I'm going to let you eavesdrop on a conversation I've had with hundreds of people in the last few years. It comes up while talking about networking and their social media presence: Me: "So who are your ideal clients? Who's the target market you want to work with?" Really Well-Meaning Professional: "Everyone! Which is why I'm totally confused about why I don't have more work!" It's sad but true that I usually have this conversation with professionals who are struggling to find success in their chosen field. It doesn't matter if they are a small business owner, a service provider, or a salesperson for a large company. Someone who … [Read more...]
Willpower by Roy F. Baumeister & John Tierney
Big Thought Willpower has a physical component that can be managed and even enhanced. By creating awareness in your decision-making process and by learning how to effectively use your willpower, you can make better long-term decisions. Questions, Comments, Observations, and Quotes "Self-control is a vital strength and key to success in life." (13) And that's not a normative statement, it's one based on the research. We all know that some decisions have better outcomes than others - so the more we're able to choose the paths that lead to those outcomes the better off we'll be. It's fascinating that we have a sort of "self-control … [Read more...]
The First Person vs the Third Person LinkedIn Profile
Because social media and LinkedIn are so new, we're still developing some basic standards on how to write our profiles. One question that has come up frequently in my years as a LinkedIn trainer is about the perspective that should be used when writing the profile. Should you use the first-person or the third-person when crafting your message? Should you use "I, me, and my" or should you use your name? This is especially important in the Summary and Experiences sections, which are open fields where you can communicate directly with your reader. Use First Person Language In the beginning, I would have said that either direction is … [Read more...]
Non-Linear Growth for Entrepreneurs
There's a question that comes up a lot when working with clients who are struggling to build their businesses: What causes entrepreneurs to fail? Even new business owners who are doing well often feel that they are close to the edge of insolvency. They get frustrated by how quickly (or rather, how slowly) their businesses are growing. Obviously, starting and growing a new enterprise is challenging, or everyone would be doing it. By where does that challenge come from? Aside from the many logistical obstacles (capital, training, economic viability, etc.), one of the main struggles is psychological. This is an area that most new … [Read more...]
LinkedIn Endorsements for Financial Professionals
Social media sites are developing and evolving at ever greater speeds. Unfortunately, this means that social media is often outstripping the offline world's ability to adapt. What may seem like an intuitive and nifty piece of functionality to a programmer can lead to a headache for those who are using social media in the real world. LinkedIn Endorsements demonstrate a social media feature that gets mired in real-world issues. For most professionals, the Endorsements feature is a useful tool. It allows our connections to attest to our Skills on our LinkedIn profiles. On the other hand, it creates challenges for professions that are … [Read more...]
The 7-Minute Personal Business Plan for Next Year
With the end of the year here, everyone is putting the finishing touches on (or scrambling to start) their plans for 2013. Whether it's for yourself, your family, or your company, putting some thought into what you want to accomplish in the new year is an incredibly useful exercise. Most of us, though, struggle to find the time to take a time-out and plan. It can be especially difficult to find time for our personal goals (because, let's face it, if no one is expecting it from us, it's easy to push it off). So here's a way to create a useful business plan to help guide your career next year. It ill only take you 7 minutes to complete … [Read more...]
On LinkedIn, Show and Tell Should Be: Show, Don’t Tell
LinkedIn profiles are really cool. Think about it; you get to have a website that it as all about you. It highlights your experiences, your skills, your education... your story. But most of us aren't that experienced in telling (and writing) our story. So we get flustered when we are putting together our profile. One of the most common traps people fall into when writing their LinkedIn profile is that they approach it just like they were writing a resume. This has a lot of negative effects, but one of the biggest mistakes is that people fall back on using resume-speak: the jargon and empty phrases that are used when putting together a … [Read more...]
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