Brought to you by

Chapter 1

Why Social Business?

Brought to you by

Hi, I’m Jim.I’m a people person. And I help make

businesses into “people” businesses. So

it’s no surprise that colleagues often turn

to me for advice. That’s because I’ve

helped them see success in ways they

never thought possible. That’s what being

a social business expert is all about.

And that’s why I’m sharing my stories

with you. If you’re interested in easy ways

to transform your business by putting

people first, then read on. You’ll hear stories

of my friends who discover new ways to

quickly start doing business differently.

Brought to you by

say hi to BETTY.She’s a coworker who was completely

new to the concept of social business.

Betty works in sales. She recently received

a big promotion—team manager! But with

that big promotion came big challenges

and an even bigger responsibility to fix them.

Brought to you by

The challenges? Betty’s team wasn’t making their numbers.

And customer issues weren’t being resolved

fast enough. Team members were “inventing”

the same fixes over and over again because

there was no easy way to post concerns or

share solutions with the entire sales team.

One afternoon, I ran into a stressed Betty

taking a break at the watercooler.

“Jim, we need help,” she began.

?

Brought to you by

As Betty told me about her team’s issues

and goals, my face lit up. I knew just what

she needed.

“Betty, this sounds like a job for social business.” Betty wasn’t quite sure what I meant:

“Isn’t a social business one that has

thousands of fans on Facebook or lots of

Twitter followers?”

She didn’t know how this would help solve

her team’s issues.

Brought to you by

“Jim, I can’t see how Twitter would help

in a time like this,” Betty said.

I smiled at Betty and told her more.

“Betty, although social media does play

a role, social business is an entirely new

way of working that focuses on people and

connecting them to each other.”

Brought to you by

Art placed here

Since Betty was so new to the social

business concept, I prepared her a

quick checklist to take back to her team.

You can use this checklist for your

business, too.

Brought to you by

SIGN UP

Betty said excitedly. “Where do I sign up?”

I told her about IBM Connections—a business

tool that adds the social capabilities we’re all

familiar with into everyday business processes.

It becomes easier to search for and share ideas,

find experts and reduce redundancy.

Betty couldn’t wait to give her team a jumpstart.

So I showed her where to get

a trial for IBM Connections.

“That sounds exactly like what we need!”

Brought to you by

A few weeks later, Betty came to my desk

with a big smile on her face. I asked her how

IBM Connections was helping her team.

“Jim, the sales department is booming!

Productivity is up 30%! The team’s sharing

what they learn with each other and client

feedback is glowing. I don’t know how to

thank you.”

Brought to you by

I blushed and Betty gave me a big hug.

As she did, our colleague Charlie walked

by and popped his head into my cubicle.

“I couldn’t help but overhear…”

He began to share his own challenges around

a group brainstorm he was planning. I

realized my day was just getting started…

SocialBusiness

have a question?Tweet them to

@JimClaussen using #ConnectionsWithJim

Does your team need help, like Betty’s did? Access IBM Connections through a

60-day trial of IBM SmartCloud Engage, so you can get started, too.