Linkedin Loser? Or Linkedin Mover?

1) Be different: If everyone's doing it, what makes you think anyone will notice you on Linkedin?

When it comes to your business development strategy, it's ok to jump on the bandwagon that everyone else is on, but your strategy must also contain elements which are genuinely different.

Tip 1:  if you connect with me or endorse me, you will be thanked. It's just common courtesy on my part but no one else seems to do it... so I do! 

2) Be meaningful: Once upon a time, in the land of Linkedin, people used to write recommendations for each other. Writing recommendations took time and effort so in most cases you tended to write them for people who you genuinely rated and whose work you had experienced, thus to some extent, recommendations stood as a mark of quality.

But then something happened ... we all started endorsing each other and wrote less recommendations. Most weeks, I receive endorsements from people I've never met and who've never used me. The result is that endorsements have become somewhat meaningless but because they're quick and easy, we favour endorsements instead of recommendations. Whether you are on Facebook, Twitter, or Linkedin, ensure your activity is meaningful and sincere.

Tip 2: I will only endorse people who I know very well in the professional sense, and whose work I have personally experienced.

3) Be useful: Social media provides an excellent platform to add value. Ensure your posts are geared towards offering value to the people you interact with, rather than selling your wares. I remember the people who post interesting stuff, but I tend to skip straight past special offers, deals and anything I judge to be salesy.

Tip 3: Most of my posts on Twitter and Linkedin, will link you to my blog where you can receive free tips and ideas on business development, leadership, resilience and other areas I deliver training on. I do deliver some sales messages within these posts, but I ensure that they are in the minority.  

If you want to get smart with your time ...  get 'CLOCKWISE - 5 great time management principles'  (available now on iTunes and Amazon), or book one of my unique business performance sessions: 

Clockwise - 5 great time management principles
The Mole Hill Approach - 4 great resilience principles
Mission Possible - How to sell when your buyers aren't buying 
Leadership Toolbox 2013 - How to lead when times are tough
Mind Games - Taking the stress out of stress management  
Going The Extra Miles - Cultural awareness and success overseas

(all sessions can be experienced in half and full day workshops, as well as 1 and 2-hour-long seminars, delivered over a period of time)

Thanks for reading. 

I help organisations to become more profitable by developing their people.

Call me - 0121 420 3457 / 07760 444 946
Email me - enquiries@impactlife.co.uk
Connect with me on Linkedin -  http://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewpain
Like me on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/ImpactLifeUK
Check out my website - www.impactlife.co.uk 

Leadership Howler 6 - Falling behind the times

What people expect now from their leaders, is not what was expected 30 years ago. The financial chaos since 2007; a truly global market; the frequency and reality of managing remote teams; the rise in the number of people working from home; the progress of social media and technology bringing widespread cultural change, have combined to transform our expectations of our leaders.

For example - do you remember your childhood school reports? 

If you're anything like me, phrases like 'must try harder', 'too much daydreaming', 'struggles with maths', were frequent comments. But if you look at the school reports of today, they're positive and where there are negatives, there is extreme care in how those negatives are stated, so that from the start to the end, the report is constructive.

The fact is that alongside many other issues in the workplace, now that we've got to 2014, our view of 'encouragement', both in terms of quality and quantity has changed and if leaders want to get the best out of the people they lead in 2014, they will need to keep up and adapt their leadership style where necessary. Staying with the example of encouragement:

• How frequent is your encouragement?

• How do you respond to under-performance? Is it a reactive or an intelligent response?

• How could you change your language patterns, behaviour and attitude, so that you inspire your team members to follow you and achieve more in their work? 

• When was the last time you reflected on your psychological model for leadership, and then assessed it's effectiveness? 

The role of an effective leader continues to evolve in line with social and cultural changes. Failure to stay on top of this evolution risks 'old-fashioned' leadership, where behaviour and process fall out of line with current thinking. The impact is:

• Disengagement from team members
• Lost opportunities 
• Underperformance

… all of which, severely impact the health of your team and organisation.

Is your leadership style really fit for 2014? Or is it stuck in a time warp along with Walkmans and Mullets?  

Thanks for reading

I help people achieve more by developing their resilience, influence and productivity: 

Call me - 0121 420 3457 / 07760 444 946

Email me - enquiries@impactlife.co.uk

Connect with me on Linkedin - http://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewpain

Like me on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/ImpactLifeUK

Follow me on twitter - www.twitter.com/andrewpain1974
Check out my website - www.impactlife.co.uk

Business Development Tip 7 - Minimising your client's risk

What do you specifically do, in order to minimise your customer's risk of doing business with you?

Buyers in 2013 are more cautious than ever. Most of us recognise that we overspent in the boom until 2007, that budgets are tight and that expenditure must be closely analysed. So in developing business within a more scrutinised environment, how will you reassure your customers, that using you is free of risk?

Some of the obvious answers are memberships of professional organisations which act as a stamp of your credibility, or qualifications and recommendations. But whilst these are a helpful start, there are plenty of highly qualified businesses whose delivery of service is poor, just as there are plenty of recommendations which are altered, or entirely invented.

Taking action to reduce your customer's risk, and communicating those actions to your customers, re-assures them that they are safe to invest their time and money in you. 

For example:

I offer a full-refund to all my clients, either if they are dissatisfied with the quality of my content and delivery, or if they feel I have not delivered what I promised I would. Thankfully, I've never had to deliver on this guarantee, but in offering it up-front, it is clear that I am confident in my abilities, and that if something did happen, I would put it right.

What do you do?

Call me - 0121 420 3457 / 07760 444 946

Email me - enquiries@impactlife.co.uk

Connect with me on Linkedin - http://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewpain

Like me on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/ImpactLifeUK

Follow me on twitter - www.twitter.com/andrewpain1974
Check out my website - www.impactlife.co.uk

Business Development Tip 6 - The role of innovation

In the 7th series of The Apprentice, 2011, it was clear from the outset, that the winning candidate would be one of two people, and they couldn't have been more different in personality and skills.

Helen Milligan was polished and attractive. When she was project manager, she led with authority and vision, she was a brilliant pitcher and she was on the winning team for nearly every week of the series. 

Thomas Pellereau on the other hand was an atrocious pitcher, he developed a reputation for being the joke figure in the series and when he was project manager, his team was a shambles. He was also on the losing side nearly every week and was seen as somewhat 'geeky' throughout the process. But Tom had one tiny little thing up his sleeve ... his ability to innovate and turn his ideas into marketable products. 

Unsurprisingly, that one ability outshone all of Helen's strengths whilst partially obscuring Tom's obvious weaknesses, and Tom was picked by Alan Sugar as his winning candidate. 

There is a lesson in this story. For all the shine and polish, for all the marketing skills and sales technique, ultimately, your business will sink or swim on the strength of it's services and/or products. 

For anyone watching The Dragon's Den, there are plenty of excellent ideas which have been accompanied by ghastly presentations, and yet the Dragons still invest. But there have also been plenty of excellent presentations which are accompanied by weak products ... and the Dragons NEVER invest!

Whether you are a recruitment business, a legal firm, an accountancy practice or a cleaning company, you must innovate if you want to be the best at what you do.  

The very process of innovation:

• Develops your skills in the industry you serve

• Pushes the boundaries of what you deliver, something which underlines your place as a thought leader in the industry you serve, and something which your clients will love and admire. 

Whatever your industry, ask yourself the following questions:

What have I invented that is genuinely brilliant in the industry I serve?

What have I created which I know to be unique?

Given the challenging conditions which we will face for some time to come, it's important you have credible answers to the above questions. 

Call me - 0121 420 3457 / 07760 444 946

Email me - enquiries@impactlife.co.uk

Connect with me on Linkedin - http://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewpain

Like me on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/ImpactLifeUK

Follow me on twitter - www.twitter.com/andrewpain1974
Check out my website - www.impactlife.co.uk

Resilience - 5 easy tips for developing your resilience

1) Have something to look forward to every week 

During the most difficult times, it's imperative that you have things in your life, which you do frequently, and which you look forward to. What's in your weekly diary, which gives you a boost when you think about it? 

I play five-a-side football each Monday evening. I'm no Lionel Messi, but I love playing football and by Thursday, I'm already looking forward to Monday, particularly if I'm having a bad week!

2) Perspective /thankfulness 

Consider the reasons why you can be thankful for the life you have and why you should be thankful about yourself. Now dwell on those reasons. 

The more thankful you become on a daily basis about your life, your skills, your colleagues, your community and environment, the big things and all the little things, the more you gain perspective on how lucky you are.  I once worked with a successful team who ended their team meetings with each person sharing something about why they are thankful for the actions of someone else in the room, (now there's a novel concept!)  

3) Try something new 

There are many different varieties of tea in every large supermarket in the UK, but in most cases, we will buy the same old box of tea bags, week-in and week-out.  We are habit driven creatures and whilst this is good for big brands, it's not so good for our mental outlook. 

Try new things both big and small and commit to living outside your comfort zones. When disaster strikes, or when you are on the receiving end of change which you don't want and which you can't control, you'll be better equipped to deal with it if you already live your life as an agent of change, rather than as a creature of habits. 

4) Acts of kindness 

What could be achieved if each member of your team was driven by performing acts of kindness for each other, for the people you serve and the suppliers who serve you? Doing acts of kindness is an amazing and simple tonic, which gives you a warm glow, busts stress levels and builds relationships. 

5) Ditch the grudge

Whether you actively feel aggrieved by the actions of someone else and wish ill on that person, or whether you are permanently annoyed by someone you have to work with, it's crucial that you gain control over your grudge. Left unchecked, it festers into bitterness, which prevents creativity and logical thinking, encourages a culture of jumping to conclusions, increases personal stress levels and reduces motivation. 

Call me - 0121 420 3457 / 07760 444 946

Email me - enquiries@impactlife.co.uk

Connect with me on Linkedin - http://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewpain

Like me on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/ImpactLifeUK

Follow me on twitter - www.twitter.com/andrewpain1974
Check out my website - www.impactlife.co.uk

Business Development Tip 5 - Standing out from the crowd

One of the implications of the recession, is that most businesses are conscious that they can't be complacent and expect to be successful, (as many did until 2007). This has affected our marketing efforts because most of us recognise the need to continuously deliver on a variety of methods of marketing, including:

• A social media presence and strategy. 

• Strategic networking. 

• Cold-calling / Direct telephone marketing. 

• Regular E-shots.

• Attraction of local and national press.

• Advertising in relevant literature....

(the list is endless, but let's move on with the point of this post!)

If you currently deliver on all of the above, you can congratulate yourself that you are at least doing what most of your competitors are doing. But unfortunately, if your competitors are doing the same as you, how will your message get noticed and remembered? And how can you deliver on the above strategies, yet deliver them in a way which is different?

Tip 1) Consider the things that annoy you when your suppliers contact you and work out how you could deliver the same thing, but in an imaginative way. For example, one of my gripes, is the vast number of bland and generic Christmas cards I receive from my suppliers in December, so I do something different.

Tip 2) Identify the parts of marketing, where most companies regardless of industry, do the same thing in the same way ... then ensure you do something different. For example, when I connect with people on Linkedin, or I invite others to connect with me, I am very rarely thanked, so I ensure I communicate my thanks to each connection.

In order to be successful in 2013, you do need to manage a consistent and multi-faceted, marketing machine. But to stand out from the crowd, so that you get the best results, your machine has to look different from all the others.

Call me - 0121 420 3457 / 07760 444 946

Email me - enquiries@impactlife.co.uk

Connect with me on Linkedin - http://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewpain

Like me on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/ImpactLifeUK

Follow me on twitter - www.twitter.com/andrewpain1974
Check out my website - www.impactlife.co.uk

How do you define value? (4 tips)

We instinctively know when we receive value: the warm feeling of money well spent or a smug satisfaction of a bargain well and truly secured, but how do we know if we're giving value? Other than our sales figures and customer satisfaction surveys, what boxes need to be ticked to pass the value test?

1) Performance of service/product - Does it really do what is promised and more?
2) Affordability - Is it well-priced for what your customer pays and receives?
3) Ease of use - Is it easy/convenient to use?
4) Minimal risk - Is it free of risk/nasty side effects? 

Imagine the following scenario … if I had a headache and wanted to buy something to relieve the pain, I'd buy a product according to these 4 factors.

• Does it solve all the Pain (performance of product)? If the relief only solved 50% of the pain, I'd only buy it if there were no other products which could match it. Ideally I'd want something which would take all my pain away and the more I believed a certain product could solve all my pain, the more likely it is I'd make a quick purchase of that product and pay the asking price. If the pain was that bad and the relief that good, I'd definitely pay above the odds. 

• Is it affordable? If the pain relief I wanted was priced well above the market rate, I'd either buy a cheaper product, or I'd do nothing and put up with the headache. In this instance, I'd only consider the expensive product if the cheaper ones didn't work, or if the pain became excruciating and it was clear that the expensive product was highly effective. 

• Is it convenient? If the relief was affordable and solved my pain, but getting hold of it was inconvenient and involved a hike out of town, I'd be tempted to pay a higher price for a product which delivered slightly less pain relief, but was available in the store at the end of my road. 

• Is it free of risk factors? If the relief was affordable, solved the pain and was convenient, but it could make me nauseous, I'd think twice about buying it. I'd have to weigh up whether I'd rather be in pain or feel sick. The likely outcome would be that I would be prepared to spend more money on a different product in order to buy something which didn't make me feel sick. 

Clearly, as a business you cannot control your market environment, the pace of change, technological progress etc, all of which will have a bearing on how valuable your business/product will be perceived by the customer. But you can control whether or not your business/product continues to delivers value within that environment: make sure it always ticks 4 boxes - solves pain, affordable, convenient, minimal risk.

The Impact Code - Unlocking Resilience, Productivity & Influence: Available now on Amazon in digital and paperback format http://goo.gl/UGZhkw
 
Thanks for reading

I help people to achieve more in life by developing their resilience, influence and productivity.  

Call me - 0121 420 3457 / 07760 444 946

Email me - enquiries@impactlife.co.uk

Connect with me on Linkedin - http://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewpain

Like me on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/ImpactLifeUK

Follow me on twitter - www.twitter.com/andrewpain1974
Check out my website - www.impactlife.co.uk