Archives for September 2011

Stop Kidding Yourself, You’re VERY Replaceable

This is a guest post by Marcus Sheridan.

I?m going to sound like the most conceited jerk in the world for a few sentences here?.but bear with me.

Over the past few years I?ve probably sold more swimming pools than any single person in the country. My company, which happens to be one of the country?s top fiberglass pool installers, has done quite well during this time period and I?ve been the driving force at the kitchen table, helping hundreds of families choose our services over many competitors in the process. To put it simply, I?m really, really good at the skill called selling?

And I?m also incredibly replaceable.

Inflated Values

That?s right, replaceable. I?m not nearly as valuable as many folks think I am to my company. In fact, I know there are people out there, if put in the right position and given the right tools, that can do just as well if not better than I have over these past few years.

For those of you that don?t know my history, when I?m not passionately writing about all things business, marketing, and personal development on The Sales Lion?I also happen to own a pool company, River Pools and Spas, which was started 10 years ago by me and my two great business partners.

Like any company selling luxury items in a wild economy, these past 10 years have been one peak and valley after another, but for the past few I have known that my time was soon coming to an end. Although I enjoyed talking to families and assisting them in the process of creating memories in their backyard through the pool ownership experience, I knew being a ?pool guy? wasn?t my ultimate calling.

As I talked to a few people in the industry about my desires to move on, the comments were almost always the same: ?Marcus, you?re really the face of your company, and you?re the guy that sells everything, there?s no way you could just leave.?

And although I?d like to think (as we all would) that my importance and worth to the company is as great as these some of these folks would have me believe, the reality is that they?re simply stuck in a paradigm that most businesses and business owners fall in?that employees, especially the owners, are irreplaceable.

Replace Yourself

Fact is, most business owners are too involved in the day-to-day operations of their companies anyway. As Michael Gerber famously said?They?re too busy working in their business to work on their business.

Such has been the case for me as well. I?ve been so busy selling that it has impeded my ability not only to work ?on? the business, but also reach out into the areas of my life that I?m most passionate about and feel called to do.

This is exactly why I?ve replaced myself. I now have commissioned sales persons that have taken my place, and the results thus far have been tremendous. Simply put, they?re better than I was. They?re more driven, more motivated, and take the time to care for each prospect as they should?otherwise, they don?t get paid.

In the past, with so much on my plate, I simply wasn?t able to be the best I could be, and therefore, although the sales numbers may have looked great on the outside, I knew there was room for improvement on the inside.

That?s the thing about being successful in business. We?ve got to be willing to step away. We can?t always have our arms wrapped around every facet of the company. Eventually, if we truly want the ?freedom? that entrepreneurship is supposed to bring, we?ve got to lean on others.

So that?s what I?m now doing. My business partners and I essentially ?oversee? the company but we?re no longer in backyards digging holes or sitting at kitchen tables trying to make a sale. From now on, I?ll spend about 10 hours a week working on my company?s inbound marketing and the rest of my time will be pursuing the goals of the next phase of my life.

The Fire Returns

And if I may be completely frank, I?ve never been so excited and invigorated as I am right now. My smile is unrelenting. I only wish I had learned to lean on others in the past and not allowed myself to overrate my overall importance to the success of the company.

So that?s the challenge folks. Are you replaceable? Chances are, at least in some areas, the answer is ?yes?. And if it is, get with it. It?s time you started owning your business instead of it owning you. And as you do this you will once again start to create, imagine, and dream big?instead of being caught up in the minutia of day to day.

Can it be done? Sure it can. Now the only question is?.. Will you?

Your Thoughts

Why is it so hard for business owners to replace themselves? Also, are you spending more time working ‘in’ your business or ‘on’ your business? Why?

I’m a guy that loves to converse, so please don’t hesitate to share your thoughts and comments below.

About the author:?Marcus Sheridan?is the author of The Sales Lion, offering sage advice?on business, marketing, blogging, and life success principles. You can also?connect with him on Twitter at @TheSalesLion and on?Google+.

image: OFU

Help Yourself to Help Your Clients

There’s a great scene in the movie Jerry Maguire. In it, Tom Cruise’s sports agent character has finally lost it with his one client (a football player brilliantly played by Cuba Gooding Jr.).

Frustrated by Gooding Jr.’s frosty relationship with the media, Cruise implores, “Help me to help you.” It’s a pivotal moment in the movie for both characters – and it’s one that should be used more in the PR industry.

Although it’s true of many industries, public relations is at a pivotal stage in its history.

New media sources and resources have changed the way PR is handled – and if it hasn’t made your agency change with it, then perhaps questions should be asked why.

So how can you help yourself to help your clients?

Use the Tools Effectively

We continuously hear how great social media is for PR. Yet are clients seeing why social media is so effective?

Try this experiment. The next time you have a promotional campaign, organize a pre-determined Twitter Q+A session between your client and users of that brand. Use a hashtag to keep the conversation separate and set up a Twitter username for that particular discussion.

Let your client see how he or she can immediately engage with their consumer base. They get both positive and constructive criticism in the open, and the customer feels appreciated because their brand is listening. Relationship building like that is priceless and if your client doesn’t get social media’s benefits then, they probably never will.

Encourage Greatness

I’ve met a lot of PR agency bosses (corporate and boutique) that seem to have their head up their asses when it comes to growing their agency. They seem to feel that they’re the only ones that have something of value to say, or offer. Get over yourself.

Some of the brightest voices are being unheard because of the way you think. The industry is changing and new blood is heading the rush. Instead of trying to hold that back, embrace it.

Do you have team meetings? Hand over the floor to a junior executive or intern and see what they have to say. While their ideas might not all be gold, what happens if you discover that one nugget that blows you away so much you wonder why you weren’t doing it in the first place? Greatness is in everyone – allow it to shine and it can only benefit you and your client in the long run.

Share the Accolades

There’s nothing better than seeing a carefully crafted PR campaign come to fruition and be a major success. You’re cock-a-hoop because it shows your agency knows its stuff and your client is over the moon with the resultant interest in his or her company. So why not share the success?

Suggest a fun agency/client get-together where everyone from both companies can get to know each other better away from a corporate environment. Your team feels more involved, and they should – after all, they were an integral part of the success as well, weren’t they? And your client sees you’re appreciative of their involvement in helping your campaign, therefore strengthening the relationship. It’s a win-win.

Change is all around us. Are you keeping up?

photo credit: Jose T?llez

How to Use Social Media for Your HR Needs

According to the LinkedIn press centre, 1-in-20 of all LinkedIn profiles are held by recruiters.

Additionally, Oracle’s Chief Finance Officer Jeff Epstein was headhunted for the position via his LinkedIn profile.

And with 80% of companies using LinkedIn as a recruitment tool, it’s clear to see that social media (at least from LinkedIn’s side) is a great tool for any recruiter or human resources department to find their next employee (or for employees to find their next position).

But what about the other main networks and platforms? How could you use them as part of your employee needs, current and potential?

Twitter

Because of its instant conversations and weekly chats, there are a ton of ways that Twitter could be used as a recruitment tool. Think of some of the ways you operate your HR team or recruitment agency offline:

You check resumes.
You make phone calls.
You place job ads.
You interview.
You cold-call potential clients (more from a recruitment agency point-of-view).

Now, flip these around and see how Twitter could replace them (or work alongside them).

You see how people act online and what they’re discussing (resume checking).
You have conversations with folks you’re interested in (phone calls).
You share a link to your latest offerings (job ad placement).
You talk and get a feel for people directly (interview).
You use Twitter Search to look for keywords of company hiring needs then make contact through your tweets (cold calls).

Same needs, different approach. You also have a ton of weekly chats that you can participate in – there’s a great and ever-growing resource on Google Docs if you need to find one in particular.

Facebook

A different platform with a frequently different mindset, Facebook is still a great outlet for your HR needs. And as the platform continues to evolve into a business-friendly one, it’s a platform that offers a lot from a recruiting angle.

Build a company Facebook Page and have a dedicated tab for your latest positions.
Use your page to show the culture of the company and why people would want to work there.
Set up a dedicated Facebook group purely for job-hunters. Make it a resource on best practices for interviews, career progression, etc.
Go to Facebook Search and type in “jobs” – you’ll find a huge amount of companies and people on various pages, groups, etc, sharing and looking for work. Use these existing resources to find your next superstar.
Build a Facebook widget that can be added to a user’s profile and shared with others. Update this with your latest jobs, news, careers, etc, and update interested parties as soon as your position goes live.

There are also a bunch of other ways you can use Facebook as both job hunters and employee seekers – these are just some of the immediate ones.

Website/Blog

This should be a given, but you’d be surprised how many companies don’t advertise their latest positions on the company website. Instead, they’d rather rely on external ads and agencies to do the hard work for them.

Fair enough – but wouldn’t it be better to be the source of information about your company to a job seeker as opposed to them getting third-party reviews? Again, there are a few ways you can start to use your site now.

Like your Facebook Page, have a dedicated tab or area that not only has all your latest positions, but also positions recently filled. This shows interested parties that, while they may have missed out this time, at least you’re occasionally looking for their skill sets.
Add an HR blog and have your employees tell their stories. We all love stories – it’s how we connect best. Having your people share why you’re great to work for is a huge way to humanize your business.
Offer an HR newsletter sign-up to alert folks when you have a position coming up. By giving them “first refusal”, you’re immediately building rapport because you’re looking out for those that are really interested.
Have a client services section, that shows what roles and what companies your new employees would be part of. Seeing the scope of project can help make someone’s mind up if they’re unsure of career growth and fulfillment.

Again, these are just some of the ways your site (or blog) can be adapted to be more beneficial to potential employees.

You don’t need to stop there, either. These are just the main outlets you can use.

Think of other ways to share your HR needs. It might be a YouTube channel where you give insights to the company. Or it could be a niche community or network you sponsor that’s tied into your current and future needs. And with Google+ about to set business accounts live, candidates finding you through social search could be about to step up to another level.

The main point is, you want the best. So are you making sure you’re presenting yourself as the best?

image: mhartford

Bloggers Do It With Feeling

This is a guest post by Nancy Davis.

How many times have you stumbled across a blog and felt that something is missing? They have great content. They even have a really cool photo to draw your eye in. The text is large enough to read easily. The blogger kindly responds to your comment, yet you never go back.

Why?

I hate to tell you this ? you leave me cold. I read your post with excited eyes, but you don’t make me feel a thing. Challenge me. Make me think. Make me feel something. Even if I get angry, I will come back if you make your point well. If you change my mind about an issue, I will be a fan for life.

Writing with feeling can be a really tall order ? do it right and you will have fans for life. Do it wrong and risk confusing your reader at best ? or at worst pissing them off. It looks easy to write with feeling, but looks can be deceiving.

How do you blog with feeling?

My best blog posts have been written with tears in my eyes or my blood boiling. If I want someone to see what I see, I need to tell a story. A good post should tell a story, plain and simple. Tell me why I should care. Tell me why I should feel. Give me a good story and I will be hooked. A good post really is just a story, a very short story. I try to think about what the point of my post will be and write from that perspective.

Great storytellers can make you feel anything they want ? they can make you laugh or cry, but most of all they make you relate.

Why are some posts universal? There are themes everyone relates to on one level or another. Everyone has had their heart broken at least once. Everyone feels fear, even if they hate to admit it. Those of us who are parents have had overwhelming feeling of love for our children that we know there is nothing we would not do for them.

That is how I do it. How do you blog with feeling?

About the author: Nancy Davis is a marketer from New Jersey. She’s also a mom who happens to write pretty well about life and people, and she loves to talk. You can read more from Nancy on her blog, or connect with her on Twitter at @NancyD68.

image: rjg329

The Only Marketing Tip You’ll Ever Need

Want to know the only marketing tip you’ll ever need?

People. Want. Things.

That’s it.

It can be anything – good luck charms; medicines; food; drink; news; shoe polish. Anything.

With the exception of air, everything else costs. So there’s a need to be filled.

How you fill that need is where the difference comes into play.

Some folks will go for service; some folks will go for price; some folks will go for nationality; some folks will go for the people behind the product.

That’s where your dividing factor comes into play. Your knowledge. Your smarts.

But the starting point? That’s the same for everyone.

People. Want. Things.

Ready?