Excellent article by William Arruda reinforcing my comments in my last post about STOPPING yourself from being BORING.

To stand out on-line, whether it be your website, LinkedIn profile, or any other form of social media communication, you must be bold, outrageous, compelling, interesting, controversial, and opinionated.

Publishing or making comments on-line that are vanilla, safe, secure, similar to what everyone else says, and unwilling to take a strong stand means you literally fade into the woodwork - NO ONE listens or pays attention to you.

As a Chair, you have an unbelievable number of opportunities to challenge, take a strong stand, be a little outrageous, and push CEOs into uncomfortable zones. If you're unwilling to do the things it takes to stand out on-line, my recommendation is DON'T waste your time trying to use LinkedIn and Social Media. You'll just get frustrated that it's not generating the level of results you need for the time invested.

What's the worst thing that might happen? One potential CEO out of hundreds might email you back and tell you they thought your comments were inappropriate, obnoxious, or lacking in tact. So what? You're not trying to please every CEO with politeness and win friends.

You're trying to capture the attention of those CEOs who desperately need your help. Ignore the Haters and focus on those want to be pushed, challenged, and given a little "utz" into action.

Call me if you want to review the content you're publishing to your network and whether it could be classified as "compelling." 15 minutes and we'll determine whether you're in boring "category" OR the "interesting" category.

Are you prepared to throw everything you've learned about communicating on-line and begin to take a counterintuitive approach?

Barry Deutsch

Social Media Coach to Vistage and TEC Chairs

Are you reading our dedicated Chair blog to learn how to create an abundance of CEO referrals?

http://www.impacthiringsolutions.com/vistagechairs

Michael does a good job in this blog article summarizing the dilemma of sales teams using LinkedIn.

Basically, the LinkedIn Account belongs to the employee. All their contacts, communication, and networking is private to them. If they leave the company, so goes all those contacts and their related contact of messaging, sharing, and engagement.

However, you as CEO or Sales Executive gain great benefit when your sales reps use LinkedIn. Study after study keeps coming out to show that those reps who use social (primarily LinkedIn) have a better success track record on prospecting, engaement, lead generation, lead nurturing, and closing sales.

Are you willing to allow your sales reps to keep doing whatever they want with LinkedIn, letting some passionate reps embrace the platform and others ignore it?

Michael made the comment in his blog post:

"But you can’t build scalable, repeatable success on a handful of employees. Management requires repeatability. Repeatability requires scalability. Leaving LinkedIn participation up the individual is, almost by definition, not scalable."

Is it time to begin aggressively training, educating, mentoring, advising, coaching to get a higher adoption rate of your sales reps using LinkedIn? Can you deal with the dilemma of not having control of their accounts if they move into your top quartile of performance?

Barry Deutsch

Master Coach for Teaching Vistage/TEC Companies HOW TO drive Sales Through Social Media

Join our private blog for Vistage/TEC Members on HOW TO Leverage Social Media

http://www.linkedin.com/groups/Vistage-TEC-Member-Group-Leveraging-1875132/about

Not a Vistage or TEC Member, then be sure to visit our public blog on how to drive sales through social media, AND/OR our open discussion group on LinkedIn, Sales Through Social Media

http://www.barrydeutsch.net/sales-through-social-media

http://www.linkedin.com/groups/Sales-Through-Social-Media-3854199/about

Michael zeros right in on the catch-22 of LinkedIn.

As one of the most powerful tools for B2B social selling, you want your employees to use LinkedIn for sales, lead generation, and lead nurturing. However, they own their LinkedIn Profiles and control what goes on with each one. You can't force them to use it.

Are you finding it difficult to get your sales team to "buy in"?

Can they be shown the "win-win" of helping to drive their own sales results while boosting your company closure rate, lead generation, and lead nurturing.

Perhaps, the issue is not as much about privacy and "my data vs. your data", but rather a lack of understanding of how the tool might be used.

What's the depth of LinkedIn training, education, skill development, coaching, and mentoring you are currently providing to your sales team? Do you expect them to learn it on their own - sort of the sink or swim model of management - get with it or find yourself lagging behind?

OR is it your responsibility as their CEO or Sales Executive to provide the education that allows them a mastery of these tools.

My own research indicates that sales teams have an enormous upside to improve sales through using LinkedIn - yet few have even put their proverbial toe in the water. Should you wait until your primary competitors are dominating this too? OR should you be the niche leader and have everyone following you?

Barry Deutsch

Master Coach for Teaching Vistage/TEC Companies HOW TO drive Sales Through Social Media

Join our private blog for Vistage/TEC Members on HOW TO Leverage Social Media

http://www.linkedin.com/groups/Vistage-TEC-Member-Group-Leveraging-1875132/about

Not a Vistage or TEC Member, then be sure to visit our public blog on how to drive sales through social media, AND/OR our open discussion group on LinkedIn, Sales Through Social Media

http://www.barrydeutsch.net/sales-through-social-media

http://www.linkedin.com/groups/Sales-Through-Social-Media-3854199/about

Jeff Haden recently posted an article on the CEO.com blog about getting referrals through networking.

One point he made forced me to jump on my soapbox regarding my biggest complaint and frustration when it comes to obtaining referrals through networking. Here's the comment i posted on the CEO.com blog:

"Jeff - you hit some great points in this article. My favorite was about people who try to take before they give. I treat these folks like blood sucking parasites.

Every book and study I have ever read on effective networking and referrals makes the best practice point that you must first give to gain the trust of your potential referral source. Asking for a referral from them before you've helped them - ideally through a referral - should be considered a show stopper and recognition that you should end the relationship right there - it's not worth putting more time into it.

Pretty basic element of successful networking and referral generation - here's my key question: why do so few people practice this core element of networking and referrals?

I'll go way out on a limb here - although I have found no scientific studies or done actual research into why most folks are ineffective at networking and referral generation - I would hazard a guess that less than 5% of all service providers selling services to CEOs (lawyers, executive recruiters, benefit consultants, and strategic planners to name a few) are great at obtaining referrals to those highly valuable CEOs from fellow consultants.

Any thoughts as to why most consultants/service providers are so bad at this core element of fundamental networking and referrals?"

Are you frustrated that you're not getting more referrals from your network? Perhaps, you should first look to whether you're a giver vs. a taker when seeking to build a relationship through which a personal service provider might give a referral to one of their CEOs.

Barry Deutsch

Social Media Coach to Vistage and TEC Chairs

Are you reading our dedicated Chair blog to learn how to create an abundance of CEO referrals?

http://www.impacthiringsolutions.com/vistagechairs

Another great example of LinkedIn being used to target, prospect, engage, and convert potential customers/clients. The number of these examples appearing in business press across a wide range of trade groups and industry publications is astounding.

Have you created your test to validate how powerful using LinkedIn is for lead generation and nurturing - and raising your conversion rates for sales?

Barry Deutsch

Master Coach for Teaching Vistage/TEC Companies HOW TO drive Sales Through Social Media

Join our private blog for Vistage/TEC Members on HOW TO Leverage Social Media

http://www.linkedin.com/groups/Vistage-TEC-Member-Group-Leveraging-1875132/about

Not a Vistage or TEC Member, then be sure to visit our public blog on how to drive sales through social media, AND/OR our open discussion group on LinkedIn, Sales Through Social Media

http://www.barrydeutsch.net/sales-through-social-media

http://www.linkedin.com/groups/Sales-Through-Social-Media-3854199/about

Here's an idea that is catching on in a wide variety of training and development in companies - using gamification to shift behaviors. In this article the author talks about using gamification to get your sales team effectively using your CRM.

What if you used it to encourage your sales team to leverage their personal LinkedIn accounts for prospecting, lead generation, and lead nurturing.

There seems to be a great resistance on the part of most sales professionals to embrace leveraging social selling. They still are trapped in tribal old-school and ancient paradigm of making cold calls and pestering customers for an order.

If gamification of changing LinkedIn use behavior even had a small effect on your closure rate - would it be worth experimenting with it? What do you have to lose? A failed initiative or test? Big Deal - try a different if the first one doesn't work.

Barry Deutsch

Master Coach for Teaching Vistage/TEC Companies HOW TO drive Sales Through Social Media

Join our private blog for Vistage/TEC Members on HOW TO Leverage Social Media

http://www.linkedin.com/groups/Vistage-TEC-Member-Group-Leveraging-1875132/about

Not a Vistage or TEC Member, then be sure to visit our public blog on how to drive sales through social media, AND/OR our open discussion group on LinkedIn, Sales Through Social Media

http://www.barrydeutsch.net/sales-through-social-media

http://www.linkedin.com/groups/Sales-Through-Social-Media-3854199/about

Adam Grant resurfaces the old argument for LinkedIn of whether to connect with people whom you don't know - these are typically called weak ties or weak links.

Adam suggests that the weak ties and links can bring value to your network. You don't have to know everyone well to be connected. So many people limit the value of their network by ONLY connecting with individuals they personally know.

If all you did was connect with people who know you well, how would you ever expand your network?

I get great value by connecting with individuals in my target niche (CEOs, HR Execs, Sales Execs, and other speakers/consultants). Some of these grow to become strong ties or links, some hover on the margin or lurk in the background, and some pass along leads and opportunities - much as I try to do for them if I understand their needs.

Adam went on to describe a third group I had not considered - dormant ties - the folks we knew once but lost touch with. Some of these can bring powerful value to your network. I like Adam's idea of connecting with at last one dormant tie per month.

Final thought: I like Adam's idea of giving first - how he can help members of his network. I find when giving, most people want to reciprocate and give back. Are you a giver or a taker?

You never know where a connection might lead.

What's your startegy for connecting with weak or dormant ties?

Barry Deutsch

Social Media Coach to Vistage and TEC Chairs

Are you reading our dedicated Chair blog to learn how to create an abundance of CEO referrals?

http://www.impacthiringsolutions.com/vistagechairs

If lawyers have found LinkedIn to be an effective tool for sharing and networking at a professional level, how come bankers, benefit consultants, recruiters, strategic planners, sales consultants - are not effectively leveraging this tool?

Why are so many scared to using LinkedIn to the fullest of it's capability? Why do most view LinkedIn as an on-line resume and job networking site?

If you're a professional services firm, you're leaving an enormous amount of opportunity sitting on the table by not using LinkedIn for prospecting, lead generation, lead nurturing, thought-leadership, conversion into sales, initiating conversations, and sharing rich content that establishes you as the "go-to" service provider in your niche!

Barry Deutsch

Master Coach for Teaching how to drive Sales Through Social Media

Are you reading our Sales Through Social Media Blog?

http://www.barrydeutsch.net/sales-through-social-media

Learn how to leverage social media for sales.

Don't forget to Join us on our LinkedIn Discussion Group for Building Sales Through Social Media

http://www.linkedin.com/groups/Sales-Through-Social-Media-3854199/about

How much have you invested in coaching, outside consulting, and training to rapidly leverage LinkedIn as a sales tool. Numerous studies now report that there is a significant gap between reps leveraging social media - like LinkedIn - and those doing it the old school way.

What's holding you back?

The majority of entrepreneurial, small businesses, and emerging companies I come across are not effectively leveraging these tools. Unfortunately, many of their competitors are doing it.

How long will it take until your competitors get a strategic advantage by doing some of things mentioned in this article by Jessica Davis?

What's your written plan to exploit the social media tools and tactics available for your sales team right now?

Barry Deutsch

Master Coach for Teaching Vistage/TEC Companies HOW TO drive Sales Through Social Media

Join our private blog for Vistage/TEC Members on HOW TO Leverage Social Media

http://www.linkedin.com/groups/Vistage-TEC-Member-Group-Leveraging-1875132/about

Not a Vistage or TEC Member, then be sure to visit our public blog on how to drive sales through social media, AND/OR our open discussion group on LinkedIn, Sales Through Social Media

http://www.barrydeutsch.net/sales-through-social-media

http://www.linkedin.com/groups/Sales-Through-Social-Media-3854199/about

Study after study, example after example is proving how firms in a wide range of industries are able to leverage LinkedIn to be more effective in selling - whether you're an individual consultant, restaurant, food manufacturer or service firm (such as an accounting firm or law firm), LinkedIn can be a powerful tool.

What's holding you back?

In a recent study, it was discovered that:

"The study also found that two-thirds of the responding firms have no social media strategy for their sales organizations and that 80% believe their sales force would be more productive with a greater social media presence."

The blog article also cited another recent research effort which found:

"Aberdeen Research Group released a study on social selling in which they revealed that sales reps who have leveraged social selling in their sales process are 79% more likely to attain their quota than those who don’t use social selling in their sales process (15%). The study also cites that the industry average of reps who hit their goal is only 43%."

Even if you don't buy into the research integrity, the numbers generated, just intuitively the idea of ineffective, inefficient sales teams has got to raise the hair on the back of your neck as a sales manager or CEO.

The question is not whether you should use LinkedIn as a tool, but rather, when are you going to bring all your sales team members to a level of competency?

Barry Deutsch

Master Coach for Teaching how to drive Sales Through Social Media

Are you reading our Sales Through Social Media Blog?

http://www.barrydeutsch.net/sales-through-social-media

Learn how to leverage social media for sales.

Don't forget to Join us on our LinkedIn Discussion Group for Building Sales Through Social Media

http://www.linkedin.com/groups/Sales-Through-Social-Media-3854199/about