Las Vegas today and heard a panelist offer one of the best distinctions between the lead generating benefits of a web page and the relationship building benefits of Facebook and Twitter. The panelist used an interesting example. Let's say you are a financial advisor at a cocktail party. Would it be appropriate to interrupt the party to start analyzing the investment portfolios of the people you meet in that setting? There is a time an place for everything and it might be more fitting to ask about a favorite breakfast cereal. So I am asking, what's your favorite breakfast cereal? (In my youth it was Quisp. I even had a Quisp stuffed toy….ok so I still have the toy) Sometimes quirky questions allow us to connect in relaxed ways and gives us information we can later leverage for the good of the relationship...

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Joseph Michelli

Joseph Michelli, Ph.D., is a Certified Speaking Professional and #1 New York Times bestselling author whose books are drawn from his work inside Starbucks, The Ritz-Carlton, Mercedes-Benz, Airbnb, and Zappos. His new book, Get Me a Person, releases December 8. Signed, personalized copies available now. He helps leadership teams design human-centered, technology-aided experiences that build loyalty and referrals. Start a conversation about your team.

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