Life moves pretty fast and if we really understood the impact that our words and actions have on other people and ultimately on ourselves, we’d probably be a little more selective with the things we say and do. Every interaction with another person is either a deposit or a withdrawal from that particular relationship. Be smart and make deposits. Negative comments and attitudes are withdrawals. There’s an old saying that goes, “You can’t afford the luxury of a negative thought.” I agree with that. That doesn’t mean that you have to become a superman of positivity and beat yourself up if you have negative thoughts. Everyone has negative thoughts. The question is: do you dwell on it, let it fester and then spread it like a virus, or do you choose to change your thoughts and focus on positive things? Take this line of thinking to Social Media. Everything you …
I Noticed That You Viewed My LinkedIn Profile
On the right-hand side of your LinkedIn homepage is a very interesting button called “Who’s Viewed Your Profile”. Depending on how a person’s LinkedIn settings are configured you can see with some limited visibility who’s been looking at your LinkedIn profile. Huge door of opportunity alert. Many people spend a lot of mental power trying to think up clever back door ways of doing things and getting people’s attention when they could just walk up to the nine-hundred-pound elephant in the middle of the room and hug it. I check this LinkedIn feature everyday and send a message to the people who’ve viewed my profile. Here’s my standard message: “Hi Bob, I noticed that you viewed my LinkedIn Profile. I’m all about paying-it-forward and adding massive value and I’d like you to make me prove it. May I help or serve you in some way? To your massive success, Kev” …
The Gray Hair Wins
Sometimes people with a little gray in their hair get nervous about the whole Social Media thing. They tell me that the younger generations are more suited to Social Media and feel that it’s a younger person’s game. Actually, a younger person may be technologically ahead of their older counterparts, but the older person is in a better position than the young punk. The younger person may know which buttons to push, which apps to load and so on, but they don’t have the life experience, business acumen or battle scars of the older person. They haven’t had the successes or been kicked in the teeth by life and business, haven’t seen markets rise and fall and have a limited view of the world and business for the simple reason that they just haven’t been around as long. Folks with some years on them know that long-term business and life …
Get Real
People often ask me, “Kev, how should I be on Social Media?” I get a kick out of that question, because it’s similar to asking me, “Kev, how should I be on the telephone?” Let’s change the word “on” to “through.” You’re not “on” the telephone anymore than you’re “on” Social Media. You communicating through the telephone and through Social Media. So my answer to their question is usually, “Be however you would be face to face.” You should be yourself because everyone else is already taken. The words “authentic” and “transparent” have almost become clichés, but they make sense. People are going to figure out who you are anyway, so you may as well be authentic and transparent. But even those words are a little too “marketing speak” for me. I like a simpler word. Like “real”. Be real. Because people will figure out whether you’re real or not …
Netiquette Is Online Etiquette
Whether online or offline, manners make a difference. I like to call internet etiquette, “netiquette”. A habit I learned a long time ago that has served me very well through the years is starting phone conversations with, “Hi John, it’s Kev. Do you have a quick minute or is this a bad time?” There are very few people who start conversations like this. It’s a huge show of respect to the person whom you’re calling. Make sure you’re doing the same thing online. Because I often have Facebook running in the background on my computer, people pop up in the chat box all the time and often just launch into conversations. And sometimes they’re people I don’t know well at all that start conversations with sales pitches. Yikes. Remember that most people are quite busy. Approach them politely and be respectful of their time. I guarantee you the outcome of …
You Only Have One Chance To Make A Good First Impression
I’m catching up on some work in a coffee shop between meetings. And a stranger just walked up to me and said, “You look older in person than you do on Facebook and the internet.” How’s that for an icebreaker? You think I’m gonna forget her? I doubt it. I smiled and replied, “Thanks. I cram a lot of living into every day.” Things that our parents and grandparents used to tell us when we were kids are still true. Things like, “You only have one chance to make a first impression.” And, “If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all.” Whether online or offline, people are people. Remember the things our elders taught us. They make sense. It’s very hard to go back and make a good first impression. All things being equal, people do business with and refer business to people they know, …
You Don’t Need SMS (Social Media Stress)
If you think that you have to stay up on every new bell and whistle on every Social Media site, you’re asking for a headache. And lack of sleep. And frustration. And stress. Most people have enough stress in their lives. They don’t need SMS (Social Media Stress). It’s the nature of technology to change quickly and without notice. I tell my audiences that when I get in the morning, one of the first questions I ask is, “What did they change on Facebook while I was sleeping?” And the audience laughs and when they stop laughing I tell them that I was serious. So relax. This technology stuff is only going to accelerate. Get used to it. Kind of like the way you get used to weather. You observe it, maybe predict it a little, but basically realize there’s not a lot you can do about it, except to buy …
NATO Chiefs Use Facebook To Announce News To World
Just in case there’s still anyone out there who thinks that Social Media is a pet rock, mood ring, or hula hoop, we now have NATO Chiefs announcing the end of armed conflicts on Facebook. Reread that. On Facebook. But this really shouldn’t be so surprising. Social Media has always been a communication channel. And if you’re gonna go fishing, go where the fish are. With over 800,000,000 people on Facebook, announcing the end of armed conflict in Libya on Facebook just makes sense. And once you process that, wrap your head around this one: 75% of the world’s population has never even been online. Yup. There’s a wave coming like we can’t even imagine. Exciting time to be alive.
What Happens In Vegas, Doesn’t Stay In Vegas
I’m staying and speaking at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas for a few days this week. I love Vegas and think everyone should get a dose of alternate reality from time to time. The saying “What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas”, may have worked 20 years ago, but it doesn’t hold water now. The world is getting smaller and what goes around, comes around. Social Media is creating a more transparent world. This isn’t a bad thing. So do good things. Add massive value at every opportunity. Pay it forward. Because information travels literally at the speed of light. By seeking to serve, you create more opportunities to serve. And that’s true regardless of whether you’re in Topeka or Las Vegas. Sooner or later we reap what we sow. So sow good. We can’t outrun our character, and what happens in Vegas, doesn’t stay in Vegas.
Organic Growth Is Natural In Social Media
We can learn a lot from nature. In nature, few things grow extremely quickly. Things have their own pace and rarely spike in terms of growth rate. As you are growing your LinkedIn Connections, Facebook Friends and Twitter Followers, remember nature. Remember that slow and steady wins the race. And then remember that Social Media isn’t a race. Be leery of the folks who tout offers to “Grow your followers by 50 bajillion in 5 minutes” and crap like that. Be very leery. How unnatural. Yes, Social Media enables us to communicate with more people and much more quickly. But remember that relationships aren’t rushed. And effective Social Media is all about relationships. I don’t know exactly what ‘organic’ means, although I heard the word used a lot in business over the last few years. It’s one of those buzz-words that’s in style right now. I’ll use the word ‘organic’ …
People Are People Wherever You Go
I travel a lot. I get to see some amazing places and visit some incredible locations. I get to eat in fine restaurants and also at McDonald’s. I stay in five-star resorts and in fleabag motels. I experience a lot of contrast on a daily basis. And no matter where I go, there’s always one thing that’s consistent. People are people wherever you go. Regardless of whether they’re wearing a Rolex or a Timex, whether they’re picking me up at the airport in a Mercedes S500, or a rusted out Yugo, whether they’ve got a bunch of letters after their name or they can barely write, people are the same wherever you go. We all want to be appreciated, have fun, be loved and feel safe. We want to be happy. We want to make a difference. We want to have an impact. Remember this as you’re spending time on …
Be An Example
The best way to teach is by example. This applies to everything including Social Media. People tend to become like the people they associate with and that explains why so many people are negative. But you don’t have to be. Just as in real life, when you’re a downer, people don’t want to hang out with you. The same applies to LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, etc. Post positive, uplifting things. This doesn’t mean that you’re some Pollyanna who denies that there’s a lot of crap out there. It means that you choose what to focus on. Be an example of someone who understands that people have enough crap in their lives and you’re not here to add to it. Be a ray of sunshine in people’s day. Regardless of the business you’re in. Because whatever business it appears that you’re in, we’re really all in the same business. The people business. …
Remember the Phone?
As you’re connecting with everyone on Social Media platforms, don’t forget that people are more than their static profile pictures and postings. Part of adding value to people is getting to know them better. As busy as we all are, we choose how to spend our time. Some folks choose to invest their time instead of spending it. We all spend time in our cars. Invest a little bit of time every day calling your Social Media-mates on the phone while you’re cruising down the road. Holy crap – did I say call them on the phone?! Yup, I did. Start the conversation with, “Hi Mary! I only have a quick minute, but I was thinking of you and wanted to call and say hi.” By starting with letting them know that you only have a tiny bit of time, they’ll know that this isn’t going to be a “War …
You’re Farther Along Than You Think You Are
A client of mine in Canada recently sent me a news article on the London rioters using Social Media as a way to organize. Most folks have figured out that SM sites enable people to organize. Mubarak knows this. Gaddafi knows this. Charlie Sheen knows this. The interesting thing to me is that police departments and governments are just starting to know this. How long did it take before police departments started using the telephone after it was invented? The fact that you’re reading this post means that you’re probably farther along in terms of communication than many age-old entities such as the Post Office, local police departments, and many other institutions that have been around forever. I bring this up because I meet a lot of people who tell me that they feel like they’re being left behind with all these advances like Social Media, etc. Don’t sweat it. …
Speak Their Language
Remember that everyone has “WIIFM” written on their forehead in invisible ink. WIIFM stand for “What’s in it for me?” I just returned from a speaking engagement for a multi-billion dollar financial services firm. They’re one of my favorite clients and I’ve been blessed to meet some amazing people there and they’ve introduced me to many other amazing people. I was speaking on using Social Media as a tool to add value to client and potential client relationships. There was a very savvy businessman there who said that he’s not active on any SM platforms and that he’s had many people try to get him on SM platforms. He and I shared a limo ride to the airport after my presentation. He very kindly said to me that no one had ever presented this content in a way that compelled him to participate, but that he was going to now. …
People Skills Beat Computer Skills…Only Every Time
Some people still tell me, “I’ll get connected to everyone and their brother on Social Media sites and the clouds will part and the money will fall out of heaven.” They don’t say it in those exact words, but their intentions are clear. They think that the number of connections, friends and followers they have is an indication of their future income. Actually, it’s only a representation of the possibility of their future income. And if I may be so bold, let’s take the income equation off the table. Because if you add enough value to your connections, friends and followers then and only then will you be in a position to derive a steady income as a result of effective networking. If connecting to a ton of people guarantees riches, shouldn’t everyone with a phone book be a millionaire? Exactly. Study people skills. Break out your “How to Win …
The “Three Foot Rule”
Many people think they have to have letters like “M.B.A” or “Ph.D” after their name in order to succeed. Now, I’m not putting down higher education, but there are some very simple things that we can do to increase our chances of success. One of them is developing a “Three Foot Rule”. This is probably the easiest and most profitable habit you’ll ever start. And by profitable, I don’t just mean financial profit, although that’s certainly there. I mean happiness profit. I mean piece of mind profit. I mean joy profit. Starting right now, whenever someone comes within three feet of you, smile at them. That’s it. Seminar over. You may have been expecting something more complicated than that. If you were, you, like me, were taught that life is complicated. We were duped. Life is easy. Taxes are complicated. Trigonometry is complicated. Dealing with a jackass boss who has …
Click The “Like” Button
Everyday I read on Facebook about people being pregnant and people having babies. And I read about wars and rumors of wars and all the other “end of days” stuff that people refer to when things like the tsunami in Japan occur. At any given moment someone is experiencing amazing pain in their life and someone else is experiencing amazing joy in their life. It’s interesting to watch the cross-section of humanity on Facebook. You get an intriguing view into people’s lives. You see happiness, pain, agony, loss, joy, bliss and every other human emotion. And as compassionate beings, we tend to relate to these Facebook Friends. When someone you care about is going through something awful or when they are celebrating one of life’s great moments, you can observe, even if only from a distance. That’s nice. What’s even nicer is that we can let the other person know …
Enjoy The Social Media New Car Smell, Then Drive Like A Pro
When you buy a new car, there’s just something about that new car smell. You just enjoy opening up the door and settling into your plush seat and breathing in that odor. After a few years, you don’t really want to take too many whiffs of your old “new” car. And at that point you’re more concerned about your car getting you from Point A to Point B and keeping the repair costs down. It’s about the driving, not the smelling. When you’re just starting to realize what you can do with Social Media, you enjoy turning on your computer, BlackBerry, iPhone, whatever, and checking into Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube and whatever other Social Media sites you participate on. It’s the equivalent of the Social Media new car smell. After you’ve learned some about Social Media, the new car smell wears off a bit. Not completely, because they’re always creating …
Our Parents Were Right
Remember the things we used to hear from our parents when we were kids, “Say please. Say thank you. If you don’t have anything nice to say don’t say anything at all. If you keep making that face it’ll get stuck like that.” Well. maybe you didn’t hear that last one in your house. Our folks were right. Common courtesy ain’t so common any more. Matter of fact, it’s often as rare as a Kardashian sister using her library card. Common courtesy makes human interaction go so much more smoothly. It’s amazing to see what happens in conversations when we actually say please, thank you and apologize when we need to. I bring this up because on Social Media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter it’s very common to see people telling you that you should “Like” their Fan Page, or retweet their tweets on Twitter. Maybe it’s just me, …