Online dating is a BILLION dollar industry – that's billion with a b.  More than 75% of single people in the US utilize online dating.  Online dating is second only in popularity to being set up by a mutual friend among people in search for a mate.  There are online dating sites of every stripe.  There are scientific dating sites, religious dating sites, immoral dating sites and even agricultural dating sites.

One of the most enticing factors of online dating is the promise of compatibility.  There are always more fish in the sea, but that's the problem isn't it?  There are so many fish in the sea, and the sea is so murky.  How can you be sure you're reeling in a marlin instead of a halibut? And by the way I'm allergic to salmon.  Perhaps our businesses have something to learn from the online dating sites successes.  Is your company compatible with your clients?

Question:

One of the ministers at my church recently talked to me about a promotional video for the church.  The dangers of such a project initially concerned me, but the purpose is solid.  They want to give people an easy way of knowing what the church is all about.  Ideally, such a video would be enticing as well as informative.  This got me thinking (more in the abstract than the concrete): What would I want a church video to be?

Answer:

To state our vision of what a church should be and how we pursue that reality.

No, we're not a perfect place; we're not always going to succeed in our efforts; we are going to end up disagreeing on some things.  And all of that is fine.  However, if you disagree with what our vision is or how we pursue it ... if you don't fit into that rubric, we are probably not compatible.  We don't think you're a bad person.  We would still love to get to know you, but we are just not that compatible.

Again, these are my thoughts, not necessarily those of the church leadership.

Application

I really do think this is a good model to follow with ground work self-promotion.  I think it is good to be compatible with your clients.  You enjoy your job more when you are compatible.  Your clients are more pleased with your product or service when you are compatible.  If you think that a website just needs to be present and that Facebook is really the best place to have your online activity, you will likely not be compatible with us here at DanielTitus.com.  We will disagree every step of the way, and you will end up being dissatisfied with the product you demand.

How should we avoid this pitfall of incompatibility?  The same way we do when online dating.  We establish our vision of the ideal, and then we explain how we go about becoming the ideal.  If my ideal as a husband differ's from that of a would be mate, it really doesn't matter how well I accomplish it.  Our ideals are not compatible.  If my practices are contrary to practices of my would be mate's, it really doesn't matter that we have the same goals.  Our practices are not compatible.

What are some of the ideals of the perfect company that you have?  Do your clients know what they are?  What practices do you have in place to accomplish them?  Are these what your clients expect?

I know that there have been several times that we have taken on clients when we should have said, "No."  We have wasted our time, jeopardized our name and lowered our standards.  So, it's time I put my money where my mouth is.  This week, we are going to establish clear points of what we expect from our selves and what our clients should expect from us.  I encourage you to do the same.  Catch the right fish, and release the wrong ones.