For the past two months, the Skills and Expertise section on LinkedIn has been blowing up with “Endorsements”. Ironically though, no one really knows how to effectively use them or what exactly they mean. Are they helpful or not? Do they lead towards a valid representation of someone’s abilities or are people gaming the system? […]
3 Ways to Network When You’re Shy
Networking can be tough when you’re shy. Building new business relationships can be hard when just the idea of attending a professional event to network fills you with dread. You’re not alone – it’s common for people to spend most of their time at events with those that they already know precisely because they are […]
5 Rules from Zombie Survivors for Business Development
An undead zombie is shambling towards the lone survivor, arms outstretched, low moan coming from its chest. The plucky hero raises a machine gun in an attempt to ward of the attack and fills the zombie full of lead…but the zombie keeps coming! Because the hero didn’t shoot it in the head! And everyone who’s […]
How to Ask For Help On LinkedIn
One of the challenges with using social media for business is that it’s so new. LinkedIn has over 175 million professionals on it, but it’s not even 10 years old yet. It makes perfect sense that we’re still grappling with how to actually use the platform in our day to day business lives, because in […]
2 Simple Secrets Professional Public Speakers Use
Public speaking remains one of the biggest fears that people wrestle with, and it is only made worse by the fact that we seem to be speaking in front of groups more and more often! Office meetings, sales presentations, networking events; our schedules are filled with opportunities to share our ideas in front of an […]
Leaving a Business Voicemail the Right Way
With our headlong rush into social media and email, it seems that it’s become rarer and rarer for us to actually speak to others on the phone. This has definitely led to a decrease in phone skills, and unfortunately for many professionals it’s destroyed their ability to leave a good voicemail message. This problem is […]
3 Things Everyone Likes to Talk About
You want a useful professional network? Then you need people in it. You need more people in your network than there are now? Then you should meet new people. And that’s probably where I lost you… One of the biggest challenges in building a strong professional network is that we have to bring new people […]
5 Places You Should be Networking this Summer
I don’t know about you, but once the thermometer hits 80 degrees the last thing I want to do is put on a suit and go to a networking event. Here in the Midwest, we try to squeeze in as much fun as we can in our seemingly too short summer. But that doesn’t mean […]
3 Ways to Rock Your Second-Half Networking
Ah, July. We’re all sitting on a beach, enjoying the summer. But soon the fall will be here and with it the mad dash to accomplish our 2012 goals. Make it easier on yourself by having your network poised to help you as the weather starts to cool. Here are three ways you can […]
Good Networkers Always Have Jobs
People that are good at building and maintaining a strong professional network are rarely unemployed for long; and it’s not just because they know a lot of people who can hire them. It’s because the competencies that are necessary for successful networking are highly sought after in the job market. When you are actively networking, […]