Biz Growth Express - June 25, 2007

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IN THIS WEEK’S ‘BIZ GROWTH EXPRESS’     ISSN   1649-8127

Hi

Firstly welcome to all our new subscribers – especially to those of you who have joined our mailing list having heard me speak at the “BT Small Business Show” or at the launch events of the “Association for Coaching in Ireland”. I do hope that you will find our newsletter of value in growing your business.

This week I have been experimenting with building my personal brand online at Facebook.com – if you already have a profile there I’d love to connect with you.

I have to say that I have found it very user friendly – I have yet to see what business benefits can be attributed to a Facebook.com profile.

Building your personal brand online is in fact the subject of this weeks feature article where I provide some tips for making sure that you get the most out of the time you invest in online networks.

We are also joined today for our “Biz Growth Live” interview by Dr Roger Anderson, author, consultant and entrepreneur who has been nurturing his online personal brand through no less than 30 different locations. If you want to find out what he recommends are the most effective locations for building a distinctive personal brand online, then do make sure that you join me at 1pm ET (6pm Dublin and London).
 
Each week we look to provide you with valuable content to build your brand and expand the success of your professional practice.

As you know, our goal is your success, providing you with strategies, inspiration and tips that you can adapt, adopt and apply to grow your business. 

I hope you enjoy this week’s edition of ‘Biz Growth Express’.

And if you have friends and colleagues who you believe would benefit from the strategies and tips we cover in the ‘Biz Growth Live’ calls and our ‘Biz Growth Express’ newsletter, I would be honoured if you forwarded this email to them or alternatively you can invite them to register at ‘Biz Growth Live’.

Your recommendation is how we grow! Here’s to bringing YOUR brand to life!

Thank you for being part of our thriving ‘Biz Growth Community’ and please do share your suggestions for areas you would like us to cover in future editions and that would support your business growth in 2007 or subjects for our weekly ‘Biz Growth Live’ calls.

Best wishes

Krishna

FEATURE ARTICLE: ‘BUILD YOUR PERSONAL BRAND ONLINE THROUGH SOCIAL NETWORKS’

This week I received an email from my client Sue, who asked the following question:

“Acting on good advice, I joined a number of networking groups several years ago and subscribed to a number of newsletters. I sort the emails into separate inboxes. The trouble is, I don’t have time to read them all and I’ve got so behind that there are now hundreds of unread items.

I’m not sure how many of them are actually useful. Which of these do you recommend I continue subscribing to?”

It is easy to become seduced in terms of subscribing to a new newsletter, another RSS blog feed or even joining a new online networking site.

Soon enough we find ourselves either spending several hours going through emails, blog feeds and online networking and if we don’t pay attention we spend unproductive time not serving our clients or taking specific action to grow our business.

As Sue mentions, we can be left with hundreds of unread items in our email inbox.

Here are my top three tips for deciding whether to continue to subscribe to a newsletter or online network.

  1. Consider why you subscribed and if that reason is still valid? We often join newsletter subscription lists of online communities for one of six reasons: to learn more about our field of expertise, to discover new skills, to connect with potential clients, to meet potential strategic business partners to ensure that we are aware of what our competition are doing, for social reasons and to stay connected with a like minded community. If your subscription does not meet at least one of these criteria then unsubscribe.
  2. Does it reflect your personal brand and what you want to be known for? Particularly in the case of online social networks, do you find that the people in your online network reflect either your potential clients, peers operating at a similar or more senior level from whom you can learn or potential joint venture partners. If not, seriously consider if the network is the right network for you.
  3. Can you dedicate the time? Many people say online networking saves time as you do not have to travel to join the network. However, just like face to face in person networks, online networks are only going to be highly effective if you nurture them. If you are unable to be an active participant in a network online, then it is unlikely that you will be able to realise the benefits and opportunities it holds. If you can not dedicate the time, gracefully exit.

THIS WEEK’S ‘BIZ GROWTH’ ACTION STEPS

  1. Take an audit of the newsletters that you receive. Are they still valid and support your goals of learning and continuing professional development, competitor analysis or helping you grow your business? If they do not meet these criteria then hit unsubscribe.
  2. For every new newsletter or online community you join, decide what newsletter or online community you will unsubscribe from then take action.
  3. If you have not read a newsletter or have not visited the online social networking community during the last 8 weeks, consider if you really will benefit from doing so in the next 7 days. If the answer is no and you can not make the time, then unsubscribe.
  4. Audit the amount of time you spend reading newsletters and the time you spend  in the online communities you are a member of. You might be surprised how much time they are taking up. Are you getting the return on investment that you desire from investing your time in this way? If not take action – yes again that may mean unsubscribe.

Of course I am hoping that there will not be a flurry of unsubscribes for “Biz Growth Express”. However if I am not providing the resources and tips you need to grow your business, then yes do unsubscribe.

PERSONAL BRANDING TIP OF THE WEEK: ‘THE FIRST THREE MINUTES’

One of the strategies I teach my clients is how to engage in conversation and be more compelling in the first 15 seconds when they meet someone new.

This will mean that you are more likely to develop rapport with people you meet which is the first step in developing your network of brand ambassadors.

Many people talk about your “elevator speech” of your “personal brand statement”. Remember though, that it is not just the opening conversation that we must concentrate on.

I was reminded of this when I met up with a business colleague last week who set up a meeting to introduce myself and some colleagues to another of her business partners (lets call this person Melanie).

The meeting got off to a shaky start as Melanie was late for the meeting.

When Melanie arrived and we got over the formal introductions, what was interesting was that her stance became quite aggressive and competitive. Rather than engage in exploring the opportunities where we have complimentary skills and could potentially collaborate, Melanie went full out for where she could prove that in her mind she was “better” than the others in the meeting.

You can be sure that she was the topic of conversation after the meeting ended – but not in a positive way. Es she had a terrific offering but with an aggressive stance no one who met her felt inclined to either collaborate or refer clients to her.

Yes it is important to ensure that people we meet are aware of our expertise, however the way in which we engage must build rapport. Remember that people will be more likely to do business because they know us, trust us and most importantly they like us.

THIS WEEK’S PERSONAL BRAND ACTION STEPS

  1. Reflect on your impact – consider meetings you have attended in the last 2 weeks. Can you honestly say that when you met someone new that you went our of your way to build rapport in each and every meeting?
  2. Access feedback – if you were in a meeting with someone else that knows you well, ask for feedback from them on how you came across to the others in the meeting – what was their perception of your behaviour?
  3. Study the art and science of likeability – if you have not yet read “The Likeability Factor” by Tim Sanders, it is well worth the read.

If you want to nurture your personal brand but are looking for expert guidance, make sure that you register today for details of our forthcoming personal branding programme for business leaders which will be starting this summer. Just send an email to connect(at)oneoceangroup.com.

BIZ GROWTH TELECONFERENCE – 25 JUNE 2007
SUBJECT : ‘BUILD A DISTINCTIVE PERSONAL BRAND ONLINE’

Guest Expert: Dr Roger Anderson, author, entrepreneur and consultant

With increasing numbers of people searching for us on line not just the companies we work with, how can we ensure that we are digitally distinctive?

What are the most effective platforms to use from business blogs to wiki’s, from Squidoo to Facebook?

These are the subjects I will be discussing with my guest on the “Biz Growth Live” programme on 25 June 2007 at 1pm ET, Dr Roger Anderson, author, consultant and entrepreneur who uses no less than 30 different online platforms to build his personal brand online.

If you have questions about how build a distinctive personal brand online, you can post your questions before the call here.

NEXT ‘BIZ GROWTH LIVE’ TELECONFERENCE – 2 JULY 2007
SUBJECT : ‘THE VALUES IMPERATIVE – A PATHWAY TO PROFIT’

Guest Expert: Paul Kearns, author and consultant

When we consider our values, very often we consider these in terms of what drives our personal behaviour.

However how can values actually be attributed to bottom line benefits?

This is the subject of next weeks “Biz Growth Live” call with author and consultant Paul Kearns whose recent book “The Value Motive” presents a framework for understanding why value should be the leader’s top priority.

If you have questions about how to link corporate and personal values to bottom line profit, you can post your questions before the call here.

BRANDING AND BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT PODCASTS

As you know, here at Oneocean, we are all about building brands, from your corporate brand to attract great clients, to your employer brand to attract and retain great talent, to your personal leadership brand to build your personal reputation as an expert in your field and expand your success.

NETWORKING STRATEGIES PODCAST:

Networking strategies for success part 4 of 5 – get ready to take notes as we provide tips to help if you are working inside an organisation were it is easy to forget that it is just as important to build and nurture your network for career success.

In this show we cover how to build positive networks for support and career progression.

CREATING YOUR FIRST PODCAST

On the fifth of our “Podcast Sisters” Podcasts, we cover how to get started podcasting.

PROMOTING YOUR PODCAST 

And once you have got your podcast created, we show you in show six how to promote your podcast and increase the number of readers to your show:

You can post your comments and questions against each of the podcasts, so I look forward to hearing from you with your thoughts, ideas and what works for you.

Alternatively, if you would prefer to leave comments at our media centre, you can call +1 214 615 6505 ext 6842 or if you are in Ireland, on 086 816 3096.

RESOURCES FOR EVENT ORGANISERS

If you are an event organiser and are working on developing your forthcoming programme, I would love to hear from you. I regularly help event organisers plan their events and connect them to my network of professional speakers on a wide range of business development and personal development topics.

I am also available to facilitate your meeting, speak at your event, your workshop or as an expert interviewer for your virtual book tour or promotion of your programme or event.

Worried about travel costs? In addition to live face to face workshops, at Oneocean we are one of Europe’s expert consultancies in making use of new media and leading edge technologies including webinars, podcasts, on-line video or teleconferences which means that you can expand your reach and deliver your live event to your community no matter where they live.

I would be delighted to speak with you about your requirements. Just email me at solutions.oneoceangroup.com today for our event organisers questionnaire.

For details of our most popular live events and workshops, go here.

Wishing you continued success, so until next week.

Best wishes,

Krishna De
Bringing YOUR vision to life!
www.bizgrowthlive.com
www.bizgrowthnews.com
www.krishnade.com
www.oneoceangroup.com
www.talkingcoaching.com
www.todayswomeninbusiness.com

P.S. If you have friends and colleagues who would like to join the weekly teleconference call, they would be very welcome – please invite them to register at Biz Growth Live.

©Krishna De, Oneocean Ltd 2007.  All rights reserved.

“Biz Growth Express” is a Oneocean Publication.  Oneocean Ltd is a leading business development consultancy with a difference – we focus on the unique strengths of an organisation and its people to unlock extraordinary performance and growth. You can learn more about our work here

TERMS OF REPRINT: You are welcome to publish extracts from “Biz Growth Express” in your own online ezine or news letter, providing the article is printed in its entirety and is left unedited and you include the copyright notice and the following statement:

©Krishna De, Oneocean Ltd 2007. All rights reserved. Reprinted from “Biz Growth Express”, a Oneocean Ltd publication for leaders in professional services practices, featuring inspiration, strategies and tips to build your brand, attract your ideal clients and enjoy greater success with less stress.  Subscribe today at http://www.bizgrowthlive.com and access free weekly teleconferences where we interview experts from across the globe on how to build your brand and expand your professional and personal success.