Posts Tagged 'Networking'

Profile and Network Management Tips

Published May 5, 2010 Facebook , How To... , Linkedin , Networking , Personal Brand , Social Media , Twitter Leave a Comment
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So you have a Facebook profile, a Twitter profile, a Linkedin profile… perhaps some profiles on other social networks as well.

Here’s my list of do’s and don’ts for your social media profile(s):

  • Don’t use 3rd person language – things like, “Carson is a…”. The social space is all about promoting uniqueness and individuality. Your own personal profile shouldn’t read like someone else wrote it.
  • Use a picture of yourself. Not having a picture reads as absent rather than private. Unless your profile is actually a brand, don’t use a logo. Show yourself, not your child(ren), or your pet.
  • Keep it short and to the point. If you want to share your life story, use each platform for what it does best: Linkedin for work experience, Facebook for things you like – don’t be redundant.
  • You don’t need to connect with the same people on each network. I frequently receive (and ignore) requests from Linkedin contacts to join them on another space. No need for that…
  • Lots of followers, friends and connections doesn’t mean anything for the sake of network size alone. Small, powerful networks are the way to operate in the business world unless you intend to spam (don’t).
  • Everyone is not a lead. Networking is about connecting people. Opportunities will come to you in turn. Provide value in the form of information and connections. Social media is not a hammer – it’s a nail.

Add to FacebookAdd to DiggAdd to Del.icio.usAdd to StumbleuponAdd to RedditAdd to BlinklistAdd to TwitterAdd to TechnoratiAdd to Yahoo BuzzAdd to Newsvine

Networking and Sales

Published September 29, 2009 Business Development , Networking , Sales Tips Leave a Comment
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networkYour network used to be the people you knew, the people who referred you, the people you had some degree of trust with. Then there was the rest of the world – your customers, your prospects and the people who will or would buy from you. These are the people you “followed up” with.

Communicating with the people you know = networking

Communicating with the people you don’t know = selling

This is old school thinking.

If there is one thing that most sellers are genuinely poor at – it is following up. Most follow up opening statements go something like this:

“Hi, it’s Carson from Direct Contact calling – it’s been a few months since we last spoke so I thought I would give you a call today.”

This kind of follow up has absolutely no value for the buyer. It is simply asking/stating that “It has been at least 3 months since you bought something or last said no to me – are you ready to buy something now?” All this kind of salesy talk does is reinforce stigmas and frustrate buyers.

In the paradigm of Sales2.0, this kind of separation no longer exists. Effective sellers do not follow up with but network with their prospects and customers. Who exactly is in your network today? Everybody is. Your customers, your prospects, your friends, your contacts… etc… Sellers are connecting with business people daily – surely there are referral opportunities between prospects and customers in your pipeline right now.

So how do you do that exactly?

Give people something they value – information.

There are a couple of very easy ways to do this. RSS feeds are a great example.If you don’t know what an RSS feed is – click here – and then come back to this post.

Using RSS (or Google Alerts) to collect information to share with your market is an effective way of staying in touch and providing value at the same time. Include the article link in an email with a brief statement such as:

“I came across this and thought of you today – hope things are going well. Let me know if there is anything I can do for you and keep in touch.”

Pretty simple. To the point, No selling allowed.

Stop following up and start networking.

Social Bookmarking with Delicious

Published April 9, 2009 Delicious , Networking , Social Media Leave a Comment
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I often review my blog stats to see what visitors are clicking on.

While I get frequent views of my linkedin profile, or twitter feed – I’ve noticed that I rarely get any action on my delicious.com bookmarks. This leads me to believe there are 2 possible reasons why:

  1. delicious-logo6No one cares about my bookmarks
  2. People are not really aware of what delicious is

Reason #1 is very possible, but I won’t be changing what I bookmark based on popularity (or lack there of). It seems to me that delicious is a pretty interesting and valuable social media tool that is often overlooked compared to Twitter or Facebook. So here is my quick and dirty on delicious…

Delicious is a Simple Concept

It’s a social network and visibility tool focused on sharing your favorite bookmarks. Old school bookmarking used to be a time saving idea – an easy way to remember your favorite websites. Delicous brings a network to bookmarks – when you save a bookmark on delicious, you can also see how many other people have saved that bookmark as well, their profile and who they are, as well as all the other bookmarks they have.

Why You Might Care About Delicious

I view delicious kind of like reading between the lines. By taking time to review my bookmarks, you can get an idea of what influences me and get an idea of resources that I think are worth sharing. There is plenty of information out there to share – while I use my blog to share my own ideas, I like the convenience and sharing of things that I think are interesting via delicious.

Delicious integrates with other platforms like Facebook, so my bookmarks are publicized much like a status update to my Facebook friends in real time. There’s also a handy tool bar you can integrate into your browser that makes bookmarking with delicous very simple to do.

If you haven’t yet, give delicious a try – start by checking out my bookmarks.

Social Media – It’s Only Us

Published April 7, 2009 Marketing , Networking , Social Media 2 Comments
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Don’t get me wrong, I’m kind of into hype…

After some time of rampant evangelicalism, there is a sober reality taking root as more and more organizations embrace what these new(ish) platforms of engagement can do for them.

I really liked this post from Zygote. It talks about ROI, and campaign measurement, and it is visually great as well.

Like anything new, there needs to be some demystification surrounding social media – and I think the easiest way to describe this, or focus this point is that – All social media really is… is us.

Using the tools available to access, introduce and collaborate with us is the trick – this is where the how’s and what’s are applied. But the why seems quite simple – because social media is where your market already is.

And we’re not so bad are we?

Ticket Sales and Sponsorship via Social Networks

Published March 31, 2009 Facebook , Linkedin , Marketing , Networking , Social Media , Sponsorship , Sports Marketing , Twitter Leave a Comment
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If you are in ticket sales or corporate sponsorship sales, here are some tips for marketers and sellers alike…

facebook2

Facebook is a great tool for “soft” networking with friends and family. The idea behind using Facebook as a sales tool is not to use it to sell, but participate in communities, monitor activities, and leverage the PR factor of Friend networks.

  • Build your network:
    • Friends
    • Family
    • Coworkers (past  & present)
    • Alumni
    • Make it known that you sell tickets
  • Join local Facebook networks (your city)
  • Join your teams’ Facebook fan page
    • Drive your network to it
    • Reference it  in your status updates
  • Join your sponsor’s Facebook pages
    • Monitor their use
    • Keep up to date on their activities
    • Discuss their strategies with them
  • Keep your profile professional

twitter-logo1

The primary goal of using Twitter for sports marketing is to allow fans to get “closer” to their team and reward them with offers and real time info they cannot get elsewhere. Once your follower base grows, you can look to leverage targeted sponsorship activation.

  • Release unclaimed reserved game tickets offers via Twitter
    • Include links to purchase them
  • Follow key brands, see how they use it
  • Follow your team and other teams Twitter feeds
  • Share relevant information and links with your followers
  • Build followers from your other networks

linkedin-logo1

Linkedin’s best fit is for sponsor and corporate partner networking. There are apps to leverage here, like the ability to share documents or slide shows. Networking is all about what you can do for other people, so actively look to help out and connect your contacts. Give referrals to your contacts, and share information with them that can make a difference in their day. Don’t sell here – be informative and available.

  • Building and strengthen existing contact relationships
    • Connect with clients (previous as well)
    • Search for existing prospects/contacts
    • Build credibility through Recommendations
  • Search out contacts, but do not sell to them
      • Build relationships, look to understand their goals and ideas
  • Share information with your contacts
    • Give them relevant info that matters to them
    • Keep them informed
    • Ask how you can help them

Fans, sponsors, brands are all participating in social media communities right now. These are places you need to be representing your organization as well. The approach here is not to sell or to pitch, but to be available, involved and participatory. Building your network and strengthening your relationships is what will provide you the opportunity to sell.

3 Levels for Sales and Social Networking

Published March 23, 2009 Blogging , Branding , Entrepreneurs , Facebook , Networking , Personal Brand , Sales Tips , Social Media 10 Comments
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social_network_diagrams2bThere are 3 stages that sellers need to go through in order to use the tools of social networks to their fullest. It doesn’t matter if you are starting out, or are already on the path – social media networks are vital in sales today:

  1. Begin with a Profile
  2. Leverage your Presence
  3. Work as a Hub

Begin with a Profile

There are countless people who build a profile and then let it sit… this passive approach won’t work. Just like your phone doesn’t ring, you won’t get much out of building a profile and leaving it alone. A few thoughts on profile building:

  • Use a good picture - pics are standard now, and not having one reads as absence – especially in sales.
  • Be in the Right Networks - Consider your use of Linkedin (no brainer), Facebook, Twitter… you need to be where your market already is. Do some searching around to find your spot(s).
  • Be Active – Update, post, use, build and change your profile; make yourself visible and interesting (and professional).
  • Keep it 1st Person – Avoid the 3rd person narrative of “Carson is a dedicated…”, Use ‘I’ and ‘my’.

Leverage Your Presence

Now that you have a profile, you need to actively build out your network. As I have said before, with Sales2.0, there is no prospecting – it is simply networking:

  • Search for and connect with all your customers on social media platforms
  • Search for and connect with your top prospects
  • Business Development: Seek new contacts by profile searching for your ideal contact, reach out with a simple message – not a pitch
  • Join appropriate groups to expand your network and connect with target industry professionals
  • Use RSS feeds to share information with your network

Work as a Hub

5265503___networkOnce you have been actively operating on social media platforms, the next level is to operate as a hub or central node of your network. What it means to be a “hub” depends on your business and your role as a seller within it.

  • For a sales force rep- operating as a hub is more of a central network node – someone who is well connected, someone with information to share and is considered a source or a conduit.
  • For a business owner or solo entrepreneur – working as a hub means to build a core – like a blog, or a group or a specific network, a virtual place or destination for people when they are online to access what you know and share what they have.

These are the 3 main concepts behind sales and social networking – which level are you currently operating from?

Coming Soon: New LinkedIn Contact “Tags”

Published January 29, 2009 Linkedin , Networking , Productivity 2 Comments
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Linkedin invited me to try a beta feature which allows users to group their contacts with tags.

Tags like “Colleagues”, “Friends”, “Partners” and such… and it also allows you to create and manage your own tags as well. It’s a pretty self explanatory system and one that I think improves usability.

The heavy lifting comes upfront when you starting organizing and assigning tags to your contacts. For most, this in’t too painful and can serve as some much needed housekeeping. Unless of course you are a LION, and it will take you weeks to tag your 30,000 connections – wait – no… you can simply create a tag for “People I Don’t Know” and mass assign them.

All kidding aside, I’m looking forward to this new feature and to seeing how it integrates into the rest of Linkedin’s functions.

3 Social Media Tools for B2B Sales

Published January 28, 2009 Business Development , Linkedin , Networking , Productivity , Sales Methodologies , Sales Tips , Social Media 2 Comments
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Here are 3 great social media tools for B2B sellers:

  1. Linkedin
  2. Brightkite
  3. RSS

Linkedin

Ok – no real need for a deep analysis here – Linkedin is a place you need to be if you are engaged in social networking for business. If you use nothing else – use this. Some tips for use:

  • Use your LI profile as your core – drive your network here
  • Get a good photo of yourself
  • Get some recommendations up there from both colleagues and clients
  • Connect with all your top prospects and current customers
  • Don’t “sell” through your profile

If you concentrate on building a powerful network (that means your contacts are active and that they know you), and focus on positioning yourself as someone who brings value to their network and who provides expertise in their field – buyers will seek you out. At the same time, you are always available and reaching out…

BrightKite

Brightkite allows you to “check in” or post your position on a map so your network (or Sales Manager!) will be able to see where you are at any given moment. If a contact can see that you are out on the road – they may reach out to you to leverage your proximity. If your network is using Brightkite, you will be able to see what they are up to as well on any given day which can allow you to meet up. All this is done via your handheld/mobile device. Brightkite increases and promotes your visibility, it helps people find you if they want/need to. Who knows who may be at the same baseball game, or conference, or stuck in traffic…

You can also benefit from using Brightkite with internal resources as well.

RSS

Nothing could be easier and bring more value to your network than RSS feeds. What is RSS? Click here to see a brief explanation of what RSS is and does.

Get yourself a Reader (I use Google) and start subscribing to feeds – things that your network will care about. Things like their industry or your industry, things about their company or your company, things that are important to you in your role. Beyond providing some great background and building your knowledge – you can share this info with your network. Don’t sell… provide something that your network will care about – give them something they can actually use.

You can further leverage your RSS feeds by using other tools like Twitter, Facebook or Delicious to promote and share info with your network. No matter what the platform is – keep finding interesting, informative and valuable information to push out.

In Closing…

In the world of Sales 2.0 there is no “Prospecting” or “Following Up” – it is simply networking. In the Sales 1.0 world there was your “network” – a group of people who gave you tips and referrals and there was your “prospects/customers” – the group of people you sold to and who bought from you. It doesn’t work like that anymore…

Now – there is just 1 network. Some are people who will buy from you, some never will. Some will refer you business, others will receive your referrals. Some are your friends and family. Some are on multiple platforms (like Facebook or Twitter). Some are colleagues and some are clients.

Social Media and B2B Sales

Published January 26, 2009 Networking , Sales Methodologies , Sales Tips , Social Media 2 Comments
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There is much discussion about ROI and social media.

Everyone loves marketing but no one loves sales (aww…). Marketing is sexy, but sales does the dirty work. Sales is the bottom line – what good is any marketing unless it is transitioned into real sales? (Answer: none)

The big “I” in ROI is the investment in time – not dollars – as far as social media is concerned.

If you are spending your resources’ time on social media – how can the results be measured? Just like any marketing initiative, there must be a path to sales. In B2B sales, social media can be leveraged as a networking tool by both the sales force as well as at the organizational level.

Social Media and the Sales Force

Social media can allow sellers to engage their market(s) in order to be involved and participate in conversations. For the purposes of this post – I am sticking with social media at the rep level – but there are exciting things happening at the organizational level through social media that allows the conversation to shift to brand (another time…).

A contact of mine recently brought up a great point – there are 2 types of technology that that no sales person ever has to be taught to use… the phone and the car. Why? Because the rep sees a direct correlation from using the technology to getting them closer to the conversation. But these 2 types of technology have something else in common – they were invented over 100 years ago!

That doesn’t mean old is bad – it means that new can be good too. Some where, right now, through social media… your industry is discussing goals and challenges. Maybe even your brand is being discussed – these are places where sellers need to be. Measuring the “I” – the investment of their time is the same as any other business development activity. How many hours did you or your sales team cold call last week and what were the results? Spend the same amount of time on a focused social media engagement strategy. Now you will have something to measure.

Coming up next post… how and where sellers can do this.

3 Great Twitter Tools

Published December 8, 2008 Personal Brand , Social Media , Time Management , Twitter 2 Comments
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This post is designed around the concept that you are using Twitter as a tool/strategy in building or marketing your brand and engaging your market. So in keeping that in mind – Here are 3 great tools that you can use to increase your productivity and get more out of using Twitter:

SocialToo

This site will automatically allow you to follow anyone who follows you and also send them a personal message to thank them for doing so. Why would you want to do that? Well, beyond the courtesy of following someone who is interested enough to follow you – Twitter is great as you can “try before you buy”. By “buy”, I mean “buy into”. You can simply unfollow anyone you like at anytime. Once you are following more than 20 or 30 people – the information begins to pile up pretty quick anyways and it becomes (nearly) impossible to track all those tweets. In this way, though, you are building up your base of followers, and also allowing them the opportunity to engage you as well.

TwitterCounter

So maybe you’d like to see who the real movers and shakers are on Twitter – well here they are. Why would you want to follow these people? It’s valuable to see what these people are tweeting about – why do they have 70K+ followers? What can you learn from them? Twitter counter gives a high level view of who (or what) people are most plugged into on any given day. You’ll find interesting people as well as brands that are active here…

BrightKit

If you’re really hardcore and manage multiple Twitter accounts, you can do all that in one central place with BrightKit. It can also send Tweets at a pre-determined time - so your followers will think you work really late and really hard… “Wow, I can’t believe Carson sent that at 3:21 in the morning, he’s on it!”

Twitter is a constantly evolving communication platform. I hope these sites give you a little more action if that’s what you’re looking for. And if you are simply wondering what Twitter is all about – just sign up and give it a look. All this stuff will be ready for you.

Lastly – Here I am on Twitter

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Carson McKee
Owner, Direct Contact
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