Building Yourself on LinkedIn

There are 3 Primary keys to getting noticed on LinkedIn.

1.  You have to expand your profile.  You get 2000 words to describe yourself.  Most people take less than 200, or 10% of the available space that they are allotted.  LinkedIn works on text recognition, the same way that most searching does.  It scans what your profile says and what comments tied to you say and matches to what people are looking for.  Your profile is about getting found.  It is your billboard to effective connection.  You will notice in many of the more recognizable profiles that people come up with catchy titles and ways of explaining who they are what they have to offer.  You are marketing you.  So, think like a marketer and describe yourself in such a way that you will be remembered.  Take plenty of space to describe your capabilities and key skills.  Then, revisit your profile regularly to see what else you might be able to add to it.

2.  You have to participate in discussions capitalizing on the use of specific key words that lead people back to your profile.  You can move to the top 5 of your industry in less than one month when you participate regularly in discussions.  The first key to your participation is to have something worthwhile to say.  It is recommended that you begin by viewing discussions that other people have started and then finding something of value to contribute to their discussion.  Put a strong emphasis on being insightful and helpful.  With LInkedIn, try to avoid the controversial.  This is not Facebook.  This is professional connection.  You need to make at least 1 new comment per day in order to move yourself up in the rankings.  If you will find the person that begins the majority of the discussions in your industry's discussion group and comment on everything they start, you will tether your social ranking to them and move up more quickly than if you post comments on random people's discussions.

3.  You have to connect.  The more connections you have, the more connections there are that are available to you.  People tend to be pretty open to connecting with another professional as long as you are from the same country.  Don't accept invitations from people from 3rd World countries, that you have no connection with.  On the free LinkedIn account, you should focus on connecting with everyone in your electronic contact database.  If you use Google, then tie your Google login to your LinkedIn account and have LinkedIn automatically check to see who you can connect with.  Next, focus on asking for introductions from your first level contacts.  You can see who in your direct connection knows people that you would like to know.  Simply ask that person to introduce you via LinkedIn.  Once the introduction is made, it is fairly easy to expand the relationship.  Send the new person a message through LinkedIn and request a time to meet them in person and learn about their company, or their needs.  Never send messages that say you would like to meet with them to sell them something.  Always focus on how you can help them and focus on listening, not telling.

Good luck and happy connecting!

Jody N Holland

http://www.linkedin.com/in/jodynholland

jodynholland@gmail.com

Commit To Your Idea

So you have done your homework, you have clearly communicated your idea, confirmed its viability, collaborated with key players, and you are ready to make some money.

Committing to your idea is a big step.  You need to make sure that in your commitment, you are committing to more than just the idea.  You have to be willing to commit to what it takes to make the idea actually work and work the right way.  Have you asked yourself the question... "What am I willing to give up in order to achieve this?"  If you haven't, stop now and write out what you are willing to live without, or give up in order to achieve what you want from your idea.  The following are a few definitions that I received from and entrepreneur's forum on linked in when I posed the question of what it takes to succeed in business for yourself.

Tom Walz • Sheer, raw, stupiditiy. The inability to realize and accept the fact that you should quit even though the evidence is overwhelmingly in favor of quitting.

A deep suspicion of anyone offering anything intangible.

An ability to work 100 hour weeks for years with little or no pay.

A deep belief in the essential value of accounting procedures including ratios. You should have gone through Sloma's "theTurnaround Manager's Handbook" several times. You should know and use ratios most folks don't know exist.

The understanding that 99% of the people on magazine covers will be out of business in a year. 


John Cameron • Focus - not to one thing at the exclusion of all else, but to be able to go from long term thinking to current timeframe thinking. The ability to zoom in and out.


Paul Morgan • Entrepreneurship is the pursuit of opportunity without regard to resources currently controlled.


Mark Hardy • 
1. The ability to see opportunities where others can't. (Street Smarts)
2. The couarge and ability to take calculated risks.
3. The ability to change and adapt as new issues arise.
4. Passion and the ability to enthuse others.
5. Motivated, persistent, determined - goal driven.


Linda Deans • The ability to successfully market yourself and connect with people. If people don't like you or trust you, they won't buy from you.


Glenda Shawley • Totally agree with Linda but that is the sales person, one of the roles and entrepreneur needs to be. I believe that what sets the entrepreneur apart from the sales person or just any business owner is the opportunity to see opportunities and to make them happen.


Emma Warren • I'd add charisma to the list - in the form of the canny ability to get people to do things and to want to be part of the team...


Billie-Jo Johnson-Roberts • Belief in themselves, the product/service they are offering, belief that the product or service is a profitable one, and knowing when to stop and find another venture! Someone who is able to pick themselves up, brush themselves down and handle rejection well.....


Sarah Hodgkins • I think quite simply passion and belief in yourself. I am passionate about what I do and I know that is one reason people buy from me. And if you can't believe in yourself, then no one else is going to!


Francois van Rooyen • The most important in my opinion is creative resourcefulness. I have been involved with thousands of startups in my career, and that is the one quality that all the successful ones had. It boils down to accepting that things go wrong, but coming up with creative ways to solve it. Everyone in this group who have started their own business can attest to the fact that things go wrong often. And while most people would just give up, the individual who is resourceful consistently turns that to their advantage instead. I strongly believe that any business idea can be turned into a success, if the right person drives it.


Lesley Geller • I agree with all of those above, but from what I have seen from my clients who are small business owners, the ones that truly are able to be successful month after month, are the ones that began their business with a detailed system for their business. They have daily, weekly, monthly and quarterly systems in place, opening and closing procedures and have clearly defined methods on marketing, networking and following up with leads and prospects. The drive and passion alone...does not seem to be enough to create long term success. Not at least from what I have seen.


You need to make your commitment to the idea a willingness to systemize, follow a structure, take calculated risks, and pursue greats with or without someone else's support.  Once you commit, you go full force into your idea and make it happen.  A detailed business plan and a structured business model are critical components of your success as you move forward.  According to Michael Gerber in his book E-Myth, the more solid your system, the higher your likelihood of success.  Operating within that "right" framework ensures that you don't get distracted by shiny objects.  It ensures that you stay on track and stay focused on achieving the success that you could see when you first had this amazing concept.


Stay tuned for future blogs on the Five Key Business Models that you can use and which one will fit your personality.


To Your Success!




Jody N Holland
www.jodynholland.com
(806) 355-5567 office