Power Blogging: Sharing and Making Connections

 Last night my wife and I took a walk around the neighborhood. On a street we hadn’t walked on lately, we found a new addition: A Little Library. We stopped to look through the offerings and found one that caught our eye. We left with a book.

Later that evening my wife, looking through her find, found a note from the author (hand-signed) inviting contact from readers. “Look, we can write to the author, and he might write back! I’d love to do that!”

The find of a book was unexpected, the offer of a “connection” even with someone unknown but having something in common (in this case, a book read or written), was very exciting. I think successful blogs, written by my clients – that offer a connection and not just information – are exciting too. Often exciting enough for readers to share with others, reaching an entirely new audience.

Blogging has become more popular with the growth of social networking (and associated segmented advertising systems like Facebook). Targeted ads are helpful. Writing is hard work and using advertising to get fresh eyes on copy seems like a fair trade. But when a post gets passed along by “first open” readers – often to many – it reflects a particular interest or impression of the reader. I believe that an element that makes a post “worthy of being shared” is the offer to connect.

Bloggers can make connections with readers by sharing relevant personal detail or sharing how they personally have used the information or been impacted by the idea. My friend Nathan writes a blog  called Plan and Prepare, about issues around preparing for the “end of life.” He recently ran an article about Monuments, and their importance in anchoring us to our memories of friends and family. He included a photo of his dad’s old truck and the struggles he had as a teenager learning how to drive it. The post was the same length as his other posts and had about the same number of references to authoritative sources, but fully twice as many people opened this post compared to any of his others.

We all strive to make connections, and blog posts, coupled with social media, allow even the most travel-averse of us to do this. If you’re going to write a blog post, increase your chances of making a connection with your readers by:

· Making the headline engaging

·  Being authentic

·   Speaking to your intended reader’s needs

·  Including a picture

    ·   Sharing a bit of yourself when it’s relevant to the point you're making

Your blogging skills (copywriting, topic selection, etc.) will get better as you add to your collection of posts, but if you keep these five tips in mind when you start, you’ll increase your chance of making an impact and creating an audience for your future posts.

Getting the Most Out of LinkedIn

 

Are you using a LinkedIn professional profile as part of your digital branding effort? Many of us are. With 740 million members from 55 million registered companies in 200 countries, LinkedIn is the most widely used social media site for businesspeople . Most of these members do not pay for the service, opting to create free profiles and keep them updated so they show up in Google search results and other digital search tools.

But many customers opt to expand the utility of the LinkedIn site with fee-based enhancements to networking, messaging, and access to lead databases. Many of my clients ask if investing in these extra features is worth it for their business efforts. 

My response is always the same: It depends.

LinkedIn offers several tiers with increasing levels of enhanced services, accompanied by an increasing monthly cost. The exact composition of each tier and the prices charged may vary country by country, and of course the prices change over time. The following chart was compiled by Top Dog Social Media and provides these details.

Generally, the free LinkedIn profile option allows you to create a profile, populate it with indexable content, including a head shot and blog posts hosted elsewhere, and create a “cloud” of first-level LinkedIn contacts through invitation. Those first-level contacts will be notified of changes in your profile (new blog posts, changes in work status, or other affiliations) and generally promote “staying in touch.” In addition, a limited number of “instant messages” can be passed to first-level contacts via the LinkedIn system, bypassing regular email channels.

As you can see from the chart, higher levels of LinkedIn investment allow for greater access to messaging and intelligence about who is accessing your profile. They also offer additional features (like LinkedIn Learning, which are canned courses for viewing on demand) and search access to second- and third-tier contacts of your first-tier contacts). This becomes useful (a quantifiable benefit) if you are seeking leads for specific services. The two highest LinkedIn tiers (most expensive) provide access to databases that go beyond the profiles created by LinkedIn members. Generally, recruiters and HR professionals typically find these tiers cost effective.

So, the answer to “should you upgrade your LinkedIn membership” depends on the nature of your business, and, in particular, your “pacing” and the nature of your lead generation process. If you typically engage in heavy direct prospecting year-round for new or expanded business, or if your business is heavily focused on recruiting, a significant investment in enhanced LinkedIn services might be a good decision. Alternatively, if your business is highly cyclical and heavily focused on referrals, you might be better advised to spend the time and money on keeping your free profile fully populated with your latest professional accomplishments. This will enable prospects to “check you out” when considering doing business, and will allow you to get the benefit of a larger digital footprint in search results.

The good news is that LinkedIn makes it easy to try out an advanced tier of service through a free trial program and cancel if the services are not meeting your needs.

 

Business Networking in the Time of COVID

 Many are finding that the normal in-person networking events, even if permitted, are risky for themselves or their customers. In the service business, there are two “types” of business networking that are critical to business survival, despite the current pandemic:

•       Networking to find new customers
• o   Networking to remind friendly contacts and customers that you are still ready to service them.

If you’re looking for new customers, it’s a great time to sharpen your social media skills and open yourself up to new possibilities. Consider a tool like LinkedIn Sales Navigator, which gives great access to lead lists that fit the profile of customers you are already serving . You can also use blogs and social media content (combined with options like Facebook’s Boost  to help get fresh eyes on your business content and ideas. Both of these can provide great intros to new contacts. Further, careful audience selection will allow you to titrate your ad investment to the preferred customer location and profile.

“With all the new electronic (touchless) lead generation, I remind people not to forget the older techniques. Postcards to a tested list, and joint venture outreach with trusted professionals serving the same market can be highly successful,” says Service for Profit’s Tom Pencek.

But what about reaching out to friendly contacts? Well, it turns out that it’s easier than ever to do that while staying home – especially if you have the contact info of the people you’re trying to reach. In this case, it is all about choosing a method of contact that is most convenient for your audience.

I’m a big believer in periodic emails that are tailored for your target audience. I recommend MailChimp for this, as it is free for smaller lists (<2000 names). Podcasting is becoming more accepted as an outreach method for some customers as well. Walking with earphones and listening to recorded content seems to be common these days in Silicon Valley. Google has stepped up to create an educational series on Podcasting, and provides new podcasters training on how to get into this outreach method .

Bottom line, some contacts prefer a light touch. It’s a good idea to make an initial contact and ask permission before routinely sending them an ongoing series of emails or other content. Once that’s done, you can use anything in your newly expanded toolkit to effectively market your services and connect with customers.

Making a Daily Plan – Is It Worth It?

It’s easy to get distracted when working from home. Aside from calendared meetings that are difficult to change, requests from housemates, doorbells that demand answering, and the endless emails and texts that arrive all clamor for your attention, time, and a fraction of your working day. So how do you stay on course? Consider a daily work plan.

Many years ago, I had occasion to see a video by productivity legend Steven Covey.  In it he demonstrated conclusively why only by planning your work can you ensure that the most important or complex tasks and deliverables are completed on time.

I’ve always advised people to create their daily plan the day before, usually before shutting down for the day. Adding breaks, and plenty of time for what Covey calls, “the big rocks” (your top priorities for the day) helps to clear the decks and avoid missed deadlines. Alternatively, some people like to set aside 10 minutes first thing in the morning to plan – if they can ignore the phone long enough to get it done.

When planning, even when forced to work away from the office, it’s important to use a modality that is comfortable and consistent with your preferred working style. For example, some of us like to use traditional paper planners (like Franklin Planner) or simple lists, while others prefer electronic tools. It’s possible to use Outlook as a planning tool with readily available software overlays, or you could choose to use a more comprehensive planning tool that encompasses not only work activities, but the activities of daily life .

Whichever solution works best for you, be sure to be on the lookout for those “time wasters” that can wreck any plan. I have found the “start time delay” to be the biggest problem for me personally. There is always something to deal with before starting the workday, and frequently it leads to another task that just “must” get cleared. Excessive travel between appointments can also run out the clock, although with the growth of Zoom and Skype meetings, this time waster is less common.  

Finally, don’t overschedule. Allow for downtime during the day, a reasonable gap between meetings, and a heavy “think” session. Increase the number of scheduled tasks and meetings to your daily plan only after you’ve had success with a less aggressive schedule.

By following these simple steps, you will get increasingly adept at meeting daily objectives and higher lever goals. 

 

The Need for Speed

 I was talking to my friend who is a year into a new sales role at a local company. I asked him how it was going, and he assured me he had found the secret to doing well. Unlike his previous direct service sales position, his new role required he work with a variety of outside sales partners to meet customer needs.

“When they call, I jump. No matter what my plans were, I change them and try to be the most responsive resource they can work with!”

How many professional service providers and sellers, when asked what makes their service better than others, talk about their experience, or the quality of the service they provide. No doubt those are important elements to distinguishing yourself. But in some cases, being quick and flexible can be more important. Indeed, by demonstrating your willingness to be prompt and flexible in the face of needs from your sales partners, a consultant can distinguish himself from other colleagues, and increase referrals.

There are software solutions to help you be a nimbler provider and seller of your professional service. Some solutions are tailored to your industry, and others are tailored to your size of business. There are even websites that allow you to compare features and select from a field of solutions.

But the most important thing is attitude. Are you willing to quickly revise your schedule to respond to a need from an outside sales partner? Do it often enough and you earn friendship and professional loyalty.

Tracking and connecting with clients, prospects, and contacts fills your services sales pipeline

 

I suppose it is common sense, but most of us have found that satisfied clients are the most likely to buy again, followed by persons that have already been contacted but haven't bought yet, followed by acquaintances that may or may not have a need for your service. 

Networking and word of mouth is a big investment. Don't waste time and money, and lose out on sales opportunity, by sloppy record keeping. Use a reliable tool to record and track all these highly valuable contacts.

I have found that routine emails or other "touches" is important if you want to keep these contacts viable. I call it shelf of mind (https://www.theoryaboutthat.com/faq#Be-Shelf-of-Mind)

I recommend to my clients that they use something simple, cloud based, and free to accomplish both contact tracking and email management: MailChimp. (http://www.mailchimp.com ) .  The free tool includes a database, and a limited number of emails per month.

A Software Tool that Helps Consultants Book Appointments Faster

 

Does the early bird really get the worm? These days, at least for consultants, insurance professionals, financial consultants, and professional service providers of all types, it can make the difference between a thriving business and one that is floundering. 

Cutting down on the back and forth negotiation that usually accompanies appointment setting can really make a difference in volume of your professional service sales pipeline and the speed with which it moves. If this sounds like it could be a problem holding you back, I recommend that you take a look at the cloud based scheduling tool, Calendly (www.calendly.com).

The tool runs in the cloud, offers a free version with basic functionality, shields your calendar details (only shows open slots), communicates with most major digital calendar systems, and can be upgraded for increased functionality or groups. 

As you can see from the dashboard, multiple types of meetings can be accommodated.  

I Remember: Reflections with a Theme

Many of us have given more than a passing thought to writing up our life’s experiences for our busy children, who never had time to listen, or our grandchildren who may someday be interested. But Luda Shuster has done more – she has labored for months to craft 7 connected tales of remembrance and illustrated them with pictures from the family album.  This slim volume captures life’s wisdom in written snapshots to which we can all relate.

Here’s what an early reader, Evelyn Preston of Active Over 50 Magazine had to say:

“Luda Shuster’s packed portraits of her family is proof of poetic prose; emotion, story, background and theme weave through clearly and cleanly to leave the reader edified and satisfied, yet amazed that the big picture of a life is so succinctly and charmingly packaged in her finely drawn memoir, I Remember.”

This collection includes reflections on Luda’s Jewish parents, legal professionals practicing in Stalinist Russia of the 50’s (My Naïve Parents), reflections on important childhood relatives, the family and personal impact of Chernobyl (Nature Girl) and my favorite selection dealing with the impact of time on our family connections (The Saturday Visit).

Service for Profit’s publication team assisted in this project, providing editing, page design, and cover design services. I Remember by Luda Shuster is available in paperback and eBook formats on Amazon, Barnes & Nobel and other book re-sellers.

Financial Adulting – Read all about the stuff you SHOULD be doing, and if not, HOW to fix it

We’re happy to congratulate Aaron Rubin on the publication of his first book: Financial Adulting – Take Control of your financial Future. Just released in March, with the help of our Service for Profit Publication Support team, this 200+ page volume is full of useful information for those just starting out on, or well along in their life financial journey.

As a California attorney, Certified Public Accountant, and Certified Financial Planner© Aaron Rubin has seen it all, and many times it's not a pretty picture. Rubin provides practical advice about budgeting and saving, taxes, investments, insurance, and estate planning. He tells you what to avoid, what to focus on, and isn't afraid to call out those who may not be looking out for your best interests.

Rubin also connects with readers through shared experiences. He acknowledges his own shortfalls and tells stories out of his own life (some amusing, and others cringe worthy). We all make mistakes and feel foolish at times, but it's from these mistakes that we can learn and grow.

Adulting can be scary, particularly when it comes to our finances, but with practice (and some decent Chardonnay), you will be amazed how well you can navigate these tricky waters.

Here’s what other readers are saying:

Effective financial wisdom from a true specialist who combines his many years' experience and expertise as a tax professional, CPA, and financial planner to give pragmatic advice to young adults. What a plus that this well-written, solution-oriented "how-to" moves easily all along its wealth-building journey. The perfect gift for graduates. And consider a copy for yourself to find some unique strategies within a worthwhile and entertaining refresher course.

--Evelyn Preston: 25 year investment professional, Author of The Money Lady, and financial columnist for Active Over 50 senior magazine

In "Financial Adulting," Aaron Rubin provides great advice, presented with wonderful humor and sincere compassion. You might find that growing into an adult is not all bad.

--Meir Statman Glenn Klimek Professor of Finance, Leavey School of Business Santa Clara University Author of Finance for Normal People, and What Investors Really Want

The book is available on Amazon and Barns and Nobel. 

Why are Professional Services so Difficult to Sell? Making a Case for Value

I watched with disgust and dismay as the recent publicity unfolded about Wells Fargo Bank and the appalling breach of ethics apparently perpetrated by 5000+ bank employees against its customers – all apparently in the desperate attempt to meet sales quotas for financial services ?

Why were these services so difficult to sell that bank employees had to resort to fraud to meet their individual sales objectives? Was it a simple matter of excessive quotas or is there something inherently difficult about selling financial services?

Many will be talking about the Wells Fargo fraud for months. They will focus on management, sales culture, and all manner of possible influences. But I think something more fundamental is at work and something with which all of us who sell professional services need to contend. In a recent article about general issues of service marketing, Kevin Johnson, a financial writer for the Houston Chronicle, identified this problem: “[The difficulty in selling a service is that] the people you pitch to may not be able to visualize what you do. …, but even [after you explain the benefits] … you may have to repeatedly articulate why your service has value.“ 

I sometimes find it difficult to help my customers see the value of the services I offer. It is a real challenge to paint a word picture of future benefits that is vivid enough to overcome the reluctance caused by the need to part with significant cash to sample or “try” these services.

One place I look for answers: the masters of word picture creation: Advertisers. Since the early days of newspapers, advertisers have been painting great word pictures in an effort to inspire people to buy all sorts of goods and services. Their newest territory was opened with the advent of the Internet, and online advertising is growing rapidly.  

When I recently looked  for nuggets of wisdom that I could use in my services marketing challenges I found one fairly quickly in a Wordstream blog post by JonathanDane . In his post, Jonathan describes ideas that make AdWords campaigns effective, but I think one of his ideas also recommends itself to those who sell professional services because they help us make “our word pictures” vivid:

"Advertisers sometimes lose sight of what their customers are truly looking for. I call this “The End Goal:” or what people ultimately want to accomplish with the help of your product or service."

Instead of justifying the value  to Mr. Bank Customer of online BillPay with overdraft protection and deposit processing via mobile device, by telling him,  “he’ll save on postage” or “he’ll enjoy the convenience of using his computer to pay his bills,” it’s more compelling to focus on the End Goal, e.g.,  “You’ll never pay another overdraft fee, and never again have to visit the bank.”

Now that’s a word picture I could get behind. 

Emergency Health Care Advocate Service – a growing need filled by a newly launched service

I’ve always felt that service developers and deliverers can be the most creative marketing people in business. As a group, they are remarkably adept at recognizing market needs and creating and launching services to meet those needs.

Last year when my mother was taken to the ER by ambulance, the facility where she lived, which was about 40 miles away from me, did not notify me. The first I heard of it was when the ER called and said, “Your mother has been brought in for treatment, and she‘s upset and asking for you. Can you give us a little medical history?” As I left an appointment to drive to the hospital, I remember thinking, “I wish she had someone with her to calm her and make sure that she gets the attention and treatment she needs in that busy ER.” 

Fortunately for my mother, when I arrived an hour later, all was well. But what if she’d had no nearby family? 

In fact, today many elderly people live on their own and far from family members and cannot count on friends, who also tend to be elderly, for help in a crisis.  Since Janis Carney is an attorney specializing in elder care, she was well aware of this dilemma, which, with an aging population, will only grow greater. In 2013, she created a company, EASE Plan Inc., to provide 24/7 patient advocacy for elderly patients in the ER. Her plan, which for a monthly fee offers Emergency Advocacy Support and Education (EASE) to enrolled members, seems to strike a welcome chord in Santa Clara County (SF Bay Area), where she launched the service.

“As a doctor for 20 years, I know how complicated the medical systems has become,” says Dr. H. A. Satri Sukhdeo of the Palo Alto Medical Foundation, in Palo Alto, CA. “Patients can easily get lost in the healthcare system, and [it] is especially dangerous for them when they end up in the ER. These patients need an advocate,” One of every five members of the Boomer generation and almost 1 in 3 of us over the age of 75 will visit a hospital emergency room at least once this year. Demand for EASE Plan services seems likely to grow with the shifting demographic.

Current clients are finding that Ease Plan offers significant benefits.  “I have two grown children, but neither of them could be here in less than 5 hrs. if I had a medical emergency. I felt bad when my own mother had a medical emergency and could not get medical attention quickly. I signed up for Ease Plan as soon as I heard of it,” Said Linda C., Ease Plan client.

The service not only supports its clients in the ER but also helps them organize their medical information, be clear on the services to which they are entitled, and, generally, be more effective consumers of healthcare even outside of the ER.

“My mother needs 24-hr. care and is in a skilled nursing facility. Unfortunately, I have found that without a professional care advocate, she does not receive all of the care she should be getting. Our [Ease Plan] Care advocate has been a tremendous help to mother and to me,” said Connie F., another Ease Plan member.

Winning the attention of your prospects and customers

Jerry Kroth wrote a Thanksgiving message and I can’t get it out of my head. Dr. Kroth is a retired Counseling Psychology professor from Santa Clara University. Besides being a very competent teacher, he has a flare for writing, and has indulged his interest by publishing 15 nonfiction books since 1980 that Amazon considers still in print and available.   

As a lecturer he might have been able to reach from 20 to as many as 300 students in each session, but being a published author gave him a potential worldwide audience. Then about four years ago, Jerry discovered the power of YouTube, and began creating video podcasts to expand on the ideas in his books, tailoring them to an audience who either doesn’t read, or just doesn’t want to take the time. Although past offerings were viewed by less than 1,000 people, his latest YouTube offering, The JFK Assassination: What Really Happened now boasts over 200,000 viewers.

As Jerry, who is clearly surprised with the mass appeal of his message, wrote in an email to family and friends, “I realized that more people watched my one hour long video about the JFK assassination, than ALL the students I ever taught at my university in over 37 years of teaching. Can you imagine that! So I am sort of quietly celebrating something in the quiet of my own office. I'm 72, and I see 200,000 viewers, and I kind of wonder what it all means.”

I think Jerry’s experience of having a piece of work go “viral” is a heady thing. No doubt the topic, and the timeliness of the publication of the video and the book contributed to its broad appeal.  It is hard to realistically aspire to audiences of 200,000 without significant self-promotion, unless you have those kinds of factors working for you. But there are a few things business writers and creators of content can do to increase the rate as which audience members “share” with their friends, and to do a better job of winning audience attention for their message:

1.       Come up with a great story to tell. Storytelling as a marketing device is nothing new. There are marketing pros that are known for their mastery of this business art form, such as Nancy Duarte  and Michael Margolis. Some people object, saying that their message doesn’t lend itself to storytelling. But I maintain that it is a surefire way to engage with the reader (and the target) of your content. So make the effort.

2.       Master the format the audience prefers. If you look at Jerry’s video, you will find it well produced. Even though it is based on content from his latest book, Coup d'etat: The assassination of President John F. Kennedy, I have a bet with my wife that Jerry has not sold 200,000 copies of his book. Rather, I believe it is the video that has captured the imagination of the public, partially because of the accessibility of the medium. It is convenient to watch, and well produced. If you know your audience, you’ll shape your format to their preferences.

3.       Make sure your content has what I call a “you see Timmy…” moment. Like many of my generation, I was an avid fan of the TV show, Lassie, when I was a kid. You may remember if you’re old enough, the TV show with a Collie as the star. Timmy was the small boy of the household. Each episode had Lassie performing some feat based on innate animal wisdom that frequently confused Timmy. The last five minutes of the show frequently featured a heart-to-heart with Dad, when he explained the WHY of Lassie’s actions.

I believe for most content to be widely accepted and shared, it needs to make a point, a recommendation, or an assertion. It can’t be just about reportage. I believe you must offer a new insight or pose a thought provoking hypothesis. Take a stand in your message.

There is so much content being thrown at people these days. The Internet has removed the high cost of reaching large numbers of potential customers, and people are making instant decisions about what to read (or view) and what to ignore. Win their attention by focusing on: 1) a great story; 2) audience friendly content; 3) and a message with a point of view.