5 Reasons To Aim For Social Depth Over Social Breadth

Written by on February 16, 2012 · 9 Comments
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We live in a social world that puts more emphasis on the amount of people you’re connected to than the depth of those connections. I must admit, I’ve fallen into the same thought process and just recently have begun to pull myself out of it. In the beginning this wasn’t the case, I began my online personal brand with the idea of connecting with only a few people, but soon opted out of traveling down the road less traveled for the well worn road of connecting with as many people as possible.

No, the word connecting in that last sentence is a misnomer, I wasn’t “connecting” with anybody really, I was collecting. Collecting for what? Collecting to impress. Not myself, not really; because I understood that the real value in connecting with people is in the “real” value of the relationship, not in the tally mark I get to make. I wanted to impress you. Yes, you.

I wanted to impress you with the number of people I had in my network, but I soon learned that you don’t care about that, not one bit. What you care about, and what I care most about as well, is the actual relationship we share. Somewhere along the way I lost that, in doing so I lost myself and I lost my way. I’m back and ready to recommit.

For those of you that are on the same well worn road that I was, let’s take a permanent detour down a lesser traveled road. One full of magic and wonder, success and win-win relationships. Below are my top 5 reasons for doing so.

#1 It IS The Road Less Traveled

Just because it’s the road less traveled you will get more notoriety. Think about it, is it easier to find somebody in a group of 5 people or 5,000 people? 5,000 of course… wait no, that’s not right, if that were the case then we would all be reaping the benefit of a super connected social graph, but since we’re not the real answer is 5, but you knew that. The best, and easiest way, to bring attention to yourself is to have meaningful relationships with the people you connect with. Remember, it’s not who you know but who knows you. How many people in your online networks can you honestly say knows you?

In her book, The New Relationship Marketing, Mari Smith says that we can break down our online connections into 5 distinct circles, they are:

  • Your intimates or inner circle, the people whom you like, know, and trust more than anybody else; your confidants.
  • Your friends, people you know and hang out with but aren’t part of the inner circle.
  • Your key contacts, people that are business related, who you actively talk to, send referrals to and get advice from.
  • Your acquaintances are people that aren’t friends but people you have conversations with here and there.
  • Lastly you have your community at large. These are the people that you are following, “friends” with, or are connected to but have never had any form of conversation.

Most people have a disproportionate amount of connections in the community at large, and that’s exactly what this post is about. The idea is to move people from your community at large into either your key contacts, friends or even intimates. In fact I would recommend reconnecting with your current connections before tramping off to collect new ones.

#2 Referrals

By creating as much depth as possible you are in a unique position of being able to create top of mind. By actually talking and conducting conversations with the people you are connected to online, you open yourself up to receiving referrals. This isn’t something you should expect but if you offer great content, good conversation and are known for taking care of your clients then you stand a great change of earning more than you fair share of referrals. After all, people prefer to do business with and refer business to, people they like, know, and trust.

#3 Job Offers

Much like earning referrals, creating depth in your social circles will go a long way to positioning yourself as a highly sought after employee. I’m not bragging but there aren’t many weeks that go by that I’m not asked if I’m interested in one position or another. It’s all about marketing yourself and if done the right way, you will become desirable.

#4 The Pursuit Of Knowledge

By connecting with the right people and creating positive, win-win relationships with them, there is no end to the amount of knowledge you can learn. There is a lot that you can learn from books and whatnot, but there is so much more that you can learn from people in the know. There are a lot of people that I can think of that have helped me get to where I am, a lot of people that you could probably think of as well, imagine if you were able to connect with more mentors? People that want to help you succeed? This will never happen if you practice breadth over depth.

#5 The Right Place At The Right Time

Have you ever wished you were in the right place at the right time more times than you were in the wrong place at the wrong time? Of course you have! Through the creation of those positive, win-win relationships I keep talking about you will see more right times than wrong times. It’s all about the people that know you, the people that like and trust you. By creating relationships and moving your community at large into business contacts and friends you go a long way to being top of mind on the people that you are building relationships with.

As an example let’s say that one of my connections landed a big contract with a big fortune 500 company that he knew he couldn’t handle by himself, but he wanted to make sure that the people he asked to join the team were top notch. Because I took the time to get to create a positive, win-win relationship with him he thinks about me and asked to join his team. It’s not farfetched at all, it happens more than you think, but you have to be in the right place at the right time.

Conclusion

It’s in the depth of your relationships that the power of your online network comes to bare. If you spend all your time clicking the friend, follow, connect, and circle buttons and none on building positive, win-win relationships with the people you’re connected to, then you won’t be able to reap the benefits that I mention above. If you are looking to get more out of your casual connections then I suggest you start looking at your social graph a little differently.

What are some other reasons you can think of to build depth over breadth? Let me know on the comment section below, talk to you soon!

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LinkedIn, 5 Ways To Turn Casual Connections Into Financial Windfall

Written by on February 15, 2012 · 2 Comments
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More than likely you’ve noticed that I’ve been writing a lot of posts on the subject of depth vs. the creation of massive networks of people you don’t know. The idea behind this is simple, it matters more that people know who you are than how many people you have in your “network.” Take a close look at how many followers you have on Twitter, how many friends you have on Facebook, and the number of connections you have on LinkedIn, where has it gotten you? Remember, the whole reason social networks are prevalent is because they allow people to connect with one another in a variety of different ways.

Remember: Your success is directly tied to the strength of your connections. Weak social connections will lead to little or no success while strong connections, with the right people, will lead you to high amounts of success.

Take a look at the strength of your current connections, how many people would you say know you? How many of them would refer business your way or help you out in one way or another? Odds are, not very many. In this post I’m going to give you 5 ways that you can turn your casual LinkedIn connections into financial windfall. Why LinkedIn? Because it’s a business network, it’s where the movers and the shakers are, if you want to learn how to connect with the movers and shakers, check out how here.

Below you will find 5 ways, plus a bonus, that you can use to connect or reconnect with your LinkedIn connections. Remember, depth is more important than breadth.

#1 Start A Conversation

Engagement (conversation) is a precursor to the building of positive, win-win relationships. In order for people to want to do business with you, to want to refer business your way they have to first like, know, and trust you; if that’s going to happen you must first engage them in conversation.

The kind of conversations that I’m referring to aren’t the kind that start with, “nice weather we’re having.” But conversations that paint you as a thought leader. Questions that set you apart from everybody else. Questions that make others stand up and take notice… of you. First, make sure that you know what is in the profile of the person you want to build a deeper relationship with, in other words don’t ask them a question that can be answered just by reading their profile, that’s actually quite irritating. Below you will find a few examples of some questions that you can ask, the first part is what I like to call a lead in, the second part is where the true conversation starters are, just mix and match a lead in with a conversation starter and go from there.

Lead In

  • Mike, we’ve been connections for a while now and I’m ashamed to say that I know next to nothing about you, totally my fault, with your permission I’d like to change that.
  • Samantha, we haven’t communicated much, even though we’re connected here on LinkedIn.
  • Paulette, it’s been a while since we had a conversation, I really enjoyed our last one, I think it’s time for another!
  • Joe, back when we first connected I really meant to reach out to you, but never got around to doing it.

Conversation Starters

  • In your last post I noticed that you brought up the idea of creating an ongoing development program for salespeople. In your opinion, how often should you have a formal sit down with your salespeople to go over their development plan and where they are?
  • Being a small business owner that uses social media to connect with your customers, which networks are you seeing as being the most beneficial?
  • I’m just started out, what advice would you give a newbie that was just starting in outside sales? Any advice on how to get past the gatekeeper?
  • I’m writing a post on social media in the auto industry and with you owning a dealership that gets it, I’d really like your input on something. Would it be okay if I sent you a questions then quotes you in my post?

The question ideas are endless, just make sure that you keep them relevant to the person you’re asking them to. Most people, if worded the right way, will have no problem answering them, especially if it’s asked in such a way that answering it will make them feel like an expert. If you can get them talking about themselves or their business then you are well on your way to creating a lasting win-win relationship.

#2 Share Their Content

If the person you’re trying to connect with has a blog, share it. If they post an update share it, do whatever you can to help them get noticed, then let them know it! For instance if you shared their post on a LinkedIn group and somebody comments on it, let the author know! Send them a link to what you posted and let them know that somebody asked a question. Then, ask if you should follow up with the question or if they should.

Don’t tell them that you are sharing their content just to tell them. What I mean is that you shouldn’t send them a message and say, “hey I shared your post on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter.” Instead come up with another reason to do so. You can even send them a message and say, “Wow, your last post really opened my eyes. Would it be okay if I reposted it on my blog, with full credit to you of course?”

You can also say something like, “I’m writing a post on a topic that you’re an expert on, would it be okay if I quote you, with a link to your site?”

What are they going to say to that one? No? Of course not, share, share, share!

Also, most people who have a twitter account will share it on their LinkedIn profile. Make it a practice that when you share their content on Twitter to add via @UserName at the end, that way they will see that you are sharing their content.

#3 Refer Business Their Way

I spoke about this a bit in my last post and is the single best way to get people to send you referrals. Go out of you way to refer as much as possible. Is your best friend buying a car, refer him to a salesperson that you are connected with. Is your best friend buying house? Refer her to a real estate agent that you are connected with on LinkedIn. Are you in the checkout lane at the local grocery store and you over  hear a conversation about needing to go to the dentist, refer one of your connections!

You’d be surprised how many times you miss an opportunity to refer somebody. Don’t know anybody that you can refer? Find somebody, search them out on linkedIn and connect them with. For instance, let’s say that your best friend is looking to buy a house but she hasn’t found the right real estate agent yet. All you need to do is go to Google, look up some reviews then find the real estate agent on LinkedIn. Connect with them and them introduce him to your friend. This is a great way to make yourself stand out and will go a long way to earning you referrals down the road yourself. What are you waiting for, go build that network!

#4 Interview Them For An Upcoming Post

Professionals are always looking for ways to get seen, earn referrals themselves and to be introduced to other people. So, offer to interview one of your connections for an upcoming post. Why?

  1. They feel good about you asking them because in reality you are saying, “you are expert and both myself and my readers can learn a lot from you!”
  2. They get an opportunity to be seen by people that they may not have an opportunity to be seen by any other way.
  3. People like to share what they know, it’s an ego boost.

There are more of course, like backlinks to their blog, direct sales and so on and so forth.

#5 Invite Them To A Mixer

This works really great if you are connected to a lot of people in your local market, then it’s just a matter of setting up a time and place for you to meet up. Maybe it can be over cocktails, at your place or over dinner. This isn’t a get to know you type thing because I don’t know yet, but will happen only after you’ve build some sort of relationship. You can invite 10 people and call it a networking event, I’ve been to a few of these, hosted by other people, and they usually go over really well. It’s a way for you to get to meet the people you’ve been messaging back and forth, face-to-face. Don’t overlook this one as being too outside the box, it’s powerful and is something that you should really think about putting together.

Bonus – Write Hand Written Notes

I’ve spoken about this before and encourage you to pick up the practice of writing hand written notes. They go a long way to helping you stand out from the crowd and will really elevate your status in the mind of the person receiving the note. Don’t substitute with email, it’s too easy and everybody does it, the whole idea of this post is to go above and beyond and to become a person that is remembered.

Conclusion

If after reading this post you are scratching your head wondering where the financial windfall is then you have missed the point all together. The idea is to create a strong connection between yourself and the movers and shakers of your community, both inside and outside of your industry. By connecting with and helping others to succeed you yourself will succeed in whatever it is that you want to achieve. Become connected, create a powerful network with powerful people, you will be surprised at what can happen.

Good luck and as always I’d love to hear from you. About your successes and failures, what ideas do you have about connecting with your LinkedIn connections in order to create financial windfall?

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LinkedIn, 5 Steps To Connecting With The Movers And Shakers

Written by on February 8, 2012 · 1 Comment
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Finding, Connecting and Building Win-Win Relationships

Networking is the cultivating of positive, give-take relationships between two or more people that are beneficial to one another. In the past you had to set aside specific time with which you could network with a group of people, think Chamber of Commerce mixers, industry get-togethers, and conferences.

With the onset of web 2.0, a plethora of social networks and the desire to become more connected, networking can now be an everyday occurrence. One of the major draw backs with using social networks to connect and build mutually beneficial, win-win relationships is the fact that it’s almost too easy. In other words people collect followers, likes, connections and friends as if they were baseball cards; what that really means is most people put very little value on those connections.

Having said that, it’s not too difficult to stand out from the crowd if you follow my suggestions in this post. The following process has been adapted using Bob Burg’s amazing book, Endless Referrals.  Much like in his book, Endless Referrals, this post will push forth the idea of being a giver. By being a giver you will be able to create an endless stream of referrals through the law of reciprocity. One caveat though, do not be a giver with the intention of just getting. Be a giver because it’s the right thing to do; even if the idea behind being a giver is to be seen as the type of person that deserves to receive referrals. In other words, be genuine.

Step 1: Finding The Right People To Connect With

While what I’ll be covering in this post can be used on other social networks, with slight modification of course, I will be talking in terms of LinkedIn. If you don’t have an account yet I highly recommend that you get one.

First, make sure that your profile is completely filled out, with no typos or grammatical errors. If you’re like me, you may need somebody to edit it for you. Once your profile is filled out completely it’s time to go searching for the right people. Also, keep in mind that you’re about to go big so it’s important that you’ve defined your personal brand.

When searching for people to connect with, look for and search out the centers of influence. These are the people that have a lot of connections, a lot of recommendations, give out a lot of recommendations, engage in groups and use LinkedIn fairly consistently.

Complimentary Businesses

When looking for people to connect with, try to find people that compliment what you do, people that would be a good referral source and work with the same clients that you work with. An example would be that if you were an automotive insurance agent you might want to connect with people that work at a car dealership, or if you’re a cake decorator, it might be a good idea to connect with wedding planners.

Using LinkedIn’s advanced search you can search by geographical area, group affiliations, job title, company, industries and even school. Once you have narrowed down the people you want to connect with make sure that you read their profile, some of their group posts and maybe even their website. With the internet you never have to go in “cold.”

Other Services

We’re going to talk more about this in step 4 but it’s also a good idea to connect with anybody that can benefit from receiving a referral themselves.

Step 2: Connecting With the Right People

First, and most importantly, it’s important to note that you’re not trying to collect a huge number of connections, but are instead looking to create mutually beneficial win-win relationships. Also keep in mind that LinkedIn doesn’t like you to connect to just anybody, so it’s important to have a reason for doing so. An idea would be to look for local groups, on LinkedIn, that you can join. Once you join the group, LinkedIn will allow you to chose which group you and the person you’re trying to connect with have in common.

Another idea would be to join the group of the person you are trying to connect with, before you attempt to connect with them. Group affiliations are usually on their profile and will usually help to establish a sort of social proof. Just make sure that you comment or start a discussion in the group beforehand.

Stay Away From The Default

The default connect message on LinkedIn is:

“I’d like to add you to my professional network on LinkedIn.”

Stay away from it. It doesn’t set you apart from everybody else and it sure won’t help to establish yourself as a person with whom the person you’re trying to connect with wants to connect to. Instead use something like this:

“Hi Mark. My name is David Johnson, we’re in the Cool People That live In Colorado Springs group together and I’d be honored to connect with you here on LinkedIn. Also, I really enjoyed your comment on connecting with your customers on Facebook, I will most definitely put that to use! Talk to you soon.”

- David

Again, the idea is to stand out from the crowd, to say something that requires thought, not just the click of the mouse. Of course this will take more work, but what’s three minutes of your time compared to the obvious benefit of connecting with the movers and shakers? Also, not everybody will accept your request to connect, that’s okay, but if you word your initial message correctly your chances skyrocket!

Once they have accepted your request, take another look at their profile and think of a few questions that you can ask them. Usually they will respond back if you worded your request correctly, in that case just reply to their message.

The questions you are going to ask, maybe just one or two, should be open ended and all about your new connection. Remember, you’re a giver and your new connections favorite topic will always be themselves. Below are a few questions you can ask:

  • How did you get your start in the widget making business?
  • What advice would you give to somebody just start out, advice that you wish you’d have known when you first started?
  • How does Widgets For Hire stand out from the competition?

For more question idea grab a copy of Endless Referrals.

Warning: Don’t just ask the questions above, give reason for asking them, say something like:

Mark, I’m a new business owner and would love some advice from somebody that has been there, somebody such as yourself, that I can no doubt learn from. What advice would you give to somebody just starting out, advice that you wish you’d have known when you first started?

Questions phrased like that will be answered, will hopefully start a conversation and will set you apart from everybody else. Remember to keep the conversation on them and their business, then ask the question that Bob Burg says will separate the pros from the amateurs:

How can I know if someone I’m speaking to is a good prospect for you?

This one question will set you apart from everybody else, I’ve used it religiously for years and have had really great success with it, it shows the person you are talking to that you trust them enough to send them your valuable referrals, they will want to reciprocate.

Now it’s time to do something so far out there, so crazy that you will forever be etched into the mind of your new best friend. I want you to send them a note card. That’s right, not an email but a note card and if your new connection is local they will more than likely get it the very next day.

Think about it, you met through a social network, which makes things very easy to communicate back and forth with, but instead you take the time to hand write a note, stamp it and place it in the mailbox. This will set you apart! Again, in Endless Referrals, Bob Burg gives this example of what to say on the note, with slight modification:

Hi Mark, thank you. It was a real pleasure chatting back and forth with you on LinkedIn. If I can ever refer business your way, I certainly will.

Step 3: Give, Give, Give

Now that you have connected, started a conversation and sent them a note, it’s time to give! If you feel comfortable enough with your connection I want you to consider leaving them a recommendation on LinkedIn. One, this is giving and two, your new connection will be influenced to do the same for you.

Now, I know that you may or may not have done business with this person or their business before; in that case leave them a character recommendation. In other words say something about how helpful they were in answering your questions and how much you learned from them.

If done correctly the odds are very much in your favor that they will write you a recommendation as well.

While you’re out and about, surfing the web you will no doubt come across an article or video that may be of interest to your connection, share it with them . Don’t do this every day of course but by sharing things with your connections that will help them in their business they will come to see you as a valuable friend and will also help to keep you top of mind.

Step 4: Be A Connector

Over time you will, while growing the number of people you’re connected to on LinkedIn, see opportunities to connect two or more of your connections. Do it. Do it as often as possible. This helps to establish yourself as a center of influence and goes back to you being a giver.

Other Services

I like the idea of being able to refer somebody in my social graph for everything, whether it’s a plumber or an electrician, a chiropractor or a mechanic. Which is why I recommend that you use what you have learned in this post with as many different industry  as possible. That way if your best friend mentions that he is looking for somebody who can paint his house, you know somebody. If you hear of a person, while standing in line at a grocery store, looking for a mechanic you know somebody.

Be a connector. Give.

Step 5: Don’t Be A Single Serving Friend

Don’t be on one day then off for the rest of forever. Relationships take time. I’m not talking about talking to every one of your connections everyday but intermittently you should pop your head in and say hi, virtually of course. Comment on their threads in LinkedIn groups, or even on their status updates.

Always remember to add to the conversation, never take away from. Give, give, give.

Conclusion

Yes, what I’ve outlined in this post will take time. But it’s well worth it. Put it this way, it’s much better to be connected with 20 people that send you referrals, than 1000 people that don’t even know you exist. Build quality connections. Ones that are mutually beneficial and win-win. Remember, success takes work, success takes time; in other words put in the time required to be successful, along with the things that need to be done and success will be yours!

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