When we talk with our clients, it’s evident who’s doing the right things. As we move into the New Year, the whole business community has learned how to transition themselves into the brave new – social network – world.

However, the question we always get asked is – who is it working for?  Quite honestly, we have found the answer to be very consistent. Many even know I lead out most of my classes and discussions with the answer. It’s the ones who have the right “mindset”. That’s right, mindset.

Well you say, that’s a broad statement and seems awfully vague.  Okay, well let’s dig deeper!

Whether we walk into a Fortune 500 company or a small five person business, it’s always the same story. We can give them the blue prints, develop the perfect game plan, train the staff and coach them through the whole process, but if they don’t BELIEVE in it and follow through with it, will never work. Or, sometimes it will only work for just a few employees, that the company won’t support it and in most cases will abandon it.

That is the most consistent thing we see everywhere. We spoke to a group in London this week and it is the same deal, it’s world-wide – unanimous!

This is just like when we would install CRM systems and the Sales Manager would swear that if the whole sales department didn’t use it religiously, they would lose their jobs. It started off like gangbusters. Then it started happening right before our eyes. One would drop off, then another and another, till pretty soon – their $250,000 investment was a just fancy version of Outlook at best. We’ve seen it way too many times.

We see this also with our training in Social Networks; 100% of the company starts off with it, many times even the CEO, then as weeks go by people fall off and there are just a few who actually practice the process. Those are the smart ones; the ones with less dials, more referrals and more leads. Why are they getting them? They have the right mindset! Social Networks are all about what you cannot see, they are about the connections of connections and if you have the right mindset, and the right training to see the leads and referrals – you will have all the business you will ever need.

Do you have the right mindset to see the leads?

Here’s a great way to sell without seeming like a salesperson.  It’s called “article marketing.”

The first syllable of “article” is “art” and there is an art to creating useful content.  Article marketing is certainly more time consuming than posting a status update on your Facebook business page, but the payback can be huge.

If you can write, it’s best to create original content, but here’s how you can reconstitute info from articles written by others.

Copy/paste the content from one or two well-written articles into Notepad on your PC.  You can open the Notepad program by clicking Start/Programs/Accessories.  Notepad will strip out all the hidden code.

Copy/paste the content from Notepad into a fresh Word document.  Then, start rewriting by moving paragraphs around, reversing sentence order, and doing word substitution.  You want to change about 75% of the article to make the article your own and avoid plagiarizing.

Sometimes, it’s a good idea to retain some brilliant quote or well-turned phrase from the article you have not written.  It’s okay to do this if you provide attribution by including the author’s name, title and company or location.

Finally, it’s important to identify and include your favorite key words in in the article.  Key words, of course, will help people find your article when they search the Internet.  Make sure these key words are in three
places:

a)    The title of the article
b)    The first paragraph-ideally the first sentence-of the article.
c)    The last paragraph-ideally the last sentence-of the article.

Here are 5 ways to re-purpose the content of your new article and get the most from your online marketing efforts:

1)    Post the article on your Web site.
2)    Post a version of the article as a Facebook Note.
3)    Use a 140 character excerpt of the article as a status update or Tweet.
4)    Post the article on a free article depot site, such as www.EzineArticles.com
5)    Create a pdf of the article and post it on your LinkedIn page.

Articles that are written in an “evergreen” format can be re-posted and re-shared, if they don’t contain dated information.

Article marketing is a fantastic way to sell without selling.

Michael Angelo Caruso is the author of the “5 Cool Ideas” books and the FastLearnerAudio series.  To receive his complimentary “5 Cool Ideas” newsletter, simply send an e-mail to 5CoolIdeas@EdisonHouse.com.

As I was coaching some students this week on their profile, I thought it would be worthy to share this with the rest of you. We were working on our profiles for LinkedIn, and in 100% of all instances, I convinced the students to develop a different style profile.

See, in LinkedIn, when you create a profile, the keywords used in your profile get indexed and are used in a search. Like a very relevant website, we often teach students to make sure they work their most relevant keywords into their profile. However, we found that many were still writing the “resume” style profile – a bit dry and ultra professional. Not bad for most, however with over 80,000,000 people on LinkedIn, we have to stand out a bit!
It’s no secret that when setting your profile to “Full Public”, this opens your welcoming profile up to the entire searching population. We are now emphasizing a new best practice to most all of our professionals, that when they create their profiles, do not just include the keywords, but speak to the visitor. That’s right, welcome them to your page, tell them what your about and what you will do for them.

This is your time to shine; sometimes you only have a few sentences before they click away. It’s the ultimate elevator pitch!

Think of this like your official website for the next 20 appointments. What would you say if you could talk to them? Then say exactly that and invite them to connect with you so that you can help them in their business.

Remember, they most likely found you though a search, meaning they were actively looking for someone like you or by connecting to you from a related connection in your network – a referral. If they found you, why wait – let your page start talking to them immediately!

So with that in mind, go back and read your profile. Are you effectively speaking to your visitor and will they be inclined to take the next step and connect to you – or will they move on?

Log in and fix your profile today!

I was speaking with several business owners today who went through our planning process for the new year and realized how important it is to have those measurements in place immediately. Even if you don’t have them all in place – get some critical “Key Performance Indicators” or measurements set for next week.

In order to be “on track” for 2011 how many sales do you need per week? NOT last years numbers the NEW numbers! Then measure what you need to get you to those sales. For our corporate clients, have your departments or divisions reporting in already as well. Just spoke with some other business leaders who did not have their thresholds adjusted to their new plan – lets get that going. Slipped on a few myself!

So if it is an issue – stop long enough to straighten this out – get your measurements in order and begin checking in this Monday at the latest!

Agreed? good – whew – now we are track for a 2011 – and we wish that for all of you!

Those of you already on track – great work!

- All the best – Dean

All the best and See You Online! – Dean

http://www.linkedin.com/in/deandelisle

Social Networks have been the “IN” thing these past two years, especially when it comes to low-cost lead generation. It’s beyond the “buzz” and now has become commonplace for many professionals seeking new business or connections.

First of all, Social Networks do not generate leads – people do! This is what makes it social. This means that once the Social Networks are set up, they have to be worked and managed by you, the people. It’s just like a chamber, club or any other network group. Once you learn how to work that group and have a system to keep working it, then you can be very successful with generating more leads than you ever thought possible. And, best of all, it is low cost, effective and even fun!

There are a few steps that you need to follow to make sure your experience is more than just a toe in the water:

SOCIAL SELECTION. It’s like dating! Someone that is right for you can be found if you go to places where you know other people with similar interests, or to places where you just want to hang out. The great thing is that there are some very specific characteristics about most Social Networks that determine their relevance to your business or connection need. There are three main categories when it comes to social sites for generating leads. The first is for “Reputation and Identity” such as LinkedIn, Facebook, Personal Site or Blog. The second is for “News and Opportunity” such as ezine articles, Article99, Wikipedia and Sales Gravy. The third is for “Communication and Nurturing” like Reunion, Xing and Twitter. The point is to know your network so you can effectively work it. More networks are combining these areas; however it’s still smart to have a good mix depending on your mission.

PROFILE CREATION. This is ever so critical. Your personal profile will be how people find you. It must be complete and very much in line with the leads or connections you want to attract. The Web, Social Networks, Blogs and Search Engines all work together from this point forward. If you are an expert in a certain market, then it is critical that your profiles and personal website say you are an expert in that certain market. This creates the significant relevancy so that when people are searching for you, your service or an idea – you are found. It is also important to note that social accounts should be for individuals that link back to the relevant organizations. Many companies miss this and create a company profile; but, they already have one—a website! Social Networks should be for people that connect you to the recommended organization, thus creating a much wider reach. Imagine the key employees in a company all saying good things about that organization. People are going to want to check out that main company site!

PROFILE MAINTENANCE. Once all your profiles are created, make sure you have a routine to maintain your information. This is the key to ongoing search and relevancy and is a hidden secret that many miss in the social world. Most networks have a section which allows you to update your network followers and connections on what you are doing. By keeping yourself socially fresh with frequent profile updates and simply updating your current business doings, you can drive plenty of business activity if done correctly. This can start casually and then develop into an art, and the pros can attest that this works!

BLOGGING. If you can type an email, you can blog. A blog is simply the start of a conversation, almost like the old chat rooms, just a little more like a living and breathing animal. If done right, it will keep growing and spawn new blogs. It is important to also keep these relevant to your mission and your message. There are tricks to blogs that can assist with accelerated lead generation both directly in the Social Network and indirectly through the search engines. It is best to start simple or get assistance until you are ready to create a system to regularly visit, like your email. It can be as easy as starting with a relevant question to your target market, then responding just a few times a week. The more frequent you respond, the better the results, just like any method of relevant communication.

VIDEO AND POWER POINT. A picture is worth a thousand words, and a video is worth a million! Video and power point presentations can be used to take your text-based messages and bring them to life. With the explosion of YouTube and other video sites, it’s no secret that video is the next primary wave of communication, so why not bring your Social Network together with video? Web cams and production platforms are cheaper now than they have ever been; you can even produce eCommercials for a few hundred dollars and post them on multiple sites for your specific call to action. Then, you can plug in “tags” for your video, prompted on most any video-friendly site, which are relevant terms and phrases that your primary target might use to find you when doing a search.

EVENT NOTIFICATIONS. If you do any type of events, whether they are in person or online, it can be proudly promoted in most any professional Social Network that has a communication vehicle. In fact, most of the current registration sites have a direct link to most of the appropriate networking sites for easy promotion. This allows your Social Network to find your event and pass it along to those who might be interested.

ARTICLE SUBMISSIONS. There is nothing like personal PR on the internet. Again, this is another low-cost form of credibility promotion, especially if you know the style of writing and the sites for submission. This is typically accomplished by writing an article which is educative and informational, however, not with any emphasis on directly selling a product or service. If you are new to doing this, (it might take some effort at first) once mastered, this is a hidden goldmine for leads. Once your article is written, most of the business Social Networks allows a direct link for article submissions. Some social sites are purely designed for business communication and news updates as mentioned in the beginning of this article.

ONE DEGREE OF SEPARATION. Most Social Networks allow you to add your friends. They also take your list from any common email provider or database format so you can load your current network into the one you’re joining. It’s like the ultimate network party! Any successful business person knows how to work their network; however nothing does this like a Social Network site! Once you load your list onto a Social Network, it then searches for people that they know, and then you are allowed to view those connections and ask for a referral based on people that you want to meet. One degree of separation from your next big deal!

SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION. If the above is followed, most of the search engines will do this work for you. If you have a regular system for updating your social sites, blogs and also maintain a steady pattern of relevancy, then you will be found. It is also recommended that if you are using an SEO provider, to shift some dollars to include your new listings in a cross-over search plan. This will create some nice acceleration for your web presence.

WEAVE THE ACCELERATION WEB. Now I’m sure you saw this part coming. How can you use Social Networks to accelerate your lead generation? It’s simple – choose multiple sites, use the recommendations above, and apply them to all sites you are committed to. The effect will be exponential; companies are doing this every day!

Imagine your top five executives, each belonging to five Social Network sites, each creating one blog a week, each posting one presentation per month. Now add this to your current SEO Plan. What result would you get? A reach into a whole new circle of references while creating the lowest cost-per-lead currently available on the market today.

So, instead of putting your toe in the water, what are you waiting for? Jump in!

DD: What prompted you to write #PRIVACYtweet?

LR: Lots of people have talked about Internet privacy policies for years, ever since its inception. I’ve noticed the increased concern about it with the rise of social media, particularly social networking sites.

A big part of privacy has more to do with common sense, respect for others, and personal responsibility, yet we insist that the companies we do business with do their part to protect our confidential information as well, and I agree they should!

DD: So what can an inspirational format book like this tell us about privacy?

LR: As The LinkedIn Diva, a social media maven, I wanted to write about Privacy because everyone who is in social media, whether they are a social media expert or not, is in it for their own reason. Many reasons may be the same, but everyone has to make individual choices about what they are comfortable sharing. So many people want to benefit from involvement in the new online world, but they have to make peace first with what they are willing to share and what they are not.

The topic of privacy is so hyped up causing constant fear; I wanted to give people resources and to bring them advice so they can walk deliberately online. So many people have an email account hacked, get a virus, or suffer loss because of an inadvertent click or an unknowing disclosure, it is vital to get the word out about how to protect ourselves.

Writing about Privacy as a THINKaha book allowed me to get the information out quickly in a form that will allow the reader to both assimilate it quickly and keep it handy as a reference. And with the additional functionality of the iPhone app and the availability of the eBook and Kindle edition, options for people who want to get the information absolutely plays right into the space, allowing people to read it and to share it whenever and wherever they are.

DD: Why should The LinkedIn Diva be the one to broach the topic?

LR: There has really been no one in the social media world who talks about privacy, yet it is one topic of which I am peppered with questions after every speaking engagement, no matter the topic of the presentation! I often have people who pull me aside to ask how being involved in social networking spaces will affect issues they don’t want made public, how they can keep their family live fenced off, or how they interact but draw a line in the sand they don’t want to cross.

There is really very little information out there about it, so, as The LinkedIn Diva who boldly proclaims that I have chosen to live my life out loud, I feel it is my responsibility to raise the flag for people to rally around and learn just how to walk in this bold new online world in a safe and deliberate way.

DD: Many authors are very difficult to find. Since you are “everywhere” online, can people reach out to you?

LR: Yes! My favorite place to interact is via LinkedIn; however, people can find me wherever they are at http://www.LoriIsOnline.com. If someone wants to book an engagement though, they can contact my booking manager, Christopher Breceda (via sales@integratedalliances.com). People like Christopher and my photographer Neil McKenzie are a huge part of any success people perceive that I achieve. It’s like that in social media; we can easily and effectively locate and collaborate with other people who have similar passions, everyone doing what they do best.

We always say to use just 20 minutes a day for your idea plan, but as we all seem to get unrealistically busy, sometimes that 20 minutes shrinks into 5, and later into 1. So then what? Well with Q4 fast approaching, this will happen more than not so let’s discuss some options.

Most of you have a core set of skills, and if you have taken our Social Network sales classes, you have closing or appointment setting skills as well. So we say, make a move. That’s right –  pick your best move that you can do in the shortest amount of time, and “make your move”.

For instance, we asked some clients if you could pick one thing for your “move”, what would it be?  Here are some of our answers:

1.      Add a Connection – “Flipping on the Add” is an easy way to get an appointment and can be done in under 60 seconds.

2.      Network Diving – Taking an old connection and grabbing a quick meeting for a referral or introduction to a new piece of business – again, in less than 60 seconds.

3.      Home Scan – Scanning your home page for someone who is currently active and flipping that to an appointment – an easy 60 second move.

There are definitely many more submissions, so stay tuned and we will play some more 60 second plays for you that are being sent in. If you only had a minute while logged into your Social Network account, what move would you make?

To gain access to our upcoming class on LinkedIn Business Development, please visit:  http://linkedinsales2.eventbrite.com/

We are having more demanded of us as individuals—more than ever before in human history. We must be better educated, better team members, build powerful networks, and so on. We are transforming, our world is transforming, and that means that, in order to succeed, we need more skills than ever before. Key among these is leadership—not just any leadership, but transformational leadership for transformational times. This is the key to personal power, satisfaction, and fulfillment in our age. Transformational leadership is an inside job. It is leadership from the inside out. It is not about manipulating others but about engaging them in meaningful pursuits. Ron Riggio’s recent research is proving this.

Ron Riggio and Bernie Bass wrote Transformational Leadership based on Bernie’s extensive data base. After Bernie’s death, Ron has continued the research and Authenticity is emerging as the next key aspect in transformational leadership. That means that the transformational leader is truthful, committed, sincere, devoted, and intentional. What they feel inside is transparent on the outside. They are congruent. They don’t just work on those they lead, they work on themselves because they know that the transformation of those they touch begins with their own personal transformation.

Don’t miss the foundation training in the Wright Leadership Institute’s transformational leadership curriculum, the More Life Personal Transformation Experience November 12^th through the 14^th.  It is our introductory weekend, call 312-645-8300 to register or CLICK HERE.

I am constantly walking into retail shops everywhere (okay maybe not everywhere but in enough of them), and it still amazes me as I survey the world and ask businesses – “Are you on Facebook?” It will either be greeted warmly asking if I’d like to join their page, or it will be a flat out blank stare.  For this post however, let’s assume they’ve said “yes”.

Four out of the last five stores are using this tool.  I’m talking about your local retailers, not those big box or outlets, just entrepreneurs who are living the American dream spending every hard earned nickel either staying open or marketing their business the best way they know how. As I scour the store materials, handouts and even signup for their mailing list, I am still given no clear instruction of how to join their new social community. I have to practically beg them to spell the name of their page correctly, and in most cases, THEY are making ME do all the work and search the networks to find THEM. As I’m leaving their store, are they honestly expecting me to remember their page name or how to search and then join their page?  They would be lucky if I even remember their store name to ever return there, let alone to remember their fan page on Facebook! And to boot, most haven’t given me any incentive to even join!

Therefore, just as you always put your email, phone number and web address on everything, you MUST remember and do the same with your Social Network pages as well!  If you need to, just call us for help!

See you online – Dean