We have all see it, you follow someone and as soon as you do an auto generated direct message is sent to your inbox on Twitter from them. I personally don’t like canned auto direct messages but that’s my preference. You can debate if auto generated direct messages are good or bad and maybe they are a good thing if you are getting hundreds of new followers a day but I wanted to address another important part of direct messages.

I consider the first direct message sent to someone after they follow you the very most important message you can send, it’s almost like a first impression. These messages should not be focused on asking your new follower to do something (go to my blog, download my eBook, click on my affiliate link, etc), remember this person just followed you and you could leave a very bad taste in their mouth.

Your first message to your new follower should be about them and them only. You should thank them for following you and let them know you appreciate them. Ask not what your followers can do for you but what you can do for your followers! If you take the time to make a good introduction you will build a better relationship with that person.

We have plenty of time after we build a relationship with a person to send another direct message or @ reply tweet with a link to our blog, website, etc. After a relationship has been established and trust is built they will be more likely to click the link then, rather than having it shoved in their face the first time we make contact with them.

We must remember that the people following us are real people and they have real feelings and should be treated with respect. It has also been said if you help enough people get what they want then you will also get the things you want. I am a strong believer in paying things forward, how about you?

We have all head the old saying “keep your friends close and your enemies closer” but have you ever thought of this in the world of online business? Online business can be very competitive but there is a way to still make good of it. I think competition is healthy but you get to a point where lost income is just lost income because no business is going to close 100% of the leads.

Think of this, you are a unique company with a unique niche but you are not the only one on the internet doing what you do. You have a competitor that also offers the same services you do but both or you are still going to be different in some ways.

Instead of being in a “battle royal” all the time why not talk with your competitor and see if you can work out some kind of partnership. It could be a very healthy partnership if you are both trustworthy and are willing to work at it.

It could be that someone contacts you and you just don’t mesh or they need your service but also need a service that your competitor also offers. Do you lose the lead just because you don’t offer everything they need or would it be better to have a partnership with your competitor so you can still offer their services as well?

Also different personalities make the world go round, we have had prospective clients contact us that after talking with them a few minutes we just knew it would be a train wreck for them and us if we took them as a client. On the other side of the picture this was a good client, (just not good for us) but good for someone so we make a phone call (or email) and talk to a partner design firm, they got a new client, we helped a client and the favor was returned later.

The bottom line is we worked together, even though they do what we do. Most important the client was taken care of.

This should be a two way street mind you, being a design company we get a lot of people contacting us that are offshore requesting to become a partner when really all they are asking for is to become a contractor.

Now, which of your competitors can you form a partnership with that will benefit you both?