Trust Agents, the new book by Chris Brogan and Julien Smith is storming the bastille of business wisdom, shooting up the NY Times bestseller list. (A rarity these days for a book not about vampires).
The book has been reviewed by a ton of smart people, including Christopher S. Penn, Amber Naslund, Jason Falls, Eric Brown and a ton of others – befitting its popularity.
There are four reasons for the success of this book.
First, the authors have very sizable personal networks and were able to move a lot of books based on those connections – ironically proving the ROI of the methods they describe.
Second, the authors ate their own dog food and marketed the book masterfully, including the incredibly successful “Trust Agents” group on Facebook, which pre-dated the launch and continues to thrive after publication. (this is not dissimilar to the 4 Hour Workweek community that exists as a satellite to Tim Ferriss’ book of the same name, although Trust Agents is largely devoid of the MLM hucksterism that 4 Hour seems to attract).
Third, the concept of the book is incredibly appealing. On a business level, sure. But more importantly, on a human level. Who doesn’t want to “build influence, improve reputation, and earn trust” as the cover promises? Unless you’re chronically anti-social, Amish or both you’re probably interested in improving the depth and breadth of your connectivity online. This book gives you a compass for that journey.
Lastly, this is the first major book (apologies to Tara Hunt’s excellent The Whuffie Factor, which is dynamite but didn’t have the mainstream attention), that takes social media and makes it personal.
The Company of You
And that’s the thing. In truth, this isn’t a business book. It’s a self-help book. If you’re looking for specific strategies to help your company or organization succeed using social media, Trust Agents is not the field guide you need. Clearly, there is a mountain of advice in Trust Agents that could help an individual practitioner of social media and digital connectivity improve their efforts on behalf of a brand. And indeed, given that the very root of the social media success equation is humanization, and to make it about people, not about logos, I agree with practically all of Trust Agent’s tenets.
Paraphrased liberally, they are:
Recognize that modern relationships are driven as much on trust and perception as they are on data.
Recognize that this trust is a currency that is as real as the dollar, only earned and spent indirectly.
Recognize that gaining the currency of trust is not accidental. It is not kismet. It is a byproduct of actions and activities of your own choosing.
Recognize that gaining trust requires you to recalibrate how you think about timelines and the synchronicity (actually, the asynchronicity) of relationship-building.
Recognize that the best social connectors are those that live the Golden Rule and focus on being helpful at all times.
Don’t Follow the Puck. Know Where the Puck Will Be
Among the many excellent passages in the book, the one I like the best and feel will be the most transformative for many readers is the concept that you need to develop relationships before you need them, not when you need them. The book uses a great example of Greg Cangialosi from email company Blue Sky Factory, and how he spent time with and supported Chris long before Chris was a customer.
Social media is a long putt, not a tap-in and Chris and Julien articulate this very well in the book.
They’d never say it directly, but really the concept of Trust Agents is to try to teach people how to act like Chris and Julien and several other folks of similar constitution and online success that they cite.
And that’s where I struggle with it.
Interesting, Yes. Achievable, Maybe
Yes, the book is full of good advice and mini case studies and tips and guidance. But, it’s certainly not a step-by-step walk-through. Creating a specific “formula” or “system” and dimensionalizing social success at a granular level is anathema to the spirit of today’s “make it happen” social media environment – and certainly would be out of character for Chris and Julien.
But frankly, I think that would have made for a more useful book. Because as I finished reading it, I started thinking about who I knew that could really put the lessons into practice. Who could meaningfully change the way they operated in the social space, and earn greater trust as a consequence. And my mental list of beneficiaries got pretty small.
Why? Not because the book isn’t good. It is. Very. But because I’m not sure the skills they are trying to teach are entirely teachable. Of course, you can get better at social connections. We all can. But all the trust agents I know just ARE that way. They don’t think about it as a “how can I be more helpful?” or “how can I be more likable?” or “how can I mix up my transmission methods for greater impact?” They just instinctively know how to make that work. They have the instruction manual in their heads, not in their hands.
I might be wrong, and I hope that I am. But to me, trust agents and their ways and norms stem from passion more than experience. I believe trust agents have always been born, not made. Maybe the power of Brogan and Smith can change that.
If you’re already a trust agent, this book might make you think “Ah, I’ve always done that, it helps to understand why that works.” If you have trust agent tendencies, and the requisite passion for social capital, and need help structuring and extending your connections, this book may be among the best you’ve ever read. If you think you want to dive in to social connectivity, but don’t feel it in your bones, you’re likely to be excited by what Trust Agents offers, but I don’t believe it will meaningfully change your outcomes.
Some old dogs are just old dogs. And that’s okay.
Disclosure: I know Chris Brogan a bit, and he’s referred opportunities to me, and I to him. I’ve met Julien and am connected to him on the social Web. I know Greg Cangialosi and consider him a friend. I was given a free copy of Trust Agents by the publisher to review, but have subsequently purchased copies for a few friends and clients.
(Social graph photo by -Cavin-)
Jason – You should have seen me blush when I saw my name in your post next to the other ‘smart’ folks!
You’ve done a great job of highlighting the book…it isn’t about the tools, its about the thought behind the tools.
Thanks for the great review of this book…good stuff.
.-= Eric D. Brown´s last blog ..Links for August 30, 2009 =-.
Hi Eric. I’m glad you liked the review, as I certainly liked yours. Happy to spread the word about the good work you’re doing. Hope to see you here again soon.
Thanks so much for the very kind words, Jason. What I like the most about your review is that you go right into the part that mattered most to us: this is a business book for humans, not a social media book for social media types.
I’m grateful for the review and happy that it worked for you. I bet there are whole swaths of that book you could’ve written better, but then, maybe I wrote this with Julien so smarter guys like you would get motivated and write an amazing book for ME to learn from. : )
.-= Chris Brogan…´s last blog ..The Building Blocks of Social Media for Business =-.
Hi Chris. Thanks for taking the time to comment. I know it’s a short commodity these days. I’m grateful for your very kind words about the review and my work. But, per the lessons of Trust Agents, you’re the priest, I’m just an acolyte.
As to a book, I’ve thought about it a lot. I do NOT know how you and Julien made the time to write it, so that’s a concern. A larger concern is that there are a lot of social media books being published now – in a variety of levels of worthiness. Not sure I can compete in that crowd.
Also, I don’t really have a “secret sauce” to build a book around like you do, although I recognize the irony since your “secret sauce” is to advise people to not have “secret sauce.” It’s like FightClub, with avatars.
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Jay Baer/@jaybaer revies @chrisbrogan’s “Trust Agents”: [link to post]
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Thinking of picking up Trust Agents? Check out this review by @jaybaer – [link to post]
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RT @chrisbrogan: Thanks to @jaybaer for the very kind (and thorough)review – [link to post]
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This is a great review, Jason. I follow Chris Brogan on Twitter (along with a gajillion others) and am always impressed by his blog entries and the honest, candid advice he offers. Definitely on my ‘To Read’ list.
.-= Tim Frick´s last blog ..Chicago Sun-Times Article on Mightybytes =-.
Thank you Tim. I appreciate the nice comment. Hope to see you again soon.
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Thanks to @jaybaer for the very kind (and thorough)review – [link to post]
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Jay Baer/@jaybaer reviews @chrisbrogan’s “Trust Agents”: [link to post]
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Great book. Great post about that book. From @jaybaer “Can Social Connectivity be Taught? My Thoughts on Trust Agents” [link to post]
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Can Social Connectivity be Taught? My Thoughts on Trust Agents [link to post]
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Can Social Connectivity be Taught? My Thoughts on Trust Agents … [link to post]
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Thanks for a really well-written review, Jay. I’ve been part of the Trust Agents Facebook group for a while, have seen the advance praise, and of course know and admire Chris’s work, but your review is probably what will push me to pick up a copy.
Some people get social, some people don’t. Very few can learn it. It’s just not easy to change who we are.
Somebody (I can’t remember who) said (I can’t remember where…#SoFresh maybe?) that to succeed in social media, you have to be nice. At the risk of going “puppy dogs and sunshine,” I think it might be true. Or, if not nice, likeable. The lovable curmudgeon shtick only works for a select few, and it gets stale quick. Nobody likes a perpetual grump.
Anti-social offline RARELY (not never, but rarely) translates to social online.
I’m as eager as ever to pick up a copy of Trust Agents. If If it comes up short as a how-to guide, it’ll probably still push me to take a humble look at the man in the mirror.
.-= Scott Hepburn´s last blog ..HootSuite Twitter Client Has Potential =-.
Bingo, Scott. You’ve got it. The book will ratify all the outstanding social media qualities that you embody every day in your own work and interactions.
Incidentally, nice to see you blogging about HootSuite. I look it a lot, too. Using it about 35% of the time now.
Thanks, Jay. It’ll be nice to get back to blogging…I’ve had a nasty head cold for about four months that’s kept me outta the game
.-= Scott Hepburn´s last blog ..HootSuite Twitter Client Has Potential =-.
What’s funny is that I’ve met plenty of social media types who are not the most publicly social people or most social in-person types. It’s odd really.
As Chris points out in Trust Agents people have a way of coming out online because it’s not face to face with another person.
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RT @bkmacdaddy: Can Social Connectivity be Taught? My Thoughts on Trust Agents [link to post]
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Can Social Connectivity be Taught? My Thoughts on Trust Agents …: (this is not dissimilar to the 4 Hour Workwe.. [link to post]
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rt @iFroggy Jay Baer/@jaybaer reviews @chrisbrogan’s “Trust Agents”: [link to post]
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Convince & Convert | Can Social Connectivity be Taught? Thoughts on Trust Agents- [link to post] #socialmedia #trustagents #chrisbrogan
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[...] we have to communicate in today’s exciting social media era. I came across a blog post today from Jay Baer; called “Can Social Connectivity be Taught? My Thoughts on Trust Agents” Jay hit it right on the head with his statement that these ideas are more about passion for what [...]
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RT @bkmacdaddy Can Social Connectivity be Taught? My Thoughts on Trust Agents [link to post]
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RT @jaybaer wrote a great review of Trust Agents by @chrisbrogan [link to post]
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RT @chrisbrogan Thanks to @jaybaer for the very kind (and thorough)review (of #trustagents) – [link to post]
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RT @jaybaer: Are you just born with it? Are social media skills nature, or nurture? [link to post]
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I think to a degree you can teach some of the skills. Certainly, you can create task lists for employees or yourself that focus on specific objectives – make sure every client gets a birthday note, etc. – and these will give you some momentum. Not everyone has personal charisma or an innate knack for relationship crafting, but there’s enough basic, simple things you can do that will get you 90% of the way there.
.-= Christopher S. Penn ´s last blog ..Subscriber drive, now with more pie! =-.
Hi Chris. Thanks so much for the comment. I appreciate you stopping by, as your blog is one of my faves.
I agree that you can teach blocking and tackling. But I find the best practitioners are those that aren’t really following a checklist, they’re just reading and reacting, line a good linebacker. I know that violates the coda of your industry, where you’re trying to break down really complex stuff into bite sized morsels, but I’m not sure all industries lend themselves to that level of compartmentalized tactics and content creation.
No question you can get people to improve their social connectivity with training. Hell, that’s a large part of my business after all. But, I don’t believe it’s 90% teachable. I think there’s too much personality behind the keyboard for it to be that formulaic.
I love the football speak man. That’s my language!
Not everyone can be Randy Moss. That’s pure talent! But everyone can work like Jerry Rice and Vince Carter. Each has been incredibly successful in their own way.
Trust Agents helps to team people a lot of things, but I do think you have to really read and think deeply about how to make it practical for you. That’s what Chris does though. He gives you ideas as a starting point and leaves it to you to come up with the actual plan and execution.
I’d also say that Trust Agents, while a self help book, is also geared towards people who are already involved with the social web in some way. I rookie would have a hard time knowing what to do if they started with that book. A good coach could help a lot in that case.
Good stuff Jay!
http://twitter.com/franswaa
.-= frank´s last blog ..franswaa: Good Facebook info for nonprofits via @tsudo: "Create A Landing Tab That Converts Visitors Into Fans" http://ff.im/-7vBND =-.
Thanks Frank. Great comment. I think you’re on the money with Jerry Rice. I’m not sure I’m with you on Vince Carter. Maybe Jeter. Or Nash. Interesting point too, about Trust Agents being better for people who are already introduced to social connectivity.
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@jaybaer mostly nature. you must love people, communication and above all, have a customer service culture.
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Wow…this book sounds great! A must read for new media marketing profs. RT @jaybaer Book review of “Trust Agents” [link to post]
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Combnation Kismet instnct trust persevrance RT @jaybaer;Are you just born with it?Are soc media skills nature or nurture?[link to post]
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Great review! I would argue nature & you got the gene Jason! RT @jaybaer: Are social media skills nature, or nurture? [link to post]
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RT @tweetmeme Can Social Connectivity be Taught? My Thoughts on Trust Agents | Book Reviews | Social Media Consultin… [link to post]
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Jason, thanks for the great review, will be helpful to keep in mind as I read “Trust Agents”. It’s next on my list, right after I finish “The Whuffie Factor”, only because I started it first…
Thanks Bob. If you want to write a review of The Whuffie Factor for C&C, let me know. Cheers,
j
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Can Social Connectivity be Taught? Thoughts on Trust Agents (a business book for humans, @jaybaer) [link to post]
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RT @jaybaer: Social connectivity: are you just born with it? A review of "Trust Agents" from @chrisbrogan @julien http://bit.ly/mzFKC
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@jaybaer Q:Are social media superstars made, or born? [link to post] A: BOTH!!! Nice Piece by the way-very nice indeed
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RT @julien: RT @jaybaer: A review of “Trust Agents” from @chrisbrogan @julien [link to post]
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Wow…this book sounds great! A must read for new media marketing profs. RT @jaybaer Book review of "Trust Agents" http://bit.ly/Y87kS
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RT @jaybaer: Are social media superstars made, or born? [link to post] http://myloc.me/vkoS
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Can Social Connectivity be Taught (or is it a born passion)? @jaybaer review on Trust Agents. http://ow.ly/nDI9
RT @jaybaer: Are you just born with it? Are social media skills nature, or nurture? http://bit.ly/Y87kS
RT @jaybaer: Social connectivity: are you just born with it? A review of “Trust Agents” from @chrisbrogan @julien http://bit.ly/mzFKC
Can Social Connectivity be Taught? Thoughts on Trust Agents (a business book for humans, @jaybaer) http://bit.ly/11FU8P
Social connectivity: R u just born w/ it? A review of "Trust Agents" from @chrisbrogan @julien http://bit.ly/mzFKC RT @julien: RT @jaybaer:
RT @julien: RT @jaybaer: A review of "Trust Agents" from @chrisbrogan @julien http://bit.ly/mzFKC
Can Social Connectivity be Taught? My Thoughts on Trust Agents | Book Reviews | Social Media Consulting http://bit.ly/JzpBf
RT @jaybaer: Are social media superstars made, or born? http://bit.ly/mzFKC http://myloc.me/vkoS
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RT @franswaa @jaybaer Are social media superstars made, or born? [link to post] http://myloc.me/vkoS
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RT @franswaa @jaybaer Are social media superstars made, or born? [link to post] http://myloc.me/vkoS [CL: 3rd ref to "dogfooding" 2day]
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Are social media superstars made, or born? [link to post] RT@jaybaer
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Jason – GREAT review of the book! I am behind in finishing it! Working on a half baked post for what I have read so far
I am honored to be mentioned in Chris’ book.
Hope you are well and hope to see you soon!
Greg
Are social media superstars made, or born? http://bit.ly/mzFKC RT@jaybaer
[...] Baer wonders if Social Connectivity Can be Taught And that’s the thing. In truth, this isn’t a business book. It’s a self-help book. If [...]
Great post Jason. Keep up the good work. I am on a mission to get more colleges and universities to teach social media as a part of the marketing or even communications curriculum. It takes a bit of a shift in conventional teaching wisdom to pull off well, however. It would be great to have a conversation about this with you and your readers.
RT @iFroggy: Jay Baer/@jaybaer reviews @chrisbrogan’s "Trust Agents": http://bit.ly/yY9SO