Category Archives: LinkedIn

Guest Post, LinkedIn, Sharisax Is Out There

Three Main Reasons to Say NO to New Projects – 4th in series

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The subject of turning down new business has “hit a nerve.” So many people have weighed in on this topic that I wanted to share as many opinions as possible — hence this series, which began with Saying NO to a new client may be your Best Business Move. My friend Mike Van Horn, whom I met at Bay Area Consultants Network [BACN], responded to the article submitted as a Discussion Topic in the BACN LinkedIn group. His comment began with these words:

“I think I ended up writing my own blog post here!!”

How to Say No to a Prospect

Guest Post by Mike Van Horn

First of all, you must know what kind of clients or work you want . . . don’t want . . . and why.

Define your core expertise, and who your services are best for. Create a brief mission statement out of this. Then re-read it when you are talking with a marginally qualified prospect.

In my experience, here are the three main reasons you should say NO:

1. Unprofitable

2. Off target for you

3. Don’t like them

If you think a prospective client isn’t right for you, you might ask, what would it take to make them right?

For example, raising the price. Or being able to hand the work off to a subordinate. You propose that to them. They’ll probably say no, but if they say yes, you can have a good client.

If you’re turning down work because you’re too busy, then:

— Take the most interesting and challenging and lucrative work

— Raise your prices

— Hire a qualified associate, and bill them out at 3 times what you pay them

You’ve got to deal with your own resistance to saying no. For example:

“In these tough times, I need every client I can get (even the unprofitable ones).”

These clients suck up the time and energy—and profit potential—you should devote to profitable clients. Your profitable, desirable clients end up subsidizing your unprofitable, aggravating ones.

“Maybe they’ll grow into a bigger client.”

Occasionally true, but make sure you price high enough so that it’s profitable now.

“They really need me, but don’t have the money.”

To keep your own business healthy and profitable, yet still help out the cash flow-challenged, set a percentage (5 to 10% of your work time) for pro bono or el cheapo work you will do, and stick to it. Oh, and if you notice that this “poor” prospect is driving a new BMW, then bill them full rate.

“Wow, this may be an interesting new thing I could get into!”

After all, we can really do anything! Not true. Stick with your core expertise. Go back and read your mission statement.

It’s important to qualify — and disqualify — and prospective client early in the interaction. You don’t want to spend several hours with somebody then discover that you won’t be working with them.

Finally: All the above applies to firing an existing client as well.

Further reading– Check out the other articles in the series:

Post #1: Saying NO to a prospective client may be the Best Business Move

Post #2: Avoid future problems by saying NO Now

Post #3: Investigate client/project before saying Yes — or making it a NO.

Further writing — Add your own comments or experiences below.

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Guest Post, LinkedIn, Sharisax Is Out There

Considering a new client/project? Investigate before saying “yes” or making it a “NO” – 3rd in series

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In this third article in my series of “Saying NO to prospective clients,” the content featured is the detailed response from JJ DiGeronimo, Strategic Manager for VMware, a cloud computing company.  She was responding to the CompuKol version of my story introduced as a discussion topic in the LinkedIn group ForbesWoman:

Discussion: Say No Like a Pro — When You Must Turn Down New Business

Thank you for this post!

I agree – it is difficult to say no especially now but I have created a process to make my “No” easier based on what is already in motion. I’ve learned to use my time wisely and to choose projects carefully. It is easy to create buisness sprawl but as Stephen Covey puts it:

“The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing.”

So, when you are asked to lead, start, or participate in something –- or any other ask of your time -– give yourself permission to investigate the query, review your findings, and then decide.

Now, before I agree to spend time on any project or event, I take time to:

* Get a handle on how much work is ahead of me and clearly understand what is expected of me. What are the expectations?

* What are my other commitments that could interfere?

* Ask good questions and get serious about getting answers that will alert me to how the project or event fits with my business goals.

* I give myself permission to say yes or no based on this kind of investigation.

This list is a starting point. You can add to it, based on other commitments and goals.

Here are several other questions to consider in discerning what is and what is not a good use of your business time and I even use this in my personal choices:

* Is funding for this initiative already approved? For what items? What is not funded?

* What does taking on this project mean to my everyday life? How will it impact other responsibilities and commitments?

* Should I take on the project as-is or is it better to break it up to get it going?

* Who are the decision makers, key contributors, and partners?

* Do I need to realign myself with other people, tools, or resources to be successful?

* Who is critical to the success of this project?

* What does success look like?

* How prepared do I need to be when I show up?

* Can I meet or exceed expectations?

* Do I need to adjust the success lens to represent something different than their current expectations? Can I see other possibilities that they may not see?

* What are the timelines and what will they mean in my everyday life?

* Is this doable based on the objectives and the timelines already established?

* Do I need to reprioritize other commitments to make this successful?

* What will suffer if I accept this project?

* Am I the best person for this task?

* What personal wins do I expect from this taking on this project ?

* Do I need more information before I start?

* What assumptions do I need to discuss?

* What needs to be documented and signed by both parties before we start?

It’s always a good idea to explore new opportunities as long as you’re diligent about asking these kind of detailed questions upfront. This will minimize your chance of over-committing your business and life; then once you have decided, you can use one of the techniques in the article to say “no, thank you”

[Read more from JJ for similar posts: www.purposefulwoman.com]

Stay tuned for more LinkedIn responses to “How to Say NO”; these will be from LinkedIn’s Q&A section.

PREVIOUS ARTICLES in series:

Saying NO to a prospective client may be the Best Business Move

Avoid future problems by saying NO Now

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LinkedIn, Sharisax Is Out There

Avoid Future Problems by Saying NO Now — 2nd in series

7 Comments

To make continual improvements in your environment AND be more successful, according to Chris Brogan (with help from Tony Robbins), you must learn to say NO more often — at least every time it is appropriate.

Chris Brogan’s recent How to Say No post suggested starting with a Thank You, then being clear and polite. Meanwhile grow a network of people whom you can refer when you can’t or don’t want to do the job.

This week is HOW TO SAY NO Week on Sharisax Is Out There, which began with my article “Saying NO to a new client may be your Best Business Move.” Today features comments posted to the initial version of the story published on the CompuKol blog: “Say No Like a Pro — When You Must Turn Down New Business”:

Can’t agree more. In two years of our business existence we encountered three such situations. In one we said “Yes” when we knew there will be problems and there were lot of problem. We not only lost money but also lost one great friend (he is no more a friend). In the other two we said “No” and we are happy we said so.
I think no matter how small you are you should always assess risks. You might grow slow but be very careful. — Posted by Satish Sharma in the LinkedIn group eMarketing Association Network

All good advice – though the answers generally frame themselves around proposing someone else for the job. That’s good practice when you know the right contact… and when the job is one you’re fairly sure will be welcome there. For the rest, a simple “I’m sorry, I couldn’t do justice to that. I wish you well with it” is often the smoothest way to go, leaving few handles for continuing argument.

But the main points – saying no when the job isn’t right, and NOT claiming to be too busy unless you’d really like to do it if the schedule could be arranged – are pure gold! — Posted by Hilary Powers in the LinkedIn group Freelance Editing Network

Love the article. True professionals have learned when saying “no” serves both the client and the professional. I’ve referred many prospective clients to other writers and coaches previously networked with. Sometimes the better fit is a result of key specialized areas of expertise; others times it may be due to time constraints, price issues, or even a better feel for the client’s location or goal (i.e., working overseas or dealing with a culture in which I lack knowledge of key hiring protocols). Everything balances out in the end. No one can serve everyone. — Posted by Bev Drake in LinkedIn group “Write It Down” — A Website for Writers

The key is to always make sure that you are dealing with a reasonable entity (be it a prospective client or a prospective partner) who understands that both sides need to benefit in order to establish a strong relationship. On the few instances where I’ve said no, I found myself asking “why would anyone want to take this on under these terms?” If a question like this pops into your head, it’s probably a good idea to take a pass. — Posted by Adam Van Wye in LinkedIn group eMarketing Association Network

I turned one down from a client yesterday — the projects are flat fee, edit & photos, with a separate rate for each. When I have both halves of a project, the overall rate is fine. Just editing, though, and it’s $8 to $12 per hour. I just simply had to say that I can pick up web projects that pay $14 to $25 per hour, so no, it’ll just have to be whole projects rather than edit-only ones. He’s fine with that; he knows how many hours I put in on the things to get them clean.

I’ve been working on his stuff for four years; when it was a matter of just filling hours with anything, when I first went freelance, I took anything I could get, because $0 per hour was not where I wanted to be. But now that I can fill a lot more hours with $25 per hour, the low-paying projects just don’t make sense to take. They’re usually a lot of stress as well, as the writers aren’t pros.

But for a client you don’t know well, I can see where some of these responses would be very handy. Posted by Cathy Bernardy Jones in LinkedIn group Freelance Editing Network

It is refreshing to read such a straightforward and common-sense article.

No-one enjoys turning down work. However, as you so rightly say, accepting the wrong type of work (or the right type of work at the wrong time,) will be detrimental not only to the client, but also to your reputation as a business.

One thing I would add to your advice though relates to those to whom you refer work on.

It seems a statement of the obvious not to pass potentially difficult clients onto your network – unless you want to lose that network quickly. However, there are often alternatives which you can suggest from outside of your network – for example, web-based services.

In contrast, to the above, if you have a potentially good client that you are not able to deal with for a valid reason, it is clearly imperative that you take time to refer them to the best person for the job – even if that is not the person best placed to return the favour. The client will appreciate your integrity, and what goes around comes around.

Many thanks. –– Posted by Margaret Burrell in LinkedIn group Small Business Online Community

You are probably doing the right thing for the new client as well. You may not do as good a job as you would like and you may put it off. I think that many of us have been on the receiving end, where someone commits to doing something and somehow doesn’t get it done; doesn’t even return phone calls. I personally would prefer that the person let me know ahead of time that they cannot do the job for me, whatever the reason. — Posted by Susan Krantz in LinkedIn group NJ Association of Women Business Owners (NJAWBO)

Heartbreaking, isn’t it, to turn business away? But sometimes it is just the right thing to do, for any one of the reasons that Shari outlines. Better to turn the business down than take it on and then mess it up.

In addition to the reasons in Shari’s list, we have also turned down business (and even ‘fired’ existing clients) on moral or ethical grounds. It can cost a lot in short-term lost business but in the long term I think it pays off – and you sleep at night. — Posted by Mike Holland in LinkedIn group B2B Social Media

For the first time since my business took off in 2007, I have had to recently turned down work. I thought I would never have this happen since, I feel my fees are extremely reasonable, if not, downright cheap!
When I was recently courted (I use this term because it was a true dating experience with this client for over 7 months)! Two Editor changes later and countless phone meetings and writing samples provided and my first assignment came…. My first asssignment was an exciting one. They gave me the parameters and word count and at the VERY bottom of the assignment was the price they were willing to pay… a mere, $25 for over 700 words! Ummm, no thanks!
I wrote something along the lines of: I would LOVE to write this article, however, the budget you have set aside for this does not fit within the relm of our business rates. If (name of a large company) changes their budget for this project, I would be more than happy to write this article for your business. Followed by a rate outline for my business.
I NEVER post on this board but felt compelled when a large company set a $25 budget for a 700 word article. Has anyone else experienced this? I was truly insulted after being courted for close to 7 months only to find that writing an article for this large web based company would end up costing ME money!
Who works for $25?!??!!! NO one I know. So, reffering another writer for this assignment was clearly out.  I liked the above article by Shari Weiss – very helpful! But, I don’t know anyone that would take $25 for this type of professional work. — Posted by Donna Wallerstein in LinkedIn group The Content Wrangler Community

Tomorrow’s post features a great — and lengthier — comment from a LinkedIn group by JJ DiGeronimo: Investigate the new client/project before saying Yes or No.

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LinkedIn, Sharisax Is Out There

How I Used LinkedIn to Buy My New Car

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When my 2003 Buick Century got rear-ended at a traffic light, and I took it to a body shop and discovered the damage was more than $4,000, I decided Time For A New Car.

Step One turned out to be checking the Enterprise Rental Car sales lot when I picked up a rental car. I drove the Hyundai Sonata, which was the featured car that month: 33,000+ miles for $13,000.

I actually liked it, and if I’d wanted another A-to-B car, I probably would have bought one of them.

But my birthday was a week away and I thought to myself,

“If I don’t buy a more luxurious car now, then when .  . . “

Step Two: So that’s when I decided to go to LinkedIn and post this question in my favorite LinkedIn group Linked Local Marin [a site with about 1,700 fellow Marin business people]:

The discussion drew 21 comments! Check them out: http://www.linkedin.com/groupAnswers?viewQuestionAndAnswers=&discussionID=32722052&gid=2190523&commentID=25081803&goback=.gmp_2190523.amf_2190523_18815785&trk=NUS_DISC_Q-subject#commentID_25081803

The one I “went with” was from my friend Philip Baldwin who first suggested the Hyundai Sonata, which I had driven . . . and then he said that what he’d really wanted was a Hyundai Genesis.

Hyundai Genesis?

Never heard of it, that is, until I test drove the Kia Amanti and was told that (a) Hyundai had bought Kia and (b) Hyundai discontinued the Amanti in favor of their luxury model, the Genesis.

Step Three: I drove one and was hooked.

. . . that is, until I discovered the Genesis came in both a sedan and a coupe, which were really two different cars. But before making the decision on 4-door or 2-door . . .

Step Four: Another round of LinkedIn.

This time I posted a question in the Answers section:

Next steps: Doing research online and on “lot” and test driving several models. Then “walking away” from the car I really wanted. Four telephone calls from that dealer [and more than a dozen from other dealerships], I visited my car a second time and “split the difference” between the dealer’s  lowest offer and mine.

I’m a happy camper . . . or should I say 2010  Hyundai Genesis coupe driver.

Next LinkedIn move?

Sharing this post with my LinkedIn groups

🙂

BTW, there’s a “slideshow” of my car on my DRIVING MISS SHARI post: “My new Hyundai Genesis .  . . almost”

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Guest Post, LinkedIn, Sharisax Is Out There

New LinkedIn Profile Feature Adds Skills, Publications, and More

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As more and more small, medium, and large organizations are learning that Social Media Is Not A Fad, their leaders and employees are understanding the power of LinkedIn to increase the chances they can be found online as the “Go-To Source” for products, services and expertise.

I depend on my friend and fellow blogger Suzanne Vara for the latest updates to LinkedIn and many other social media sites. She was profiled by social media top influencer Chris Brogan in a special post: You need a Suzanne Vara.

Here is her recent article on LinkedIn’s latest update:

LinkedIn Enhances Profiles With New Customizations

Guest Post by Suzanne Vara [first published on October 19, 2010 in her blog]

LinkedIn has enhanced profiles with new customization categories to showcase your skills and accomplishments rather than having them get buried within your summary. These new add-on customization categories are geared towards users who have been published, received patents, certifications, licenses and accreditations as well as those that are multi-lingual. Standing out above the crowd has never been more essential in today’s job market where we are seeing an increase in those looking for and applying for jobs. LinkedIn profiles are not only resource for job seekers to connect with key employees on LinkedIn but also for hiring personnel to gain additional information about a prospect prior to contacting for an interview.

LinkedIn New Profile Customizations

Your LinkedIn profile is an opportunity to position yourself through a very detailed summary. However, we know that too many times the summary is not always read completely and trying to keep it up to date and focus on the key points is not easy. The new customizations help to remove some very pertinent information, which you can semi-customize your profile and decide where it will appear within your profile.

1. Multi-Lingual. This section allows you to choose the languages that you speak and your fluency level.

LinkedIn multi-lingual profile customization

2. Skill Set. Add specific skills with your level of proficiency in each skill for users to easily identify. This is extremely helpful to hiring managers as well as those who are looking to promote their business as users can quickly review the skill set to match to their needs.

LinkedIn skill set profile customization

3. Certifications, Licenses and Accreditations. Received any industry specific certifications, licenses or accreditations that are essential to performing your job? This section is a simple listing of these items so that you can showcase them on your profile for all to see. Generally these were placed in education, honors and awards or interests where they did not necessarily belong.

LinkedIn Certification Profile Customization

4. Publications. This addition has to be one of the most useful for those that have been published as you are able to not only list the publication, provide a brief summary but also add the url to the publication.

LinkedIn Publication Profile Customization

5. Patents. Inventors are really embracing this customization as whether you have received a patent or it is still pending, you can add this to your profile.

These new profile customization enhancements are very user friendly and self explanatory as well as being extremely functional. They are easily dragged and dropped to where you want them to appear on your profile under the blue box of course. Removing this information from your summary will allow you to create a very powerful summary that delves deeper into your experience and offerings.

Now to work on a new summary …

photo credit: patent photo, LinkedIn blog

(all other photos are from my personal profile)

Would you like MORE help to maximize your profile? Check out my previous article with a worksheet AND link to full “lesson”: http://sharisax.com/2010/08/19/7-minutes-to-empowering-your-linkedin-profile/

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LinkedIn, Sharisax Is Out There

Is this Social Media “success story” silly? Or is that just my opinion?

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I participated in a Social Business conference here in the North Bay area of San Francisco, which was on the whole a great experience; however, one particular roundtable discussion left me “unimpressed” — if not downright exasperated.

This technology company has had a pretty lackluster, stodgy reputation, so their “objective” was to become cool and hip. As a stockholder — in addition to being a social media strategist — I am disappointed to hear that this i.e., being cool and hip was the Big Goal.

They hired a college intern and asked him to come up with an idea, so he suggested and implemented a series of videos that went “viral” — and now the company is so happy with itself.

I asked if the company had measured any ROI from this campaign. With what little response I received, I take it there was nothing set up to evaluate.

The company “happiness” seemed to come from the fact that they had videos that went viral.

To my mind this is just plain silly.

*   *   *

So I put the situation out there in several of my LinkedIn groups, and here were the responses:

Victoria Scott • I call this type of happiness “Ego Wallpaper” – makes the owners feel good, they can line the walls with numbers and there are no apparent hard results. Maybe it’ll turn into money eventually – any examples of success beyond the usual gratefully received!

Paul Violet • Seems we suffer from the same delusions on the east side of the great divide. Jumping on a bandwagon is not a recipe for success.

Louise Findlay-Wilson • Ego wallpaper is a great phrases. The example breaks all the rules of sound PR & marketing. Set some objectives, agree measures that truly tell you whether you’re getting closer to the objectives, and then measure, measure, measure. I can’t imagine why anyone would be happy to do less than this!

Alex Rodriguez • Well maybe not so much.
Viral means to me over one million in video views, and with views comes exposure which may lead to interest, now here is where the sales funnel begins from the million views what actions were created?
Knowing this is where we separate those arm chair specialist from the real ones.
Exposure=Traffic=Actions= ROI

Mark Longbottom • Just being happy at going viral smacks of not understanding why they are doing it other than a pat on the back. Also any agency suggesting they make viral campaigns should also be steared clear of, interesting and entertaining content can only be made viral by the audience. Numbers are a side issue based on the focus of the audience and customer base targeted by the orgainsation or busienss. They should definately be listening and monitoring activity around what they are doig to be deliver a more effective and continuous service.

By getting people to view the video and then share this with their networks there should be a call to action not a sales pitch but simply a way to engage and build a relatonship. Empowering them to tell more of their networks about what they have viewed, as well as giving you contact details to keep them informed of future information, products and services which they maybe interested in. Building a trusted and loyal following will maximise the ROI naturally.


What do you think?

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Guest Post, LinkedIn, Sharisax Is Out There

Planning Your PR Strategy Using LinkedIn

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If you want to network with public relations professionals all over the globe, then clearly LinkedIn is the place to find them. Simply search the Group Directory for the terms “Public Relations” in “Professional Groups” and you will discover dozens of PAGES of potential groups to join.

I’ve chosen a half dozen of these groups to participate in and one of them is PrPro begun by British PR pro Louise Findlay-Wilson.

PrPro runs a range of online and offline events and training for those who want to learn how to make their business famous. This group provides a forum in Linkedin where people can share their PR experiences and ideas, ask questions, access the latest cutting edge PR know-how, interact with PrPro experts and with each other.

Louise and I frequently carry on conversations in the Discussion section of the group, so I asked her if she’d like to share her tips on using LinkedIn for Public Relations. Here is her great advice:

The Power of Planning on Linkedin

by Louise Findlay-Wilson

As a prolific Linkedin user I’m frequently asked how it should be used for PR.  I always answer by first asking four questions:

  1. What are you trying to achieve as a business?
  2. Who do you need to reach to achieve this?
  3. What do you want that audience to do?
  4. If they are going to do this, what must they think about your business?

Without the answers, your Linkedin and any other PR activity will not be planned and purposeful; you will waste your time and talent on things that won’t take your business where you want it to go.

The Theory in Action

To illustrate, let’s use the example of an imaginary ‘green’ office supplies business – Enviro Supplies.

What are you trying to achieve?

Increase sales to smaller businesses (SMEs) by 25% over the next year.

Who do you need to reach to achieve this?

SMEs and their advisors

What do you want them to do?

SMEs – Move from a non-green supplier to us

Advisors – recommend us

If they are going to do this, what must they think about your business?

Even greener SMEs are cost-conscious. They need to think an environmentally sound product can save them money too.  Also they can’t afford to carry stock, so they need to know you can deliver anywhere in the country within 24 hours.

So what does this mean for your LinkedIn strategy?

Profile

Your profile reflects these important messages:

Your website link in your profile continues to sell your benefits – For instance: Enviro Supplies – good for your profits and the environment.

You have a slideshare presentation that perhaps talks through the top ten money-saving ways to ‘green’ your office.

Ask a mix of customers, based all over the country to recommend you – thus promoting your national reach.

Groups

Join groups aimed at small businesses, advisors and environmental enthusiasts’

Identify prolific networkers in the groups. Join the conversations.

Identify relevant questions and show your expertise by answering them.

Ask questions  – good way to show you’re customer orientated, and float ideas for (or even soft launch) products/services.

Once the dialogue is going ask the people involved if you can connect up.

Activity

Suggest books that help small businesses save money, be green etc This will communicate that you care about small businesses, you’re useful and on their wavelength.

Post comments/updates  – relating to things you’ve read or seen, ask for views, share secrets and tips.

People

Identify organizations and influencers who may be reaching out to your prospective customers – check out the groups they are in, the shows they are going to,;this will help hone your connecting activity. When introduced to contacts of real value, where possible arrange to meet.

Ask your most influential contacts to suggest people you should be telling about your services – use Linkedin to research them and approach them.

Publicity

All of this is PR, but there are other techniques to consider:

  • Put a relevant poll on Linkedin to do with the environment and small businesses. Ask everyone you know to take part. Publicise the outputs
  • Organize appropriate events – perhaps based on your slideshare presentation and invite your Linkedin contacts. Also promote your events in your groups
  • Ask for views, quotes or experiences that can be used to add substance to your news releases and features

This briefly shows how important planning is when it comes to Linkedin. Fail to plan and you will not just be wasting your precious time, you will also be squandering its precious PR potential.

Louise Findlay-Wilson,
Creator PrPro,
Twitter @louisefw
louise@prpro.co.uk
www.prpro.co.uk
For more FREE pr tips from Louise visit http://bit.ly/c1TS1U

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Guest Post, LinkedIn

Is This How YOU Use LinkedIn?

17 Comments

Does LinkedIn “work” for you?

The sad truth is that it probably does not . . . because you haven’t learned the power of this online business networking platform.

More “LinkedIn Truths” are continually revealed to me by (a) reading articles from experts, (b) putting their advice into action, and (c) being amazed by what evolves. I’m hooked on the power of LinkedIn, and so is Arik C. Hanson, named one of the top 100 PR people worth following on Twitter by Valeria Maltoni and one of the top 50 PR professionals to follow on Twitter by Everything PR. Arik has more than 14 years of experience in marketing, communications and PR. His blog Communications Conversations is one I subscribe to and read on a regular basis [note subscribing and reading can be vastly different].

Arik’s most recent blog post discussed the opportunity to use LinkedIn as a strategic marketing tool to start and foster long-term relationships that can eventually lead to meaningful business down the road.

How?

read on . . .

How to use LinkedIn for strategic marketing

Guest Post by Arik C. Hanson

Think about how the following process might play out for your B2B organization:

* Make a list and check it twice. Start by making a list of all the potential companies you’d like to target. Whittle that down to your top 50.

* Focus your search. Using the company search function, find each company and identify 4-5 people who might be either decision makers or purchase influencers in your specific industry or field.

* Introductions, please. Next, look for folks who can introduce you to these people. Using the “Get introduced through a connection” function, you can approach these folks in a non-threatening, informal way. Write a personal note to your connection asking them for the introduction. Then, paste in a note you’d like them to pass along to the person you’d like to meet. Keep it informal and breezy:

Hello. My name is Arik Hanson and I’m the principal of ACH Communications, a consultancy focused on helping brands become digitally relevant. I’m hoping we can connect here on LinkedIn. Seems we might have some shared interests, common colleagues and similar ideas around digital PR and online marketing.

* The art of the follow up. When/if they respond, make sure to follow-up with another short note. This time, be sure to give them some free, relevant information. Preferably, a blog post you recently wrote or an article you found interesting that they might, too. You’re just trying to start the relationship here, so you want to prove you’re there to help and you care about their best interests–not yours.

* Keep your radar up. Send these folks a private message on LinkedIn every once in a while. Again, stick with blog posts you’ve written or industry articles you think they might find interesting. Not to beat a dead horse, but this will prove you care and that you’re genuinely out to help them–not you.

* Nurture the relationship. After a few weeks–even a month or so, send them more pointed information about your organization and how you might be able to help them. Not a sales call–just more targeted information. Could be a blog post. Could be an invite to a local event. Heck, maybe it’s an invite to coffee (if they’re local). At this point, you should have a bit of trust built up with them–start to explore where that can go.

* Facilitate new connections. Finally, look for other folks in your network that your new contact might benefit by meeting. Obviously, you don’t want to connect them with competitors, but what about other people in similar positions at other organizations? Could they benefit by meeting that person and learning how they handle certain common challenges and situations? Might not seem like big value for you, but believe me, there’s a lot of upside in being the connector/facilitator. Just ask Keith Ferrazzi.

I’ll be honest, this approach probably isn’t for everyone. It’s time-intensive and take a lot of care and feeding. But, I do believe, if done right, it can have substantial pay off. After all, relationships are the bedrock the B2B sales process, right?

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Interview, LinkedIn, Sharisax Is Out There

Optimize Your Multi-Tasking: Wallace Jackson is your role model

2 Comments

Crowdsourcing is part of our online democracy, i.e., the people are asked, and the people answer.

I happen to like the way Wikipedia defines the term:

Crowdsourcing is the act of outsourcing tasks, traditionally performed by an employee, to a large group of people, through an open call.

For example, the public may be invited to develop a new technology, carry out a design task, refine or carry out the steps of an algorithm, or help capture, systematize or analyze large amounts of data.

The term has become popular with businesses, authors, and journalists as shorthand for the trend of leveraging the mass collaboration enabled by Web 2.0 technologies to achieve business goals. However, both the term and its underlying business models have attracted controversy and criticisms.

I also like the way I can use LinkedIn to reach out to the crowd with about a dozen different questions every month. And almost without fail, I get a response from one of my new social media friends Wallace Jackson. No Wonder! Wallace is one of the Top Ten Experts on LinkedIn. In fact, he’s number TWO. Check this out.

So I thought it was time to get upclose and personal with “Walls” and concentrate on questions that only he was likely to give the best response, i.e. questions about him. He has been on LinkedIn for three years, and just in case you want to know, here’s how he defines social media:“remote real-time peer-to-peer virtual human interaction via digital new media platforms.”

“If you want something done, give it to a busy man.” OK…. Cheers. Walls

Q1: Wallace, you are really “out there”: How much time do you spend answering LinkedIn questions on a daily/weekly basis?

Walls: I have no idea. I use LI Q&A as a way to optimize my multi-tasking, so when I have a minute between programming (during Compiles) or 3D Modeling (Rendering) I answer a question or two. This adds up over time, and my weekly output ends up being between 150 questions per week (21 per day, 1.5 per hour) and 350 questions (50 per day, 3 per hour).

Note that as a programmer I can type very fast, and my answers are also concise and to the point, so I’m not spending as much time as one might think I am due to a very fine-tuned work process across multiple workstations

Q2. WHY do you do this? [i.e. why might others consider this strategy]

I do this because I have the knowledge to point people in the right direction, as many questions are about technology, and to connect executives with my connections in the industry for creating new business synergies. The exposure in LinkedIn’s social media “engine” is not bad either, for an API programmer who creates custom new media apps on all types of platform “engines,” including social media platforms, virtual worlds platforms, i3D game engines, SmartPhone platforms (Android) and recently iTV platforms (JavaTV) and e-Signage networks.

Q3. Where do you believe Marketing is headed, and what do companies need to do to LEARN what they need to know?

I believe marketing is (must be) headed to the same place where the consumers (your customers) are headed, which is called “Internet 2.0” or portable consumer electronics devices, which are essentially computers in the palm of your hand, and 3D of course, which is a huge phenomenon in Television (3DTVs), Film (IMAX 3D), Print and Mobile (Lenticular Overlays), i3D Game Consoles (driving the industry), PCs, Laptops and even now in HD audio (OpenAL and 3D Radio).

The reason we are brought in to do new media production for ad agencies, marketing agencies, and international brands is that it is too vast to learn these digital technologies unless an individual has been progressing with these technologies since their inceptions, and most of the new platforms now include (are based on) open source (no hand holding) and require fairly high-level programming. This is also true of 3D technology.

Q4. What are the key things you’d like to tell people about “MultiMedia”?

Multimedia is the next phase of enhancement to all manners of platforms/engines currently, Social Media, Virtual Worlds, iTVs, SmartPhones, Internet, eBooks and eSignage. Interactivity will be the name of the game and the next level of new media, spurred by Touchscreens and Multi-Touch technologies.

Many current platforms also use open source, I am currently programming projects for instance in JavaSE (Android), JavaFX (WinMo and Internet), Python (Virtual Worlds), Lua (iTVs), JavaTV, GoogleTV, CSS3, HTML5 and JavaScript. All Open Source and Free for Commercial Use. No Flash in sight. The multimedia that will be fast, viral and popular will be small in data footprint and rendered interactively on the client-device (the processor inside your phone or iTV).

Have you gotten LI answers from Wallace?

Got any more questions for him? Ask a busy man . . .

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Interview, LinkedIn, Sharisax Is Out There

How to Inspire the AHA Moment: Ask Anne

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Expatriate Coach Anne Egros uses social media to check in back home, especially with LinkedIn — where I met her via a comment on the guest post by Victoria Ipri:

8 Tips to Get Astounding Results with LinkedIn

Anne Egros, Pharm D, is an independent professional coach, based in Brussels, the Capital of Europe and home to international organizations including EU & NATO.

She has been an expatriate for 20 years, working at management levels for Fortune 500 companies in USA, Japan and Europe. She understands the needs and challenges of global leaders and international managers in multicultural environments.

A member of ICF, the International Coach Federation, Anne has always been passionate at inspiring people to become effective multi-cultural team leaders focusing on excellence in getting results and people development across borders.

Meet Anne: founder of Zest and Zen International

How Anne got her social media start:

It all began on LinkedIn after an invitation by a Japanese colleague from Tokyo in 2005.

“LinkedIn helped me keep clients overseas and get new ones very rapidly when I moved from Atlanta to Brussels in 2009.”

Other social media sites now fit into her business model:

As an expat who moves to different countries every three to five years, she sees great potential building and maintaining relationships all over the world via online platforms.

“I typically coach individuals abroad who seek support from people who have significant business experience with deep understanding of expat issues both professionally and personally.

“When I post a discussion on LI, people who relate will contact me. Then I offer a complementary coaching session via phone, Skype, or in person.”

Anne opened a Facebook account in 2009, but she shut it down because she didn’t like sharing personal things on a public place. Her Twitter experience began and ended abruptly when she didn’t get it initially. Then she met a business owner who explained how to find followers — and great value. [Twitter is where she found me.]

“I learn a lot by searching by key words, and I love the serendipity and spirit of true networkers who offer meaningful connections. For now, though, Twitter is not generating a lot of traffic to my website. LinkedIn has a much larger ROI, but I’m open to seeing greater rewards from Twitter in the future.”

What philosophies underlie Anne’s practice?

  • Her company motto: “The enjoyment you get from life is equal to the positive and creative energy you put into it; that is the essence of Zest. Add the wisdom of Zen and you get the vision, purpose and strength to meet daily challenges with confidence.”
  • “People with clear purpose and vision can make a difference in their own lives and in others.”
  • Japanese proverb: “Vision without action is a daydream; action without vision is a nightmare.”
  • Friedrich Nietzsche: “What does not kill you makes you stronger.”

Fitting social media into a typical day’s activities:

  1. Wake at 6:30 and prepare breakfast for family, check on emails.
  2. Bring kids to school, stop at the gym for an hour of dance or aerobics, etc.
  3. At home, check email, LinkedIn, and Twitter.
  4. Coach clients via phone or in person.
  5. Lunch with a new person once a week.
  6. Two hours a day on her blog and other social media sites.
  7. Taking care of family in the evening.

“I spend about two hours a day with social media, trying to write one or two blog posts per week and 3-5 discussions per week on LinkedIn.”

How Anne describes her Work Life:

“I love learning new stuff and am an Information Addict. I enjoy making a difference in the lives of others, especially by helping them discover what they really want — and become Masters of their own lives: (1) lighting inner fires and  (2) transforming fear and negative self-talk into positive thinking.

Here’s your chance: Ask Anne . . . How to reach that AHA moment.

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Blogging, Guest Post, LinkedIn

Are Blog Carnivals Worth the Trouble?

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What’s a blog carnival anyway? I read about them in a chapter of Patrick Schwerdtfeger’s book Webify Your Business and so I signed up for one. But it didn’t seem like there was much going on, so I posted the question on LinkedIn:

Who’s had experience with Blog Carnivals?

The Best Answer came from Stevie Wilson, a seasoned journalist and editor-in-chief of the popular blog called LA-Story.com. It is about Southern California and Los Angeles as a lifestyle, state of mind and style center: “So no matter where you are in the world, you can live the So. Calif lifestyle by knowing what’s hot in LA!”

Pluses & Minuses at the Blog Carnival

Guest Post by Stevie Wilson

A blog carnival is where you have somewhat related blogs/sites — each  contributing a post on a specific day to create a list that would be posted on every participating site/blog. I have had experience in 3-4 blog carnivals.

While often blog carnivals are narrow in scope, featuring posts in  certain sectors: beauty, fashion, (or both), food, spirits, tech/gadgets or games — others can have a wider range and allow people to be creative and more diverse in their content.

Some of the negatives:

  • Moderator problems: The people who create or moderate the carnivals can at times be very harsh in how they determine what works or doesn’t (a) within the scope of the posts,(b) the timing of submission, (c) how the posts are written so the linkage isn’t screwed up.  (All this takes some time to learn for newbies.)
  • Unbalanced weight of participation is also a huge negative– if you have one or two big sites that participate and the others that are participating, it’s all about the numbers or reach of the various blogs. The bigger ones tend to dominate, so their voice carries more weight (hypothetically it should be equal voice) in determining how something is run.
  • Irregular participation: If there’s no commitment, you may have people posting randomly — in other words, you can’t count on having at least 4-5 different posts each week; there could be 12 different submissions one week and seven the next. That makes for irregular readership . . .  and less readership of the collective audience of the aggregate blogs. This is particularly important and relevant when the blog carnivals have unbalanced weight in readership.

But here are the Good Points:

1) Everyone gets some extra content and it’s great to get a diverse audience exposure.

2) You have a chance to test out things and talk to others about what works on these kinds of posts, so that you can learn and tweak your links and blogs.

3) It’s all about the group dynamic.

Sometimes they work and sometimes they don’t After all, things happen in your life that might have you missing a post or 3 (a car accident, working late, illness) but a once-a-month participation isn’t enough.

Look at the quality of the blogs, their content, their voices and how you all mesh

**

Here’s one additional insight from Bret Itskowitch [in response to the LinkedIn question]

“A blog carnival is a way to grow/share readership among a group of bloggers writing about a similar topic. I am a travel contributor to a group of Lonely Planet bloggers. Every two weeks someone picks a topic and hosts a carnival on their blog. Other bloggers write and post on the topic, linking to the host. The carnival host writes a broader summary on the topic and includes links to all of the contributing bloggers.”

**

What’s your experience been. The jury is definitely out for me — so far. Please convince me.

FURTHER READING:

9 Ways to Go to a Blog Carnival

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LinkedIn

7 Minutes to Empowering Your LinkedIn Profile

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One of the treasured opportunities for BNI [Business Networking International] members is the time we get to present an extended Infomercial to our “salesforce,” i.e. our chapter members.

Next week I plan to condense my 2-hour LinkedIn workshop into seven minutes — to provide an outline of tips for filling out the LI profile that is too often neglected by busy careerists.

To get the most from this worksheet, you might want to check out my article 10 steps to build up your LinkedIn profile for maximum findability online.

Use blank lines for your notes.

LinkedIn Profile Worksheet

1. Photo: _____________________________________________________________________

2. Headline: ____________________________________________________________________

  • 2 benefits for audience
  • Your “title”
  • An email or website or phone number

3. Update: _____________________________________________________________________

4. Current position[s]: Be certain to use keywords [phrases]

5. Recommendations: ____________________________________________________________

6. Connections: _________________________________________________________________

7. Websites: ____________________________________________________________________

Do not use Defaults. Use “other” and Keyword phrases

8. Twitter: ______________________________________________________________________

9. Public Profile: _________________________________________________________________

10.  ALL IMPORTANT SUMMARY:

√ FIRST PARAGRAPH: Communicate quickly and clearly the type of opportunities you are seeking.

√ SECOND PARAGRAPH: Highlight 3 or 4 key career accomplishments that demonstrate your qualifications. [Don’t use bullet points. Make it a friendly narrative.]

√ THIRD PARAGRAPH: Answer the question: How are you UNIQUE? How are you DIFFERENT?

√ ADD “for more info” line __________________________________________________________

√ ADD common misspellings _________________________________________________________

√ SPECIALTIES: Include ALL the keyword phrases you think people might use to search for someone who does what you do.

Please feel free to add more suggestions to this list in the comment section below. And . . . if you have any questions, please ask.

Meanwhile here’s a bit larger copy of my LI profile if it will give you ideas for enhancing your own:



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