6 Tips to Keep a Mentor
I get messages almost daily from people who read my blog and want to meet with me by phone or in-person. As a rule, though, I won’t meet with anyone unless they have interacted with me several times, or they give me a good reason (not just “let’s chat”). I realize this may make me …
Personal Branding Interview: Liz Lynch
Today, I spoke to Liz Lynch, who contributes to the Personal Branding Blog every Thursday. She is a networking strategist, speaker, author of Smart Networking: Attract a Following in Person and Online, and founder of the Center for Networking Excellence. Liz shares her thoughts on why you need to create your own personal brand to …
Why LinkedIn Recommendations Really Are Valuable
In a blog post titled “Requested Recommendations on Social Networks: Why I Won’t Do It“, Jeremiah Owyang weighs in against recommendations on LinkedIn. Although what he says has a lot of merit, ultimately this is an example of throwing out the baby with the bathwater.
In his article, Jeremiah sums up by saying:
I Won’t …
Networking at Conferences – Part 2
Though numbers may be down this year due to the economy, according to Meetings & Conventions magazine, more than 27 million people attend conferences, trade shows, and conventions each year. And the main reason they go is to network.
It’s no surprise then that in their brochures and on their websites, conference organizers take great …
How to Gain Market Share With Social Media
Can you really gain market share with social media? That’s the big question we discussed in this week’s #SM4SMB conversation on Twitter. And the overall sentiment was YES, as long as companies follow these 5 rules:
Use the right tools for the right audienceTwitter and Facebook are not the answers to every social media …
Your Job is Not Your Personal Brand
Last week, I was at a typical networking-style event. We signed-in, got drinks, and then found a group of people to mingle with.
And then the inevitable questioning started: “What do you do?“
This is the question that always drives me crazy at networking events. It annoys me because most people answer this question by …
Use Personal Branding to Increase Your Sales
A few months ago I did an interview with Dan Schawbel and I thought I would share it with you all here. Dan speaks about personal branding and how sales reps can position themselves to succeed it what I call the New Sales Economy. While the interview focuses on sales reps, it’s important to remember …
Networking at Conferences – Part 1
With the uncertainty in the economy, it’s more crucial than ever to get out there and network to
uncover opportunities that are starting to bubble but have yet to break the surface. One of my favorite places to do this is at industry conferences and large seminars.
Not only do you get a chance to …
The Five Laws of Being an Interesting Brand
The strategies and channels we’ve been using are becoming weapons of mass destruction and tools of great opportunity. We’ve seen brands, such as United Airlines, tarnished when a single person produces a YouTube video after a bad customer service experience. We’ve seen other brands succeed, such as Susan Boyle’s viral bonanza on the internet and …
Setting Up for Successful Follow-up
The follow up process is one of the areas of networking that still seems to confuse some people. Most realize that meeting someone at a networking event for five minutes isn’t enough to build a relationship, and that follow up is critical.
The fortune is in the follow-upBut while they may have good intentions …