Over the weekend, I was channel surfing and came across this “Reality” show called “Ma’s Roadhouse” on TruTV. Well, it was general brain candy, so I watched a couple of episodes. It’s a pretty funny show about a bike shop/biker bar/tattoo parlor in Dallas called “Stroker’s,” run as a family business. One episode featured a health inspector visit; one episode featured a visit from “Ma’s” old boyfriend, a con man type.
Some of the stuff just seemed a bit over-the-top, so I did a little Googling. Most of the stuff that the plots centered around wasn’t real. The health inspector? An actor. The arrest of the old boyfriend? Never happened; the “cops” were from a local security company. There are actually several pages on the Web from people in Dallas pointing out all the fake things that are a part of this “reality” show. Google is great, isn’t it? I also recently had a more business-related example of what the Internet can do, and there’s a sales lesson in it for all of us.
I mentioned my Kansas City breakfast club last week. I’m actually an officer. My duty is Classification and Investigation, which means that I check out new members. The club is a classification-exclusive club, and we only allow one member per profession. It’s my job to make sure that new members do not conflict, professionally, with current members. As part of my investigation process, I Google the person and look him up on LinkedIn.
As part of my investigation, I found that a prospective applicant had another business (which appears to be his primary business) that is a direct conflict with a member. In the discussion at our meeting that detailed why I was advocating his rejection, I explained my process. Someone asked if the person could change his application to avoid the conflict, and I said, “It’s not about what this person represents, it’s what he isthat is the problem.” In other words, we could call him whatever we wanted – but that didn’t change how he actually made his living.
The point of all of this is that, with all the emphasis on Internet presence, social networking, Search Engine Optimization, and other world wide web presence, it’s hard to hide. More importantly, it’s hard to hide what – and who – you are. It doesn’t matter what you’re doing; whether you’re applying for a job (I Google all the applicants in my Recruiting business), whether you’re applying for a club, or whether you’re selling to someone – whatever you put out on the Web is available to those who want it.
Now, there are people who have applied to my club that are basically un-Google-able (sorry for the awkward phrase). That’s because they have not chosen to give themselves a Web presence, and others have not chosen to create one for them by writing about them, etc. It’s still possible to live an anonymous life, but most people perceive the advantages of not going that route.
So, what will people find out about YOU? Well, if you Google Troy Harrison, here are some of the things you’ll find:
- Obviously, SalesForce Solutions as well as a lot of sales-related articles, blog pieces, and other work.
- You’ll find a number of articles on auto racing, and you’ll wonder if it’s the same guy. I’ll save you the trouble; yes, it is. A certain percentage of my blood is motor oil, and has been since birth.
- You might find a business that sells racing parts online. Yep, that’s me too, and that’s what I do during what I laughingly refer to as my “spare time.” It’s actually been very educational for my sales training business.
- Finally, you’ll find a guy in Australia with an athletic career in high school and college that I only wish I could claim as mine!
Those are the major things, anyway, and I suppose if you look really hard, you might find my Facebook page (privacy protected of course), and the occasional comment on message boards on the Wall Street Journal’s site. The point is that I’m aware of what I’ve put out there, and I’m not afraid of any of it.
What about you? Forget those pages that represent yourself as the professional you want to be seen as; what else is there? Are there drunken photos of you? Profane exchanges with other people? Complaining about your boss/job/product? Believe me, I’ve seen it all.
This is the impact of social networking. Every time you post ANYTHING on the web, or anytime that anyone posts anything about you, a bell is rung. Ever tried to un-ring a bell? For that reason, it’s more important than ever to self-manage your reputation and to make sure you know what can be found about you. It’s also important to comport yourself in a way that won’t reflect badly to customers, etc.
Once upon a time, it was said that “You can be whatever you want to be on the Internet.” Nonsense. More now than ever, whatever else happens, reality will come through. Make sure that your reality is what you want it to be.
