Everyone - EVERYONE has something to share...

I'm back from a short break.  

Had a lovely relaxing time, and reminded my self how important breaks are and a goal for 2018 will be to take more Michael time.

So, on this break I met and talked, often at length (those that know me will be nodding sagely), to lots of new people.  My wife is amazed how by day two I know everyone around the pool, in the restaurant and of course in the bar :D

This blog may leave you thinking I only talk business, far from it and quite the opposite, I learn many other things from my new friends, but this is a business blog, and I really wanted to share this one conversation.

Three conversations, that became relationships very quickly, stood out...

A guy in the commercial air conditioning industry, very driven, successful, 20 teams on the road every day, and over time he shared with me quite detailed insights to his business, the sector, and his approach to business.  Pay attention, listen, ask questions and people will share so much, and as the title of this blog say's, I believe everyone has plenty they can teach me.  So I let them talk, let them share, let them teach me.  Ask me anything about A/C, I am your man ;)  Seriously though, ask me about the sector, trading conditions, the challenges businesses face in that sector and margins that are possible, margins that are likely and break-even points, and I'll have a considered view thanks to my new friend.

I met a building site project manager, a Manchester United fan ... from Manchester!  I know! I'd read there was one - and I have met him ;).  Great guy, we had a lot in common, mostly bloke stuff - like football, cars, F1, his dog...  But the conversations moved around and he taught me a great deal about the construction sector, not the least the huge difference between projects in the North West and projects in London.  You see, I know someone who is a site manager in London. and he had already taught me a lot about his industry, so I had a benchmark.

But, the most profound conversation I had was with a 70 something Norfolk farmer, working a small farm, surrounded by enormous 'mega' farms, a softly spoken disarmingly gentle man, completely at peace with his life, who as we talked over time told me, and taught me, more and more about rural Norfolk life, farming, business and ... sales.  Sales!  My 10p is you weren't expecting that, neither was I.  He had so many stories about land deals, seed purchasing, produce sales, equipment purchase / lease / loan - when a combine harvester can cost £500k+ you have to be sure you need that one, sure you can afford it and be very good at negotiating... 

He had been sharing anecdotes and stories for a few days, he was as keen to know about me and what I do as I was to learn about him.  He had a wonderfully open mind.  Then the day we parted we were talking business again, and he said this, (I can't type in a soft Norfolk accent - but oooh I wish I could)

"The thing is Mick... You have to let people buy"

Boom, right there, my philosophy in three words.  Let People Buy.  And... he's been doing this since before I was born!!  So, nothing is new, we forget more than we learn, and everyone - EVERYONE has something to share... Its for us to respect everyone we meet, not to judge, listen and... learn...

I'm not sure my farmer friend will ever read this, judging by his mobile phone, he's not an early adopter of leading-edge technology, and prefers a newspaper to 'that there google', and I am not about to suggest he's wrong there, mainly because I'm not sure he is, life's a mix and it takes all sorts, different strokes etc. 

I love Norfolk and he is very likely to get a visit sometime soon, I'm toying with giving him and Amazon Echo and seeing who wins ;)  So long as he lets me have a drive of his tractor - he has by far the best toys - so seems a fair swap.

Mick

Lets connect - 

I am on Facebook here - www.facebook.com/mick.holloway

I am on Twitter here - @mick_holloway 

I am on LinkedIn here - linkedin.com/in/mickholloway

And Steve - you can write to me at the Business and Technology Centre, Bessemer Drive, Stevenage, Herts, SG1 2DX

www.24-7.so 

"Yes, I'm on LinkedIn, oooh but ... my Profile needs updating..."

How many times have I met people at networking events, shows, meetings etc, and I hear, 'Ooh, yes I am on LinkedIn, <sigh>, but my profile needs updating'?


Why would you do that?  Why would this be OK?  Particularly if LinkedIn is an important part of your Marketing Mix?  You are better than that, you're worth more than that, I mean, would you give out an old business card, from a previous position?

Yes I'm on LinkedIn, <sigh>,
but my profile needs updating

Maybe that comes across a tad harsh, it's not meant to be - I am all about encouraging, enabling and inspiring, so focus on the 'You're worth it' - hmmm handy catch phrase that...

The thing is, its not a huge investment, but the ROI is massive. Think about it, keeping your LinkedIn Profile up to date costs nothing more than a little time?  OK - maybe you need a 'LinkedIn Update Strategy', but more likely just start thinking of your Profile as a pivotal part of your Marketing Mix.
Everyone updates their profile if you are using Linked to find your next job.  We need to be more strategic, especially if you are using LinkedIn as part of your Marketing Mix, get into the habit of updating your profile whenever those marketing messages change.


If for you your LinkedIn Profile is a Marketing Tool and a precious piece of Marketing Colateral. Then, when there's change (maybe a new focus, new product launch, new direction, new web site) that requires new Marketing Messeages, drop by your LinkedIn Profile and make sure that its updated too.

LinkedIn approve of regular updates and fresh content, so do the search engines,  But far more importantly so will those visiting suspects and prospects who are doing their due diligence on you, your product/service or brand.  If when viewing your profile vistors don't recoginse what they see as what they were expecting, 'boing' of they bounce.  WOW - there's an idea, maybe a metric LinkedIn should provide us is our Profile View 'bounce' rate, how long a visitor spends on our profile would be a very interesting metric
This is all part of Effective and Efficient Social Media, your Social Media Strategy should have clear and direct connections back to you business Goals and Objectives (and no mixed messages).  That way - you know your investment in Social Media directly supports delivering your business Goals and Objectives.  And your LinkedIn Profile will form part of your suspects/prospects due diligence! Think about that ... you are being considered, they are about to be reaching for the phone - don't drop the ball so close to the finish line.

So, there you have it ... keep your LinkedIn Profile aligned with your Marketing Messages, doesn't take long.

I know!  Go take 10 minutes NOW, if your profile needs updating, go do it now.  A few things will happen - 

• You're Profile will be up to date :)
• LinkedIn likes activity and engagement.
• You just invested in YOU, way to go, take a bow, high five :)
• Everyone knows you are investing in YOU - as those following you will be told of the update.  This does depend on your settings, check them by going to 'Privacy and Settings' => 'Privacy' => 'Sharing profile edits'.
• And, bless you for reading my blog and acting on it so quickly, YOU have made MY day.

If you need help with creating a world class, optimised, LinkedIn Profile.  One that supports your sales and marketing, helps with your conversion ratio's and gets YOU FOUND, we have worksbooks, tutorials and training courses that can help. 

Leave your email in the comments on this post and I will send over my 20 page 'Step by Step guide to preparing the content for your LinkedIn Profile' work book.  No obligation, your email won't be saved to a database (unless you want me too - in which case there's an email capture box top right of this blog) because, if you like my work and could do with more help - "you" know where "I" am :D

Mick

Lets connect - 

I am on Facebook here - www.facebook.com/mick.holloway

I am on Twitter here - @mick_holloway 

I am on LinkedIn here - www.linkedin.com/in/mickholloway

www.24-7.so

Could we soon do everything, online, through Facebook?

Here's a thought.  How long before you access everything online, do everything online through your Facebook account?

Could Facebook do everything ...
Image modified from an Edgar Peirce original
www.flickr.com/photos/edgarpierce/5485926479

Facebook continues.  That's a complete sentence by the way, I mean, Facebook - Continues.  I could have expanded, but then the senetnce would have become a list, and that would have taken so much time to compile, when - "Facebook Continues" says it, at least for me ;)

OK, if you insist, what I mean is, Facebook Continues to ...

• Innovate
• Lead
• Create markets
• Grow <Insert any metric>
• Make money
• Prosper
• Dominate
• Diversify
• Add features, more features, more uses
• Consume Competitors
• Consume.... etc.

Is that enough? You see my point, Facebook Continues.

It was this article "Messenger to let you send money to your friends" - that caught my eye and got me thinking - more diversifiaction, more features and functionality from Facebook.

So, we communicate, search, buy, sell, pay, consume, recommend and rate, learn, take on news, share news, make news, meet, compose, travel... and more, all on Facebook.  For how much longer will we need Google, Windows, EE / AT&T, YouTube, Netflix, Trip Advisor, TU Travel, Amazon, Tescos...

OOH - and developing this thought, how much longer will we be trapped in the revolving door of upgrades? Will I really need the latest expensive Carlos Fandango device / hardware?  Once my tablet (watch, car, fridge, wall, contact lense) can stream Mega-UHD 567 Mega Pixel Video, with smello vision, (and I can print Ramsey's Recipes on my FaceFood 3D Printer) I'll not need to upgrade ever. Hmmm, there's a subject for a future blog I think.

Woah, how does this sit wtih me, I'm a techy, 16 years as an embedded software engineer, Moore's law gave me a career!  So how do I feel about all this?

LOL - I think this is great.  <Start the car.... may need to get away quickly>

Could this be it, the end of the relentless craving, grind, the drive for technical innovation and need for growth?  Lob in developments with AI and other technical inovatiuons (masses of free bandwidth, are we about to solve our energy problems...) and arguably before long it won't be us that needs to interact with the technologes anyway, well maybe apart from entertainment - we will always need more Star Wars movies.

WOW - this blog went in a direction I wasn't expecting...

LOL - Could it be, the end is nigh, can we envisgae being able to stop the bus, because we can ALL get off, we can all get on with the REAL stuff.

Yes, OK, I'm exagerating to stimulate debate, poking the hornets nest, but please wade in with your comments, predictions and reactions should my 'vision' have some credence...

Mick

Lets connect - 

I am on Facebook here - www.facebook.com/mick.holloway

I am on Twitter here - @mick_holloway 

I am on LinkedIn here - www.linkedin.com/in/mickholloway

www.24-7.so

Connecting on LinkedIn - "How do you know Mick?"

My gander is ... up.

Not often that happens, pretty casual, easy going guy, not much rattles my cage - unless I find Marmite in the kitchen!

So, what's up Mick? I'll chuffing tell you what is up.  I just invested an hour of my life sitting through an online training course that promised to show me how to get in front of  'X' hundred targetted LinkedIn prospects.  That I picked up little new, is fine, its always good to see how other people use LinkedIn.

LinkedIn ask 'How do you know....'

Whats rattled my cage was the connection strategy proposed by our hero.  Having carried out a targetted search, the advice was to reach out to the 2nd degree connections in the results.  Fair enough.  But the advice was to send invitations to connect, again - fair enough.  Then, to get around what to do when LinkedIn asks, as they always do, "How do you know Mick ?" the advice was to simply click on  "We've done Business Together"  REGARDLESS of whether that was true !!

Moreover - the presenter claims there was a 'bug' in LinkedIn that lets you do this and hence allows the invite to be sent!!

Lorks-a-Lordy, wrong on so many levels.  Its not a bug in LinkedIn! LinkedIn assume you will be honest, so do I!  It is not alright to make a claim to a relationship that isn't so, don't you think the recipient will know if you did or didn't work together?

Now, here's the thing, above all else, what are you saying about yourself if you are so willing to start a relationship with a... LIE !!

Good luck with that,..

What should you do?  Use Inmails, find their email address and click 'Other' and use that route, failing that see if you can engage via groups.  If all else fails, and you really must lie, then in the least customize the invitation text and apologise, excuse your actions by confessing to using the 'backdoor' method to invite.

So, note to self's - bear this in mind, if you are open to invitations to connect, make it easy for people to invite you to connect, and that's so easy - how about putting your email address in your LinkedIn Profile?  After all, for any invitation, you can always say NO.

Am I alone with this one? Is it just me?

Mick

Lets connect - 
I am on LinkedIn here - www.linkedin.com/in/mickholloway

I am on Facbook here - www.facebook.com/mick.holloway

I am on Twitter - @mick_holloway

Mick@24-7.so
www.24-7.so

Taking advantage of Black Friday/Cyber Monday

I'm rarely taken in by these deals, as I keep hearing 'its only a bargain if you needed it'.  So that's a mantra that works well for Michael.

But .... I did take advantage of some Black Friday/Cyber Monday (or more accuratley the weeks before and after that weekend;) ) offers.  I'm always, always, looking to 'sharpen the axe' for new books, material, trainings.  And this last week has been excellent for 'sampling' some good and not so good online content.

Many of the people whose work I admire have had 'tripwire' deals where you can sample there content, courses, metarial etc, for a month, for a drastically reduced fee - usualy $1.

Brilliant.  Now, I know I will run the gauntlet of their Infusion Soft, or <insert as apllicable>,  follow up emails, but that's 'mostly' cool as I say, I like their work so why not truly follow them?  And, there's always the options to unsubscribe / divert to spam if they start taking advantage of my audience.

I am not advocating dive in with a view to never purchasing!!  In fact I'll issue a health warning, if you like someones work, you'll probably like their on line content (they know this hence the trip wire 'try before you buy' deals). Having said that I have experienced some woeful material. Oh, and before engaging, bear in mind the regular fee and your budget, you may fall in love with someone's style, content, methods etc then find you need to raise $3000 to complete the course.

So, get a wiggle on, go check out those mentors, thought leaders and people whose work you admire, see if they have a low cost (sometimes FREE) 30 day offer and try before you buy.   Some people have deals that are always available, but Black Friday / Cyber Monday seems to focus many more on the opportunity to gather more followers.

Mick

Lets connect - 
I am on LinkedIn here - www.linkedin.com/in/mickholloway

I am on Facbook here - www.facebook.com/mick.holloway

I am on Twitter - @mick_holloway

www.24-7.so

Microsoft buying LinkedIn for $26Bn

So, Microsoft are buying LinkedIn for $26Bn. 

Commercially - that's some story.   Bravo LinkedIn - from an initial IPO valuation of just over $4Bn, closing that day valued at $8.9Bn.  Recently, losing $11Bn in value in one day (05/02/2016), and now valued and purchased for $26Bn.  

That's good work by Reid Hoffman etal - bravo LinkedIn bravo...

Bravo Reid Hoffman Bravo

As to why Microsoft would acquire LinkedIn?

To me this could be a smart move by Microsoft. Before they had Bing, they had their s/w on every desk top but knew nothing of their customers...  The value of really knowing all about your clients was a big lesson they learn't from Google.  Hence the investment in Bing, IE and now Edge.  Now Microsoft know a lot about us, crucial insights to what we do/like/want etc. So why LinkedIn?  This Microsoft making a move on the social platforms?  Are they after Facebook, will LinkedIn become less Business / Recruitment centric? 

Days later it seems, having failed to purchase SalesForce, Microsoft valued highly the sales data and sales tools that come with LinkedIn.  Looking even more like a smart strategic move by Microsoft.  And again bravo Reid for knowing the value of your business, bravo.

Microsoft attracted to LinkedIn's sales data and sales tools

Thoughts anyone?

Mick

Lets connect - 

I am on Facebook here - https://www.facebook.com/mick.holloway

I am on Twitter here - @mick_holloway 

I am on LinkedIn here -  https://uk.linkedin.com/in/mickholloway

www.24-7.so

Fancy a different One to One Strategy?

                                           
                                                Fancy a different approach to your One to One's?

Its no secret (or shouldn't be if my marketing strategy is working :D ) that I am an advocate of Social Media.  Social Networking, Digital Marketing, the whole 'in bound', permission based marketing model.  While I have lectured, presented and trained thousands of people on how to add Social Networking to your marketing mix...  I am also big on 'get it off the screen', the whole people buy from people mantra.

If you ever find yourself attending one of my meetings, the 2nd slide you see will ask .. "Have you had a one to one ?".  I aim to have two a week, trying to lead by example, they never a waste of time because I choose carefully, do my due diligence before hand, so I am sure there's most likely going to be a real expectation of an ROI of the hour we spend together.

I have blogged about having one to one's before - you will find that article HERE

                                                                         Have One to One's


With this blog, for those that are new to networking - I would like to document and share a one to one strategy that I have used recently to spectacular effect...

If its the first time you have met - spend only 10 minutes each talking about you, your business, what motivates you and what type of contacts you are currently looking to meet - be sure to share your 'WHY'...  If its not the first time you have met, and you know each other's business well - spend 5 minutes each updating on what's new...  Remember - you should have both researched each other before the meeting, and be familiar with their business (good old LinkedIn, Facebook and Google).

And that's it with the 'let me tell you in ever more detail how great my business is' time.  Because this is where the meeting could slide into 'sales pitch' territory, this one to one is too precious, your time is too precious, to waste on a futile sales pitch.

Be sure that you go first, and lets reverse the dynamic, no more talking in terms of 'me', 'I', 'we', you now stop talking about your business and focus on the other person and their business. If you have chosen your one to one partner well, (and you are getting on as people!  As if you don't like each other that's a bit of a show stopper), this focus on THEM will be make them feel great, and feel good towards you, which is handy as next up its their turn to think how they can help you. Try it, it works.

Try a Different Engagement Strategy For Your Next One to One Click To Tweet 

Take turns, first YOU simply spend half the time working out how YOU can help the other person. Really, genuinely work at this, try to see how many ways you may be able to help. Then, all grateful and inspired - its their turn to spend half the time working out how they can help you.

And by 'help' I don't mean whether you can use/buy their products/services yourself (that's a short term bonus if you can).  I mean - think -

• Who do you know that might be interested in them, their products or services?  
• How could you, your business or anyone in your network help them grow their business?  
• Could you work together, maybe on joint ventures?
• Who do you know that might be able to work with them on a joint venture?
  ...etc

Its clearly far more strategic than hoping to get lucky and meet someone that could end up buying from you, far more productive and respectful than pitching or being pitched.  And a fabulous way to start or maintain a mutually beneficial relationship.

                                                      Try a new approach to one to one's

OK - I sense the need for some anecdotal evidence - which of course I have plenty and happy to share them with you... I know !  Lets have a one to one, face to face if you are in the South East UK, otherwise no excuses we can do this on line as I also have :-
     Skype                       michael.holloway1
     Google Hangout      mickholloway@gmail.com

Remind me to tell you the one about the multi £Bn UK PLC, or the Driving School, the Photographer, and I must share with you the opportunities that came from a one to one with a s/w house discussing ways to help them launch a radical highly disruptive product - that resulted in us having to re-think our whole business model...

Hope to talk - Soon.

Mick

Lets connect -
I am on LinkedIn here -  https://uk.linkedin.com/in/mickholloway
I am on Facebook here - https://www.facebook.com/mick.holloway
I am on Twitter here -    @mick_holloway

www.24-7.so