Upcoming LinkedIn Training schedule
LinkedIn Training (London Public Workshops)
Using LinkedIn for Business Success – Thursday 23rd May [09.00 start]
LinkedIn for Recruiters – Thursday 23rd May [13.30 start]
LinkedIn Training (Manchester Public Workshops)
Using LinkedIn for Business Success – Monday 3rd June 2013 [09.00 start]
LinkedIn for Recruiters – Monday 3rd June 2013 [13.30 start]
LinkedIn Training (Bristol Public Workshops)
Using LinkedIn for Business Success – Wednesday 5th June 2013 [09.00 start]
LinkedIn Training (Northampton Public Workshops)
Using LinkedIn for Business Success – Tuesday 18th June 2013 [09.00 start]
LinkedIn for Recruiters – Tuesday 18th June 2013 [13.30 start]
LinkedIn Training (Staines Public Workshops)
Using LinkedIn for Business Success – Wednesday 30th May 2013 [09.00 start]
The “Using LinkedIn for Business Success” sessions are for business people in general, sales and marketing teams and individuals looking to use LinkedIn to better effect. The “LinkedIn for Recruiters” sessions are aimed at recruitment and HR teams, both internal teams and external recruitment agencies.
In both courses, we offer:
Find out more and book your place…
Thank you.
| Article Categories: | LinkedIn,Social Media Directors Events,Social Media Events |
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Selling & generating business leads in 2013 compared with 1993
What are the differences between selling & generating business leads in 1993 compared with 2013? The world keeps spinning on its access, no change there then… we all need to eat, although Wagon Wheels aren’t what they once were 
In 1993 I was working for Vistakon, part of Johnson & Johnson, selling Acuvue disposable contact lenses to opticians in the north of England. My original patch had been the M62 to Scotland but with the recent promotion of my Scottish colleague into management, I was asked to launch the 1-Day lens in Scotland…
Opticians are professionals and so that meant the majority were more concerned with the health of their patients than simply making a pile of cash… I’m not involved in that market these days but I like to think that is still the case.
I had a car phone & a Renault Laguna which allowed me to drive up to Aberdeen & Inverness in the north, Newcastle in the south, Edinburgh to the East and Ayr to the West… guess where I was living!
I’d built a database using Access 1 to help me with my call cycle… this was a new patch and I needed to understand the account profiles and so building a system that allowed me to manage my connections made a great deal of sense. This way I could identify the key account in an area, make an appointment with them and then drop in on the others to say hello, only making fixed appointments where necessary.
While covering my previous patch I was able to encourage the professionals gently towards fitting Acuvue and only needed to make appointments with 2 accounts out of 200 I set up… I’d launched the original Acuvue disposable contact lens in the north of England.
One media campaign in The Yorkshire Post involved encouraging 50 opticians to spend £30 each to be part of the advertorial… I match funded this and we had 3 or 4 insertions in the paper… the advertorial won Best Co-operative Advertising Campaign for United Newspaper Group… this would have been around 1990… I still need to chase up a copy of that award, so if you know someone who can help, do connect us… thank you.
I had gained the trust of the opticians by calling on them regularly, not ramming my message down their throats but simply building the relationship which saw them try a pair on a patient and evaluate the benefits for them… if it worked, they’d try another… and then another until 6-9-12 months later they were convinced that Acuvue had a place in their practice… if they were commercially minded then they would fit loads because the profit margin was very good.
In 2003 I had been running my own business for 4-5 years and was banging the doors of marketing & PR companies about the benefits of email marketing as a great marketing tool and the fact that the click through tracking provided the sales team with evidence of interest in a product or service. Back then, if you immediately followed through with a phone call, they would have thought it the work of the devil… leaving it a couple of days was seen to be the balanced approach… today you need to be calling them while they are thinking about it, as they click and it is fresh in their mind!
Html emails offered the ability to send a quality email, with pictures, for the viewers enjoyment… today these same emails are seen very much as an intrusion into someone’s day… we are really at a point of information overload… trying to please all the people all the time and therefore we only want essential messages coming through to our email accounts.
In 2013… I have spent the last couple of years preaching social media and still many are reluctant to join in… it’s less an age thing and more a resistance to change within each and every one of us. Those who just love the sound of their own voice will dive into tools like Twitter and share far and wide… younger people are using it to share their next move so others can join them mentally or physically!
If you have fun products then sharing them on Facebook makes sense as that has been the fun place to be… although as the accountants have moved in and egos have taken over, the people are looking for somewhere new to go and hang out…
LinkedIn is the best social media business tool in the box as it allows people to communicate in groups, connect directly and share their latest business moves in real time… other members can then log in as their time or their preference allows and review the moves of others while considering discussion topics and sharing opinions.
If you are looking for a new job, LinkedIn allows companies to share their profiles and promote job opportunities to their huge database… 11-12 million members in the UK means that most business professionals are choosing to at least add a few words about themselves on the platform, making it the most logical place to go and find fresh talent.
As well as new employees, the platform also allows you to search for your perfect customer… what is the profile of your perfect customer? What do they want to know about you, if they choose to click through on your profile image? You’d best make it clear and engaging… see what you think of my profile…
So how is selling and business lead generation in 2013 different, compared with 1993?
Technology, rather than giving us more time, has increased the urgency within us to deliver… if not for our own gratification, to meet the expectations of our mangers and in turn theirs.
If people are able both mentally & practically able to make a decision on a subject quickly then fantastic, away we go… but if they are middle management, with more than one master to please, then this could be an arduous task as their priorities are changed daily… is that any different to 1993? Faster and less personal comes to mind…
The upside is the key decision maker will have a full diary and therefore as they, as individuals, become more comfortable with technology, they will be happy to review online, rather than in person, make a decision and catch up at the relevant industry award dinners!
Most simple products and services can be sourced online and so ensure your e-commerce system is the smoothest it can possibly be to make that straight forward purchase, straight forward.
Use social platforms… make them work for you, creating, building and strengthening relationships with those around you.
On balance the best piece of advice I can give you in 2013 is to ensure your LinkedIn Profile is saying who you are and what you can do for another… this way, when that perfect client comes virtually walking by, they will have no choice but to make a connection… and as they say, the rest will be history
People still deal with people… they just make decisions more quickly… so best make sure you are talking to the right person at the right time!
Also, make sure you add your two penneth on the difference between 1993 & 2013 to the comments below… this site has great SEO and so adding comments will enhance your own… assuming you need a little pull up the rankings
Thank you.
Jon Davey
Sales & Marketing for Web 2.0
Encouraging Positive, Proactive Participation
SOCIAL MEDIA DIRECTORS
01753 852904
The Wisest Social Media LinkedIn Connections Christmas Cracker of a Social Influence Tip ;)
What is the very best, the very wisest social media LinkedIn connections Christmas cracker of a tip I can give you as we head towards Christmas 2012? Let me ask you another question… What do gold, Charles IV, social media, frankincense, innovation, LinkedIn, myrrh, Twitter and Basingstoke have in common?
WOW, you’ll need some serious social media influence formula to work that one out between now and the New Year… let me help you speed things up a bit…
We’re not talking Charles IV of France or Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor but Charles Saunders IV, the 4th in a line of right Charlie’s, a commodity broker from Southampton.
Charles attended a most excellent workshop delivered by yours truly at The Innovation Centre in Basingstoke earlier today where I talked about social media, LinkedIn and how I drive 25% of my web traffic via Twitter.
The event was organised by Richard Thayer who set up the M3 Job Club a couple of years ago when first out of work and his positive energy has created a excellent meeting ground for Charles and a bunch of other very wise men & women… well, those that rocked up for my presentation were very wise indeed
Charles connected with me after the session… he’d decided to change his photo and give LinkedIn some attention… his most recent note back to me prompted the scribbling of this article:
“…He’s actually Charles V, My Great Gandfather down to my son all Charles. Bit unusual but family tradition.
I suppose it’s about projecting a professional image. Serious rather than fun.
Today’s session has certainly given me food for thought with regards to reconnecting to previous contacts who may be able to help with job search. Like you said, unhelpful folk there will always be, but you only need one person to step up and give you the intro!”
This made me think, this time of year is fairly slow on the business front, what a perfect time to reflect and re-connect with people you haven’t spoken to for some time… a great time of the year to build your social media connections on LinkedIn.
Thanks Charles for giving me an excellent theme for a story with a cracking Christmas title that is sure to be googled by some other wise men & women this Yuletide…
I’d love to see 2,345 direct LinkedIn connections and Charles, being early doors, would like to have 123 connections, 1 for Gold, 2 for Frankincense, 3 for Myrrh… come and view our profiles, if you feel a connection with either of us, just say hi…
Happy Christmas everyone
Thank you.
Jon Davey
Director of Aspiration Customer Experiences
Encouraging Positive, Proactive Participation
Social Media Directors
01753 852904
Our Social Media Christmas Competition 2012 Award Winners
For 12 working days we ran the Social Media Christmas Competition and after the votes have been counted and verified we have our Social Media Award WINNERS for December 2012.
I used 12 days because it was a Christmas competition and I like working around rhythms in my head, they resonate better for me and probably for others.
We didn’t get a ton of votes because most folk CBA… they are thinking, “I’ll never win, I never win anything” ;( and so don’t enter in the first place… not the attitude of a WINNER…
I knew before I even posted the competition who would win at least one of the prizes. A guy who is constantly on the go, pushing his current brand as far and wide as he can, ensuring he is on the radar of decision makers… a firm believer in “something has to happen” if you keep peddling… he presented at our BinB EXPO earlier in the year and I caught this footage of him at CompTIA a few weeks ago where he earned this pitch by knocking Microsoft into 2nd place!
AND OUR SOCIAL MEDIA AWARD WINNERS FOR 2012 ARE:
Best LinkedIn Group : Channel & Account Management Experts (run by guess who!)
Most Influential Business Person “Thought Leader” on LinkedIn : Ian Moyse
Best Offline Events run by a LinkedIn Group : NRG Networks
When it comes to networking lunches then those run by NRG Networks are second to none. Always a good cross section of business professionals in attendance… you should ask Dave Clarke if you can attend one near you soon… I shot this footage at a question and answer session after the main event… most folk had left to do the next thing on their to do list but this captures the essence of NRG Networks. Go join their LinkedIn Group.
The key to being a Social Media Award WINNER is you have to enter… I won Social Media Week’s Personality of the Year in February because I took time to enter with this video… vote4me.org.uk
This has lead to a number of opportunities which have included doing some work for LinkedIn & IBM as a direct result… so don’t miss out on opportunities to shine more brightly than you do right now and enter the relevant competitions that come your way… you just don’t know where they may lead…
AND SO WHAT DO OUR WINNERS WIN?
As I read through this year’s entries there was one that made me Laugh Out Loud… and that was for @warpdog who are the unofficial Walthamstow Tourist Board who shot this amazing visitor attraction video… watch out for the CGI and augmented reality
Or maybe that is the reality…
Each of our winners will receive one of the LIMITED EDITION Mattresses of Walthamstow 2013 Calendars… and better still, you don’t have to worry about not having your very own copy, you can order them online… you’re just a click away…
If you want to be a sponsor of our next Social Media Awards 2013, which will probably happen in January, assuming we’re all still around after the 21st December, then you’d best get in touch with me via phone, email or LinkedIn.
Thank you.
Jon Davey
Director of Aspirational Customer Experiences
Encouraging Positive, Proactive Participation
SOCIAL MEDIA DIRECTORS
01753 852904
Has your Yammer got a Stammer?
Social media engagement is a no brainer for those under 30 years of age… but for those over it can cause a few sleepless nights… begging the question, “Has your Yammer got a Stammer?”
I’ve been involved with online marketing since 1999, before that my first “proper job” was with Nestle as a Trainee Foodservice Territory Manager. I then launched Acuvue contact lenses for Vistakon in the late 1980’s, part of Johnson & Johnson, changing the mind set of the opticians along the way.
In recent years I am a past Chair of the local branch of the Federation of Small Businesses and an active member of …
LinkedIn endorsements measuring social influence. Do you love them or feel stalked?
Yesterday morning I counted my LinkedIn endorsements and I had 398… and being highly intelligent and a bit of a maths genius, I worked out 2 more and I’d be on 400 LinkedIn endorsements, 3 and I’d be 400+… I know, like I said, a genius
But should we be taking these things seriously? And how many LinkedIn endorsements is just one too many? New stalking regulations coming in could see some mad blondes being locked up for just one click too many!
I had to smile when Sarah went click-tastic, adding a bunch of endorsements, taking me over the 400 and providing me with a great angle for today’s blog… cheers m’dear…
I asked a question of my Business in Berkshire LinkedIn Group a couple of weeks ago “OK so what do YOU think of the new LinkedIn endorsements?” click and read the responses on the LI Group, alternatively I have added the threads below.
Ian Moyse who has thousands of endorsements, making my 400+ look a little wanting… pointed out that rumour has it that LinkedIn endorsements will form part of your search measure as they roll the platform forward.
But as Andrew points out… and I played on… one too many clicks from a stranger can make us feel like our privacy has been invaded.
I think, as with all things, we all have levels of need on one side and tolerance on the other… where we feel most balanced is unique to us and we should celebrate that uniqueness.
By way of a thank you to Sarah for making that timely extra click, ensuring she made the news today… and to celebrate her uniqueness, can you go give her a click, just the one, to show her you care and that 13 can be lucky for some (her current number of endorsements)…
Tell you what, how about I start by adding one called “Humor” for all those that would like to join in but don’t know her that well and would be freaked out in trying to make a choice that wasn’t legitimate on some level… marvellous… obviously I had to go with the American spelling… that’s funny
Have a nice day… and please be careful who you endorse!
Thank you.
Jon Davey
Director of Aspirational Customer Experiences
Encouraging Positive, Proactive Participation
SOCIAL MEDIA DIRECTORS
01753 852904
OK so what do YOU think of the new LinkedIn endorsements?
Jason Lewis • Not sure how the endorsements are going to make any difference.. It’s more of a gigdet to get people looking at more profiles which is ok but I can’t see it landing me that dream event I’ve always wanted to plan. Its pretty much as good as “liking” stuff on facebook..
Geoff Winstanley ACMA • I believe Jon has raised a good point here re the endorsements area of LinkedIn – I have had difficulty amending the sequence in my own profile and am not even sure if all have been correctly allocated to the correct skill?
Sian Perham • Jon, a great question you ask. I had not really thought to question then purpose or benefit of them I must admit, but I love your idea of adding ‘softer’ skills for people to endorse!
Carlie Cohen • Interesting thread here Jon. It’s certainly flattering when you do receive these endorsements, however I received an email this morning from someone for skills that aren’t on my list – or skills that I’ve ever professed to have. They’ve not shown up on my profile so I’m guessing that this system isn’t completely without its glitches. Must say that after reading your comments, ‘Immense enthusiasm’ should definitely be added on to your list….
Jon Davey • Brilliant Carlie… you’d best go endorse it
Jason Lewis • I do ask questions of myself when a former colleague endorses you for 1 skill and not a couple of others.. Possibly due to the little endorsing banners that pop up rather than visiting my page I guess… or hope…
Jon Davey • But if they did jason your “panel” would be all straight lines… no good for a top event dude… you need to make it more spangily
Christopher Watkin • They dont have power of reccomendations, but still a some something nice about them .. Endoresments on Linkedin are bit like ‘Diet Reccomendations’
David Cardno • I think they give some reassurance to clients and I agree it is a surprise to get a skill endorsed you haven’t chosen yourself… I’m now seeing recommendations as “extreme endorsements”…
David Willis • I like the Linkedin endorsements; they’re a good way to establish some credibility with people wanting to find out more about you!
I think it’s important to only endorse where you have experienced someone’s skill – so being selective on those skills you endorse will ultimately increase credibility both ways.
Would you have expected Jon to score highest for email marketing? High yes, but I was expecting to see social media to be top dog. Why? Perhaps being noted for social media and social media marketing has reduced the overall prominence.
It may be worth keeping your list of skills short and focused to make it easy for endorsers to help you!
It’ll be interesting to see how there use and influence develops….
Mary Flavelle • I was blown away by the new Linked In endorsements. Right in your face how many people have said something worthwhile about you. How could you not be flattered by something like that. Thank you all for making me feel special. I love Davaid’s thinking on recommendations being ‘extreme’.
Ian Moyse ☁☁ • Rumour is that linked in is going to use the endorsements as a metric to where your profile appears in search results !
Jon Davey • Looks like you might be at the top… thought I was doing well with 272
Andrew Cox • My preference ideally would be to receive endorsements from colleagues or better still customers. I’ve had a weird experience this week where a US based lady appears to have clicked & endorsed me for every catagory on LinkedIn, feels like I’ve been spammed!!
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