LinkedIn Master Workshop

I just hosted the inaugural LinkedIn Blackbelt Master workshop this morning and there are now 8 more intelligently armed soon-to-be LinkedIn experts out there.

This is a 3 hour workshop with very limited seating so everyone attending gets some one-on-one coaching along the way.

Without a doubt, LinkedIn has become the premier social network for business professionals. With nearly 140 million business professionals and over 2 million individual company profiles, LinkedIn is the place to be found for business professionals, and to find and connect with influencers in your market niche.

However it is estimated that fewer than 25% of those registered to use LinkedIn do so effectively, and less than 10% maximize the value this powerful tool can bring to you and your company.

Unlike some other social networks, LinkedIn is all business all the time. If you are not maximizing this extraordinary tool, you are losing mindshare.

I currently host this session monthly near BWI, but should be hosting a Virginia monthly session in the near term - hopefully no later than March.

The next BWI session is Tuesday, February 29 from 8:30-11:30 AM.

Drop me a line for details on upcoming sessions.

mark@federaldirect.net

Overused Buzz Words- The Waldo Factor, part 6

LinkedIn has released it's list of the ten most overused buzz words that show up on LinkedIn profiles, resumes, etc. In order, they are -

1) Creative
2) Organizational
3) Effective
4) Extensive experience
5) Track record           
6) Motivated
7) Innovative
8) Problem solving
9) Communication skills
10) Dynamic

Each of these terms has a use, but apparently, just about everyone likes and uses them.

Does this mean they necessarily should be removed from your profile? Not automatically, but if replacement terms can be used, you need to consider it. A simple thesaurus check in Word can yield some decent results:

Creative (original, inspired, resourceful, innovative)

Dynamic (lively, active, energetic, vibrant, self-motivated).

Your LinkedIn profile can potentially be seen by over 135,000,000 professionals, so it really needs to resonate with those you wish to influence. Feel free to be creative and experiment.

Using tired, overused terms and phrases does not make you stand out.

What can you do for 2012 to stand out in your niche?

Starting Off 2012: Boom...or a Bust (The Waldo Factor, part 5)

What are you going to resolve to do to make 2012 a boom year for you and your company?

The government contracting market is going to get even tougher in 2012. With no Congressional agreement on budget cuts, a 10% across the board cut in agency spending looms like a big, dark cloud on the horizon.  Add to that the perpetual continuing resolution that will most likely linger for yet another year and we have a massive squeeze on the contracting community.

Standing out, your ability to be found by potential partners and customers, to stand out as an expert in your niche, is critical due to the budget crunch. This is true for both companies and individuals, service companies and product vendors. Being viewed a s a subject matter expert of thought leader in your niche is more important now than ever before. Generalists will not make the cut.



Using web 2.0 tools and social networking can help.



On October 18 Market Connections released the 2nd annual "2011 Social Media in the Public Sector" study. Among many other findings, the study showed a dramatic rise in the use of social media year over year, with more than 90% of government employees using some form of social media- an increase of 41%.

Another finding was that 70% of government employees used LinkedIn and 93% of contractors were using LinkedIn, both big gains over the previous year. Market Connections study stats on how contractors use social media:

1) Marketing/promotion - 85%
2) Thought leadership promotion - 84%
3) Increased collaboration - 75%
4) Improved customer access to company information - 74%

(SOURCE: www.MarketConnectionsInc.com)

More and more I am seeing job titles like "Social Marketing Manager" at companies of all sizes.


So here are my questions for you as we approach 2012:

Are you "on" LinkedIn without being active?

Are you on LinkedIn but with a bare-bones profile?

Are you among those who think your customers and prospects are not on LinkedIn?

Do you still think social networking is a fad or waste of time?


How effectively are you using LinkedIn to position your company or yourself as a thought leader in this hyper-competitive market?


Developing a social media strategy has become a "must do now" rather than a "we'll get to it real soon" task.


What are you going to resolve to do to make 2012 a boom year for you and your company?

Amtower & Company offers LinkedIn & Social Media Strategy training for individuals, businesses and associations. Contact me at Mark@FederalDirect.net or call 301 924 0058 to see how we can help you.  Look me up on LinkedIn- www.linkedin.com/in/markamtower and see how I practice what I preach.

The Chicken or the Egg: The Art, Science and Benefits of Being Different (The Waldo Factor, part 4)

The "chicken or the egg" conundrum has reared its confusing head yet again.

I have made several of presentations over the past 3 years on maximizing the power of LinkedIn: leveraging this great platform for differentiating your company; attracting partners and prospects; positioning your company as a subject matter expert in a niche so agencies and primes will better understand what you do and where you fit; strategically growing your network; then staying in touch with your ever-expanding network by sharing good information. This is the process that leads to more visibility and differentiates you from most, if not all, of your competitors.

The audiences always seem receptive to what I am saying, paying serious lip service to their desire to employ social media to differentiate, then reach out to the market. "We're gonna do it....real soon...."

Then comes the caveat: "We really need some sales first."

Differentiation, how and why you are different from your competitors, is one of the major keys that will lead to your ability to sell more products or services. Social media, when used properly, helps you display the attributes that legitimately differentiate your company from others. Until you differentiate yourself and become visible to your target audience, the likelihood of more sales is minimal.

"But we really need some sales first...do you have an email list of (fill in the job title here: procurement officers, facilities managers, CIOs, etc)"....

Chapter 8 of Selling to the Government is devoted to differentiating, and Chapter 11 (near the end of the book) deals with the deployment of web 2.0 tools, especially LinkedIn. I devote a fair amount of space in this book to these because they are critical to your success.

There is a reason that 25%+ of GSA Schedule holders make $0:
- little or no differentiation
- little or no targeted marketing
- and little or no use of social media.

Being on the GSA Schedule is not a guarantee of sales and being on GSA Advantage is a requirement, it is not a differentiator and it offers no real advantage (no pun intended) to the contractor.

If you are not trying differentiate, to legitimately stand out in a crowded field by clearly enunciating what makes your company different, you are already on a downward spiral.

So what comes first, the chicken or the egg?


Market Connections study stats on how contractors use social media:

1) Marketing/promotion - 85%
2) Thought leadership promotion - 84%
3) Increased collaboration - 75%
4) Improved customer access to company information - 74%

SOURCE: www.MarketConnectionsInc.com


And btw, Amtower & Company offers coaching for companies and individual coaching on leveraging the power of LinkedIn and we also offer a half-day workshop to get companies started on LinkedIn.

Stop whining and start working smarter: get active and get found! (The Waldo Factor, part 3)

"I have been on LinkedIn for six months and it hasn't done a thing for me...."

This was a comment from the audience where I spoke recently. When I returned to my office later that day, I took a look at the profile of the person who made the comment, and here's what I found:

- no recent activity- none. No new connections, no new groups, no information posts. Nothing.
- profile- bare bones. No decent job description or company description, the "Experience" section only had the most recent position (read: no history).

In short, they might be a "member" of LinkedIn, but they are doing absolutely nothing to participate and become noticed.

This is like joining the key trade association for your niche and not attending meetings or networking functions.

Think of it as a "drive by" membership, where you can drive by the networking event, honk and wave when you are in the general vicinity of the venue, and hope someone notices you.

"I have been on LinkedIn for six months and it hasn't done a thing for me...." is the swan song of the couch potato, the person who always has something impeding the "thought meets action" process. LinkedIn doesn't work unless you do.

In this case, the impediment is the assumption that simply by being on LinkedIn will lead to results, when what it will really take is to stop whining and start working smarter: get active and get found!


10/24/11 Update:

On October 18 Market Connections released the 2nd annual "2011 Social Media in the Public Sector" study. Among many other findings, the study showed a dramatic rise in the use of social media year over year, with more than 90% of government employees using some form of social media- an increase of 41%.

Another finding was that 70% of government employees used LinkedIn and 93% of contractors were using LinkedIn, both big gains over the previous year.

The top uses for using social media for contractors were

1) Marketing/promotion - 85%
2) Thought leadership promotion - 84%
3) Increased collaboration - 75%
4) Improved customer access to company information - 74%

SOURCE: www.MarketConnectionsInc.com

Helping Small Businesses get "Found": The Waldo Factor, part 2

Being "findable" and being credible after being found are the first two steps for leveraging web 2.0 tools to create qualified leads. In the government contracting market, this is more important today than ever before.

There should be little or no argument that the government contracting market will be more competitive as we move into FY 2012.

Regardless of the size of your company, we have a situation where the better known companies will have a huge edge (hint: better known does not always mean bigger). So, if you have a piece of any IDIQ contract- GSA Schedule, SEWP IV, 8(a) STARS, whatever- you need to work harder than ever to gain more attention with the buyers and influencers who can make or break your FY 2012. That includes both government buyers and other contractors.

Take for example the 8(a) STARS II program, a five year, $10 billion IDIQ GWAC.  As an IDIQ (indefinite delivery- indefinite quantity) GWAC (government wide contract), there is no requirement for agencies to buy off the contract nor is there any agency money assigned to the contract. It becomes job #1 for the winners of the contract to market the availability of their services through this contract to
key influencers in the government market.

There are 599 companies that own a piece of the 8(a) STARS II contract. Standing out in this crowd will not be an easy or quick task. Part of standing out in the crowd is positioning yourself as a leader in your niche, establishing your credentials and making certain that the word gets out to the right people. In a Federal News Radio interview on August 5, In Depth with Francis Rose, I predicted that less than 10% of the STARS II contract winners would make money fom the contract because of inadequate marketing and sales efforts.

For small companies, the intelligent use of social media and web 2.0 tools has become critical. Social media and blogs are the fastest growing line items in lead generation budgets because when used properly these tools allow a company to demonstrate an area of expertise, and to share relevent content with key buying influencers. It is one of the few tools that can really "level the playing field". When used properly, web 2.0 tools are low-cost and high impact.
 
Part of the credibility is what you do and how well you do it. Another part is who you know. Social networking allows you to exponentially expand your relationship reach. This morning (9/16/11) I received an email from a client. Yesterday I sent them an article that dealt directly with their core strength, an interview with a major federal influencer talking about this technical area. They asked if I knew the person quoted in the article. I did not- but I have 42 direct connections on LinkedIn that do know this person so I will be able to make the connection for my client. LinkedIn works if you use it properly.


And what about other web 2.0 tools?

According to a 2010 survey by Market Connections, Inc, over 40% of Federal information technology professionals "attended" more than one webinar in the past year. I expect the percentage to rise dramatically in the 2011 survey (to be released in Otcober). The fastest growing company in the government market, Carahsoft, has a library of several hundred webinars for customers and prospects. The webinars successfully act as a passive sales tools for Carahsoft. Just over seven years old, the company is on track to do $1 billion in sales this year.

This is not simply a matter of starting a blog, or creating a couple of webinars. It is a matter of selecting the right tools for your company and using them well, tools that show what you are capable of doing, tools that will attract buyers and influencers to your blog, webinar or social networking profile. Tools that will increase "findability" and build credibility and help you sell your services in this very competitive environment.

Or, if you prefer, you can wait for the phone to ring, the preferred tactic of many unsuccessful GSA Schedule holders.

The successful companies on 8(a) STARS, GSA Schedule and other IDIQs will be working hard to get on the radar of buyers and influencers and selling their products and services in FY 2012 and beyond. The companies that simply wait for business to occur will be waiting a long time.

If you are interested in deploying the right web 2.0 tools, in creating a "thought leader" or subject matter expert position, and getting your company on the government contracting radar, we should talk.

Drop me a line at Mark@FederalDirect.net and let's set up a time to discuss your use of Web 2.0 tools to grow your business.

The Waldo Factor - part 1

Here’s the scene, and I think we’ve all been here: You are at a conference and the person on stage speaking to 1,000+ people is somewhere between adequate and pretty good, but you are thinking he/she is not as good as you. My usual thought is along the lines of “where did they dig up this clown, and why is he/she talking about last year’s hot ideas as if they were new?”

So why is that person on the stage and you are sitting, frustrated, in the audience? What got them up there and not you?

While there are no easy answers to that question, the biggest factor is they are better known for what they do than you are. It may be because they wrote a book or some articles, they had some other speaking engagements, they were recommended by someone advising the event, or maybe they “knew somebody” or probably some combination of these and other factors. Somehow they were able to get in front of the right people at the right time and get the speaking engagement.

Regardless of the factors that created the situation, the fact is they are on the stage and you are in the audience. People are looking at and listening to them, and you are one of those faceless people in the crowd. Again, we've all been there.

Think of the person on the stage as Point B, and you as Point A. How do you get from Point A to Point B?

In the book series Where's Waldo, a tall guy with glasses dressed in blue pants, a red and white striped shirt and matching hat is always somewhere in a scene so crowded with other things and other people that it is hard to find him. The reader’s (really, viewer, as there are no words) job is to find Waldo.

In the speaking scenario above, the only one easy to find is the person on the stage. Unless you are wearing a red and white striped shirt with a matching hat, you will be hard to pick out in that audience. That's not usually the way you want to stand out in a business crowd.

Your job is to intellectually stand out and stand apart in your business niche, and to be easily found by those who need to find you because of your expertise. Then the people you want to meet and know will have an interest in knowing you and having as part of their online and offline network.

Growth in any market niche is predicated on building relationships with key influencers in that niche, and then becoming an influencer in that niche. Those influencers can include prospects, partners, press, investors, C-level execs and others influential in your market.

To build the relationships and maximize your presence, you need to develop credibility in your market, then build your visibility. Visibility without credibility has no value or worse, negative value.

Credibility is developed by being good at what you do and working at getting better,  being among the best at what you do, and adding value to the community. Then you find ways to share some of your knowledge and opinions with others.

Once you start this process, you are already creating visibility, but it is necessary to continue to build your knowledge base as you expand your visibility. Markets evolve and you must evolve with them to retain your credibility.

Traditionally we have face-to-face events for networking, seminars and conferences where we share or receive knowledge, publications where we read, write or be quoted. These are still excellent venues.

But wait!!! There's more!

With the advent of web 2.0 tools, we have the ability to either bypass traditional methods or enhance them by incorporating them into our web-based activity.

For business professionals, LinkedIn has become an incredibly valuable tool for developing credibility and visibility. Your ability to stand out in a crowd is now predicated on your ability use both the traditional and web-based tools and coordinate the activity between them to make you among the most “findable" experts in your niche. Think of it as "findability".

So here is the initial equation:

credibility + visibility = findability.

There are several examples and one great example is Steve Ressler, founder of GovLoop.

Steve was a government IT analyst and program manager at the Department of Homeland Security. While working for the government, on his own time he co-founded Young Government Leaders, which has become a great networking venue for the next generation of public managers.

Then in 2008, Steve started the online community for Feds, GovLoop (by for and about Feds - the Facebook for government).

Steve's use of social media, which also led to being featured in traditional media, is a great example of what can happen if you develop an expertise and share your ideas. Along the way he won acclaim and awards from industry groups and trade publications, leading to even more visibility.

Steve stays active through GovLoop, Young Government Leaders and mainly by sharing ideas in as many forums as possible.

None of this happened overnight for Steve, and it all required hard work.

We don't all need industry-wide visbility, but most of us need visibility within a defined niche. And the tactics to gain that visibility are basically the same:

1- be good at what you do and work hard at staying good;

2- find the venues where those in your niche congregate, both online and offline venues, and get involved;

3- participation in these venues involves helping with events, working in special interest groups, developing and sharing ideas, commenting on other ideas, etc;

4- always be on the lookout for ways to share with others who would be interested.

Credibility, visibility and findability are truly keys to success.


IF you need assistance in developing and implementing a plan to raise your findability, send an email to markamtower@gmail.com .