Being social: winning customers and influencing you

von Paul Kippax, Monday, 8th November 2010

Tasked with writing a blog on why Malvern Instruments has elected to embrace social media I found myself researching; “How to Win Friends and Influence People” by Dale Carnegie, because – in the true spirit of social media transparency – that is what I’d like to achieve. However, my colleagues and I are keen to ensure that this translates into a real, value-added service that is genuinely engaging and useful to you, whether you’ve known Malvern for a long time, have just acquired one of our products (thank you!) or even if you’re using another manufacturer’s system but want to know more about what Malvern is up to. Your feedback on whether we achieve this would be gratefully received!

Of course when carrying out this research, rather than trek to my local library or bookshop, I quickly typed the key phrase into Google and found myself reading the book’s six basic principles according to the Wikipedia article. While there, I was pleased to note that Malvern Instruments now merits its own Wikipedia entry! Check it out for yourself.

You can also find information supplied directly by us at:

Six Ways to Help People Like You

According to the Wikipedia article, the six basic principles for helping people like you are:

Become genuinely interested in other people.
Smile.
Remember that a person’s name is, to him or her, the sweetest and most important sound in any language.
Be a good listener. Encourage others to talk about themselves.
Talk in the terms of the other person’s interest.
Make the other person feel important and do it sincerely.

So here goes…

First: Well, speaking on behalf of myself, and I think for the rest of the Malvern team, I can say that we are all genuinely interested in other people – especially those who are interested in us! We’d like to understand more about what you’re up to, and the issues you have in material characterization, so we can get better at supporting you.

Second: See image above! I selected a more beautiful smile than my own – trust me, its better that way – you can tell this is not me from the shade of lipstick! Of course, I am happy to present my own unique, but none the less genuine, smile to you at each and every point of personal contact. So, if you hear I’m at an event which you are attending, please seek me out.

Third: We’re extremely honoured that you’ve tuned into us, and have decide to share your ideas with us in this blog. In return, we guarantee that any personal information you provide: your name, address, contact details, twitter username and email address, will not only be remembered but carefully stored and protected.

Fourth: At Malvern we positively thrive on feedback and are doing everything we can to enable you to give us your opinion and perspective easily and openly. Hence this blog. If you have anything you wish to ask, or let us know, please feel free to comment at the bottom of any of these blog posts. Although I may not be able to respond immediately at all times, I can and will ensure that you receive a response within a reasonable length of time.

Fifth: This blog aims to deliver information relevant to the application of Malvern systems and services specific to different industry sectors. With more than thirty years of material characterization behind us, I think we have covered a wide range of perspectives in articles, application notes, podcasts and webinars. However, there is always new research to report and new methods to try! If you have used one of our instruments in an innovative way, or wish us to blog about your specific field or research issue, we would love to hear from you.

Sixth point: In all sincerity, you really are important to us. Without you I wouldn’t be here, nor would the rest of Malvern Instruments!