Whether you realize it or not, the more time we spend on the web, the more we become victims of living in a small town.
Years ago, we all got our news from one of three networks.
We all spent time each evening with people such as Walter Cronkite, Peter Jennings and Tom Brokaw.
We all read the same local newspaper in the city where we lived, and most likely, we all listened to one of maybe 5 AM radio stations.
The result is we all received pretty much the same news. Regardless of our personal perspectives and beliefs, we still got our news in the same format.
Flash forward to today and we get much of our news by what’s trending on Twitter, what our “friends” are writing about on Facebook or from the very segmented news sites we may visit on the web.
Let’s not kid ourselves for a second. What we’re getting now is news that is incredibly tailored to our beliefs and interests.
National news programs and the newspaper industry is in free fall. Even local news is contracting rapidly, held together only by its ability to do local weather and personal stories.
What I see happening today is nothing more than a return of the small town many of us grew up in. As a child growing up in a small town, my world comprised of everyone else who lived in my little town. My beliefs and perspectives were shaped by my little town.
It’s amazing how 50 years later, the only thing that has changed is my little town has gone from a physical town to a virtual town comprised of those I connect with on-line and the sites I visit.
The more sites I visit, the more the sites I visit know about me and can in turn tailor the information they offer me. The more I read what they send, the more tailored it becomes.
Every website is in a race for eyeballs, whether it be social media, business or news, the game is the same — get more eyeballs!
It only makes sense the best way to get more eyeballs is by giving the people who are already visiting even more of what they want.
Now don’t get me wrong — I’m not saying the internet is bad. What I’m saying is that it is good to stand back every now and then and consider how much the internet shapes and/or reaffirms what we already believe.
From a sales perspective, I encourage you to make sure you are continually exploring new insights. Don’t just focus on what is happening and/or working in your industry, but also seek out other industries that are totally unrelated to what you do.
Visit new blogs and news sites every now and then. You might be surprised at how it sparks your thinking and your creativity that then can add momentum to what you are already accomplishing.
Copyright 2014, Mark Hunter “The Sales Hunter.” Sales Motivation Blog. Mark Hunter is the author of High-Profit Selling: Win the Sale Without Compromising on Price.
