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Should you remove a LinkedIn connection?
Posted on August 17, 2017 at 3:17 PM |
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The most effective networking
relationships are reciprocal. Both individuals gain substantial benefits from
the relationship. Unfortunately, some professionals view networking from one of
two extremes, either they cynically ignore the effort, or they pursue their
goal with Machiavellian tactics. But what of the majority of us that fall
between the extremes? We show up for the dance, but spend a fair amount of time
observing from the sidelines. Of course there is nothing wrong with some
observation. After all, we don’t feel compelled to be on the floor for every
single song. You may even discover that some of your connections do not
actually care for the same music as you do. What then? In most cases I let
those connections linger. Who knows, perhaps circumstances will change and we’ll
find a common beat in the future. But have you ever taken the step to remove a
connection? I know, in today’s politically charged world it feels like unfriending,
unfollowing or unlinking would be a dangerous move. It doesn’t happen often,
but on occasion I have removed connections. I remove connections based on the
following formula: In short, I just don’t feel a high
enough degree of trust to keep moving forward with the relationship. So, how could
a person grow my trust? I know it looks like some type of Pythagorean
Theorem, but it’s not. For me, the key to creating a large trust number is to build
rapport, build credibility, and reduce risk. If all three factors can be
shifted in the right direction my trust is bound to grow. Let’s take a
high-level look at each. Rapport: A relation of
harmony, conformity, accord, or affinity.
We have a sense of shared understanding. · Being contacted appropriately by the method that best
suits the nature of our relationship. · Being treated with respect. · I actually like you. Credibility: You are worthy
of belief or confidence. Your actions
and words are in congruence. · Being offered services or products that are truly relevant
to my desires. · You are transparent in how you deal with me. · You clearly answer my “What’s in it for me” question. Risk: Exposure to
the chance of injury or loss; a hazard or dangerous chance. My safety, security and social capital (reputation)
should not ever be at risk. · What are you
going to do with my personal information? · How do you want
to use my social capital? How does that
benefit me? · How does our relationship
impact my personal brand? I’m guessing each of us approaches our
networking connections from a different perspective, and that’s fine. But if you
are taking time to increase rapport and credibility while decreasing risk I’m
sure the strength of your network is growing like crazy. |
Why your lead generation program is damaging your brand
Posted on May 3, 2017 at 6:37 PM |
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“Thanks for following! Let me
know if I can help!” It appears to be a friendly welcoming, offering help to the receiver of
the message, but it’s not. In fact, if
you are using those ten words at the front end of your lead generation campaign then you are actually damaging your brand.
Here is why: 1. You delivered it through a direct message
automation application didn’t you? I
thought that was the case. Sorry, but
most people delete those messages without ever reading them. Many will even unfollow you based on your
action. Those types of messages are
viewed much like email marketing spam.
So, unless you want your personal or corporate brand associated with
that kind of activity you should turn it off. 2. Gratitude is a good thing. It’s always polite to thank people when the
situation calls for it. But this is not
one of those situations. Perhaps ten
years ago, when Twitter was new and the rules of engagement weren’t understood. But thanking someone through an automated
message (btw, that’s very impersonal) for following you, or in many cases they
were actually following you back, now comes across as a rookie move. Are you currently calling yourself a “social
media guru?” Too bad, because now they
know you really aren’t. 3. “Let me know if I can help.” We really appreciate that you are willing to
jump in and solve our problems. It’s
very generous of you. But you might as
well as said the following; “Now, please take the time to go to my website and
figure out exactly what I sell. Then,
think about your daily needs and problems and try to determine if you think my
services or products can help you. If
they can, let me know.” If you have
spent any time at all carrying a quota then you know this is another rookie
sales mistake. Do you really think your audience is going to explore your website when
you probably have less than eight seconds to make an impression and gain their
attention? I didn’t have to ask that question
because you already know the answer. Of
course your audience is not going to take time to try to figure you or your
company out. Their attention is limited and they want you to figure
them out. So, turn off your direct
message automation program and start over before it’s too late. |
Are “Degrees of Separation” Important to Networking?
Posted on March 30, 2017 at 5:53 PM |
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In the early 90’s three Pennsylvania college boys with too much time on
their hands decided that every actor living or dead could be linked to Kevin
Bacon. Although never a big box office
draw, Bacon has been in a significant number of films and the boys discovered
that if you use Bacon as an end point, you can link him in six degrees or less
to almost any other performer. So, from
that humble beginning The Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon was born. For example, Alfred Hitchcock and Elvis Presley can both be linked to
Kevin Bacon. Just for fun let’s imagine that Kevin Bacon is an open networker and
all the actors in this example are currently living. Kevin would like to add to
his suspense and psychological thriller genres and believes Alfred Hitchcock
could be just the ticket. Kevin Bacon contacts Jack Nicholson: Jack, I hope all well! Hey, I
really enjoyed working with you on “A Few Good Men.” I wanted to reach out to you and see if you could help with an introduction
to Alfred Hitchcock. I know you are not directly connected to Alfred, but you
were in “A Safe Place” with Orson Wells. And Orson Wells was in “Show Business at War” with Mr. Hitchcock. Based on those common connections, could I ask you to pass along my
request? Jack Nicholson replies to Kevin Bacon: Kevin,
you can’t handle the truth! “A Safe Place” was a critical and box-office disaster! In fact, Time magazine called the film
"pretentious and confusing.” Wow, sorry to hear that. But can I depend on you to sell my
introduction to Mr. Hitchcock through Mr. Wells? Son we live in a world that has walls, social
capital walls, “what’s in it for me” walls.
But OK Kevin, I’ll do you a big favor,
but I’m not making any promises. Jack Nicholson contacts Orson Wells: Orson, I hope all is well! Hey, it’s been awhile since we worked
together on “A Safe Place,” but I’ve got this young friend who would like to
meet Alfred Hitchcock. I noticed you and
Alfred worked together on “Show Business at War.” Would you be open to making that
introduction? Orson’s reply to Jack: Jack, I had completely forgotten we worked
together. In fact, I almost deleted your
message without even reading it. You
see, I’ve tried to erase the “A Safe Place” experience from my mind because it
was such a disaster. Concerning your
request, no I can’t help. I wouldn’t
feel comfortable reaching out to Mr. Hitchcock.
You see “Show Business at War” was a short film, only 17 minutes in length. It was sponsored by Time Inc. in 1943 to tout
the United States film industry’s contribution to the Second World War effort. And the fact of the matter is that I never personally
met Alfred during that brief project. So what point, conclusions or action steps am I trying to
make here? 1. If you are an open networker,
and that strategy works for you, keep doing what you are doing. I would never order a “code red” on a
strategy that is delivering results. 2. If that strategy is not
working then order the code red immediately because “The Strength of Weak Ties”
theory does not guarantee networking success. Asking connections of connections for a favor is a difficult
tactic to pull off. In those situations
it’s obvious that your focus is completely self-centered, and most people are
afraid of being taken advantage of by people they barely know or have no
emotional investment in. |
“If you were going to start your business over again, what’s the one process, you’d put into place from day one?”
Posted on February 7, 2017 at 6:12 PM |
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The process, or more
fitting, the mindset I recommend to individuals who want to start a business
should actually be implemented long before they hang out their shingle. Before starting a consulting firm or business
that depends on your personal reputation it’s to your advantage to make sure
your personal brand is already known, carries influence, and inspires trust. That means building and nurturing your
personal brand and network must be top-of-mind from the very beginning of your
career, even while you are still working for someone else. I know that may feel like a conflict of
interest, but it’s really not. At
the end of the day “entrepreneur” is a term that really does describe all of
us. We are all basically lifelong freelancers
with our own unique brand. Our careers
aren’t based on paths or ladders but are more like landscapes that have to be
navigated because there are no lifetime employment guarantees. Our financial security and social standing is
determined by our ability to influence people.
And if you want to influence people you need to understand empathically
the power of their point-of-view and feel the emotional force with which they
believe it.
As you can imagine, building credibility, trust and a social
audience that respects you takes time and knowledge. So, in
order to thrive in that type of mission you will need to adopt the mindset of a
lifelong learner. Lifelong learning is
more than adult education or training; it is a habit for you to acquire. Here are 3 important points to keep in mind
that will help convince you to make lifelong learning habit forming: 1. Professional
activity has become so knowledge-intensive and fluid in content that learning
has become an integral and irremovable part of most work activities. More and
more knowledge, especially advanced knowledge, is acquired well past the age of
formal schooling, and in many situations through educational processes that do
not center on traditional type schools. 2. Self-directed
learning, learning on demand, informal learning, and collaborative and organizational
learning are all fundamentally different from the traditional classroom
learning dominated by curricula and tests.
Your current employer may invest in making one of those forms of
learning available to you. But don’t
count on it. Be prepared to invest both time
and money in your ongoing education. 3. Lifelong learning can influence the creativity
and innovation potential of individuals, groups, and organizations. And creativity and innovation are considered
essential capabilities for working smarter in knowledge societies [Drucker,
1994]. Don’t
stop learning and growing your personal brand, ever. |
Why the phrase “mutual benefit” never works with an influencer
Posted on January 17, 2017 at 3:35 PM |
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“I’d like to connect and collaborate for mutual benefit.” Like
many of you, I’m often approached with that line on many social platforms. In truth, when that phrase is used within a
LinkedIn connection request from someone I don’t know it makes me cringe
because past experience has proven that they really mean one of two things: 1.
I’d like you to accept my connection request so
I can immediately pitch you on the solution I’m peddling because I’m sure you
are a qualified persona. 2.
I’d liked to be able to leverage you and pick
your mind but not actually pay for your services, knowledge or social capital. The second example of course refers to asking “who, what, when, where,
why and how” strategy type questions that represents a consultants or other knowledge
workers primary source of value. I know,
I know, I know, I sound very jaded. But
we all know that in today’s social media world I’m not off-base. In the beginning LinkedIn was about
connecting to people you actually knew.
Today, too many so-called “social networking experts” are merely trying
to pile up connections and then making attempts to microwave the relationship with
no intention of exploring the possibility of mutual benefits. The challenge for those of you who are “reaching out” with a sincere
heart is that the only way to know if there is going to be mutual benefit is
when the connection and collaboration is actually accomplished. And that process generally doesn’t start unless
each party first “trusts” the other. Look, I’m not saying that you shouldn’t make a cold call or approach a
stranger on LinkedIn, but why aren’t you working on building awareness and trust
first? So, how do you build trust if you’re not connected and already engaging? Be Found 1.
To be found during the “search” process
usually refers to when a customer or prospect has a need or desire for a
product or service that your organization is capable of delivering. But in this
case that is not what I’m talking about. Initially you need to take
steps to get on their radar screen. You
want them to notice you in a good way. To
be found, read their blogs and respond with thoughtful comments. Read their updates on LinkedIn and hit the “Like”
button. Retweet and Like their Twitter
posts. Now, don’t go over-the-top with
this strategy. You don’t want to come
across as some type of stalking crazy groupie.
But if you perform this task consistently over a medium-long period of
time I can assure you that your targeted influencer will notice you. Influencers take special note of their
audience engagement and they live for it. Find 2.
To be able to find
and approach prospects with characteristic’s that line up well with your
organizations target markets. For
the record, sending a cold connection request using the LinkedIn standard
template and expecting your target to instantly understand your background and trust
you are not what you should be doing. Of
course, if you are already some well-known personality perhaps that will work
for you. I’m not well-known so I never
send the standard template connection request.
Your potential new connection is only going to take a few seconds to
scan your profile. That means your
profile and related content needs to be top quality. Engage 3.
To engage
generally means to be able to approach customers and prospects with
relevant content that creates awareness and builds trust. Also, to be able to communicate in a way that
positively impacts the customer experience across sales, marketing, and
customer service. But here again that is
not what I’m talking about. You originally
took the step to try and customize your request; you said “I’d
like to connect and collaborate for mutual benefit.” But if you want to develop
“trust” you need to already be thinking of ways to do something for your new
potential influencer connection. Now, I
know what you are thinking: A)
If they would
just listen to my pitch they’d get it. I’ll
use my standard “our customers tell us that they are struggling with blah,
blah, blah” and they’ll say “so am!! Please come to my rescue!” Or you’ll send them your Nascar logo slide with
your current customers implying that they would be stupid not to listen. Look, you still need that type of content but
you are breaking it out too early. You
haven’t touched me “emotionally” by letting me know “what’s in it for me?” B)
So, “what’s in it
for them?” This is the most difficult
part of the assignment because you are really going to need to think through
your personal value-prop. And you need to
do it before you have the initial conversations. Your potential influencer connection wants to
know that you have given this a great deal of thought. You cannot wimp out by saying “I’ll just ask
them a question, like - what can I do for you?”
Remember, the customer often doesn’t know what they want until you tell
them. At this point they don’t really
know you, or trust you, and they have no idea how you might be able to help
them personally. That means you are
going to be dead-in-the-water because they will not be able to truthfully
answer your question or understand you value-proposition. Unless you’ve carefully considered the ramifications, use “I’d like to
connect and collaborate for mutual benefit” with great caution. |
Three ways to boost your social media presence and be more engaging
Posted on December 22, 2016 at 11:00 AM |
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Ha-ha, made you look! When my kids
were little they would sometimes taunt me with that phrase. It was intended as a playful insult because
they tricked me into looking at something that didn’t really exist. With my marketing teams, that phrase is not
said in jest. Its code for marketing content
and messaging that forms a favorable impression; it catches our target audiences’
attention and piques their interest.
Marketers want attention. They
want their audience to engage with their social profiles. In order to boost my social media presence
and fine-tune my engagement I focus on three key areas:
As you can see, many of the profiles I engaged not only followed me back, but they also “Listed” me. There are worse things in life than to be listed under “Inbound Stars” or “Inbound16 Rockstars!” This feedback had the added benefit of letting me know that my profile and content made a favorable impression.
Yes, this is marketing automation gone awry. This type of twitter stream is not engaging and
does not provide relevant content. It’s
pure noise.
This tweet not only calls out a few of those recognized but also has a customized video (also below) that makes the effort even more attention grabbing. Did the individuals recognized appreciate the video content and the mention? As they say, “a picture is worth a thousand
words.” |
I’m interested to learn more about you.
Posted on September 2, 2016 at 11:56 AM |
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I’m interested to learn more about you,
period. Yes, you should have ended your “Quick
Question” message right there. But no,
you then went on and on about your company and your solution. Hi Alan, Thanks for connecting on LinkedIn; I’m
interested to learn more about what you do.
I’m VP of Sales at XYZ Company and our solution blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah
blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah
blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah
blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah
blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah
blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah
blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah
blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah
blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah
blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah let me know what day and time
works out best and I’ll set up a call. Does it seem like I went overboard on
the “blah, blah, blahs?” I didn’t, your
message really did go on and on selling even though you have no idea if I’m really
a qualified prospect. You suspected I
might be qualified and decided to skip all rapport building, and the
establishment of your credentials. In
your mind selling isn’t about TRUST, it’s strictly about NEED and PAIN POINTS. As long as you present compelling facts and
figures you’re hoping I’ll make a totally rational, data-driven decision. I’m sorry to have to inform you, but
even executives are human. Yes, we have
emotions and we make trust-based decisions.
We do business with people we know, like and trust. Now that you know you messed up with your
first-contact “Quick Question” message, what’s your plan for recovering the
relationship with your new LinkedIn connection? |
The executive you’re targeting isn’t going to tell you their “biggest challenge.” Learn why.
Posted on August 23, 2016 at 11:34 AM |
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Why You Should Be Hiring the Best Sales and Marketing Athletes over Industry Experience
Posted on August 21, 2016 at 10:58 AM |
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“You don’t
understand. Our business, in fact our entire industry, is different.” I’ve heard that statement a hundred times. To be honest, early in my career, I’m sure I
said, and believed it myself; but not for quite some time now. After decades of working with sales and
marketing organizations across several industries I can tell you with
confidence that when it comes to the basic mechanics of your business you’re
not that unique. Believe me, it’s OK for
us to agree to disagree on this topic, and I’m sure many will. But in my opinion there is nothing magically
different about your company, and the fact that you insist on only hiring
individuals who have “industry experience” is the very reason you will fall
behind your competition. How do I know you value industry
experience so much? First of all, it was
obvious in your job post:
You don’t have to read between the lines
to see your thought process. Industry experience
equals rainmaker. When asked which is more
important, picking the best qualifications or selecting a player who presents the
strongest industry background, most hiring managers will say I want both. Yes, they are both desired. But if you had to favor either industry
experience or best qualifications which one would you choose if you were
serious about maximizing the impact of your team? From my point of view, put your money on
the organization that drafts the best athlete.
Uncertainty reigns, and in today’s business environment a rolodex can
become outdated before your new player finishes reading your new employee
manual. In addition, even if their
contacts remain current there is no guarantee your new player will maintain
their industry standing. After all,
their reputation was established under a different brand and that in no way
guarantees that they won’t need training, or will make a successful transition
to your particular environment. At best, strict industry experience comes
across as desperate pleas for quick sales or a statement of “we don’t like
change.” Of course, anyone who has
carried a quota or launched a marketing campaign knows Quick Hits and
Low-Hanging Fruit are never as quick or as low as everyone believes. And “more of the same” is certainly a
creativity killer. What statements might you find in a job
post that focuses on the best athlete?
The best athlete understand how persuasion
really works and know that human beings still make buying decisions based on
doing business with people they know, like, and trust. They are capable of creating narratives with
ultimate designs on increasing their social capital. And they are able to consistently create content
that their audience values. In short,
they can figure out how to build key relationships and add value across any
industry, not just drop names and quantify the costs. If you want to grow your business, stop
worrying about how much industry experience your job candidate has. Just hire the best sales and marketing athlete. |
What is Your Social Media ROI?
Posted on August 4, 2016 at 7:39 AM |
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Individual: “Alan,
what’s your Return on Investment for your social media activity? I haven’t
really experienced any benefits myself.” Alan: “How
often do you personally login to check your messages and engage real-time with
your audience? Are you personally taking time to craft
material that is interesting and helpful to them? Are you aware of their feelings and emotions? Do you take time to listen and learn about
your connections or just blast them with personal requests and sales pitches?” Individual: “Well… I don’t login every day. Sometimes a couple of days or more might
pass. And I don’t check the direct messages
anymore because if a legitimate contact really wanted to get hold of me I think
they would email or call. But if they
have connected to me doesn’t that imply they’re interested in what I’m doing?
Why shouldn’t I send them some type of personal request or call-to-action?” I’ve heard this
story enough that I could have predicted that their ROI on social media was
zero. And it will probably stay that way. Here’s
the bottom line; social media takes personal effort, you need to consistently put in the
time because there is no way to outsource your personality and original voice, or
use automation to develop empathy. Oh, I
understand. You outsourced your
telephone to an answering machine or service so you figured you would do the
same with your social media profiles.
Yes, you can turn your social media activity over to an agency, or
independent “social media expert,” or even put your activity on automatic pilot
with social automation applications. Let
me ask you though, what’s the experience like when you’re on the other end of
those interactions? Admit it, you can always
tell when you’re communicating with automation.
If it is a person, you can immediately sense when a substitute
personality is engaging. Does that type
of exchange help build personal brand authenticity and transparency with you? I doubt it; in fact I wouldn’t be surprised if
you told me that you disconnect from those types of profiles. I know I do. |
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