Business Development Blog

We just released our LinkedIn 301 Webinar - Business Development on LinkedIn - Using LinkedIn to Make More Money.

If you haven't done one of the webinars, I suggest you start with the 101 and work your way up - we don't cover any info in 201 that's covered in 101 and the same applies for the 301.  If you don't have the fundamentals down, the 301 won't make sense.

In a nutshell, we apply some of the foundation pieces that I train in the Business Development Intensive to the LinkedIn system and that seems to unlock the true value of the tool.

I've got clients that are applying what they learned and beginning to see some impressive results.  If you want to hear more, give me a call 602-635-4541.

I'd include the text here, but I'd rather have you click the link if you are interested.

I trust that you will have a profitable day

Raymond Chip Lambert
Network 2 Networth
Your Outsourced Business Development Training Partner

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Technorati Tags: business development,business development training,business networking,business strategy,linkedin webinar,linkedin training,Network 2 Networth,positioning

When I begin an engagement, I ask this question to all of my clients and invariably they come up with answers like: my building; my client list; my equipment; my Accounts Receivable.

I've been reminded of the real answer repeatedly over the last few weeks.

If you look from a macro perspective - YOUR NETWORK is your largest asset.

And not just in an abstract way.

It's the relationships that are right there in front of your face that make the difference.

With the shift in my business, I've begun to re-audit and build out my network.

I'm seeing my connections and relationships in a completely new light - given my new perspective.

And the conversations I've been having are helping me re-write my website, redesign my messaging, tap into new resources, and frankly, reconnect with people that it's been too long since I have talked with.

I'm clear I have some work to do to re-establish some relationships and maybe even clean up some messes I didn't realize I'd made.

But that's the beauty of it all.

Even if I have to eat crow.

I'll be revising the text and purpose of my website over the next few weeks.

Please check in and let me know what you think.  Your feedback is appreciated and welcomed!

Raymond Chip Lambert
Network 2 Networth
Your Outsourced Business Development Training Partner

 

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I spoke at a social media presentation last week.

The Arizona Republic wrote an article.

Take a look!

http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/business/articles/0515biz-sr-smallbiz0515.html

I had a great conversation with the CEO of the Scottsdale Chamber of Commerce, Rick Kidder, last week about the shift that has been going on inside my business over the last year and I asked him what he thought about the name of my company - Network 2 Networth.  What he said was a a kind of confirmation for me.  A reinforcement of what I knew on some level - but couldn't quite put into words.  He said that it struck him as "small time clever."

Now some people may think that statement is a bit straightforward - but given the history of my company and product offering, it brought something into relief for me.  I desperately need to re-brand myself and what I'm offering.

A bit of history - Along with a fantastic group of folks, including Betsy McGrew, Joel Bez, Butch Leiber, and many more, I presided over the growth of one of the largest chapters of BNI in the world - The Biltmore Power Chapter.  At one point we had over 80 members and were passing record amounts of referrals.  I learned quite a bit about network building and relationship building.

Through that association, Betsy McGrew introduced me to the Certified Networker Program, offered by the Referral Institute, and I quickly became a licensed trainer for the Program. Over the course of 3 years we trained over 300 students - at the time the largest number by far - and produced some fantastic results with people.

But a few things bothered me.

One - the material was largely a rehash of Dr Ivan Misner's written material.  A way to repackage his books.  It wasn't done in a way that people could systematically apply the material.

Two - there was a lot missing.  Being a business coach and having worked with people in the implementation of their client development strategies, the material was surface and didn't really address the subtext that people deal with as they learn new skill sets.

So, staying true to my license, I delivered the material as presented and added the missing elements.  The results were incredible.

Then in March 2007, I parted ways with the Referral Institute.

I pulled back, looked back over the previous three years and took my own coaching.  I applied the 80/20 rule and looked at the students who had the most success with what we taught.  And an amazing thing happened  - a clear profile emerged.  And a clear set of things that they consistently asked me for and asked for coaching around.  My perfect client was almost never a run-of-the-mill BNI participant.  They were often advanced in their career and had a completely different set of issues than a typical BNI type business.

So I drew up a new curriculum, brought in a fantastic collaborator, and created our Business Development Intensive.

We've had over 70 students through the program in the last 12 months and the results have been off the charts.

So now to the crux of the issue.

Shortly  after meeting with Rick, I attended the CEO Advantage program (also through the Scottsdale Chamber) and presented my dilemma to the group - I feel caught between old branding and new - and old perception of what we

delivered and the  new reality.

So over the next few months, I am going to be asking for input from the current course participants, and talking to the old course participants and sharing what is happening.

And if you are a reader of this blog - I'd love to hear from you.  What issues have you dealt with in regards to re-branding and re-messaging when you've gone through a shift in your company?

Raymond Chip Lambert
Network 2 Networth
Your Outsourced Business Development Training Partner

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I just posted this as a comment on the LinkedIn.com blog.

I'd been on a phone call with a gentleman I met 18 months ago and was reconnecting because we share a common market.  My frustration is this: After this communication, I had to go to LinkedIn to send an invite, go back to my CRM to enter the Email communication, and then set a follow up task to make sure that this opportunity didn't get dropped.  Multiple steps in disjointed systems - They don't talk.

But what if they could?  What if I could do this all in the same place?  And it was integrated?

"I am a huge fan of the site!  I love the work that you are doing to create a rich, relationship environment.

Some suggestions though:

1. Add the functionality to really manage relationships.  The Outlook toolbar is a great example of this.  I can be reminded to touch base with people if we haven't emailed in 60 days.  I can see when their birthday is and stay on top of it.  I can use my Explorer Toolbar to capture people that I want to learn more about.  But there is no comprehensive way for me to manage my relationship inside the application itself.  I already use LinkedIn as a huge part of my business development strategy.  Adding this functionality would move me out of my Outlook environment completely.
   
2. Let me bring my contact's full info into the application.  Then this becomes my platform for everything.  You guys are tight with Google - Integrate this with their Apps, Calendar, CRM and email and you've got THE KILLER BUSINESS APP.  Nothing could touch it.  I'd pay handsomely for a system that could do that because I could quintuple my efficiency.
   
3. Let us fully adopt this.  Right now it's fragmented.  It's an additional step.  I understand what your focus is - connecting people.  Let us take it to the next step to use it as the platform for managing all of it.

 

As I said,  I'm excited about what is happening within LinkedIn and am training people to use it in the small business arena.  Add this functionality and you can revolutionize the way business gets done.

My 2 cents."

I'm more than willing to continue to operate inside the current Terms of Service.  I understand what the system is for - It's a Social Medium.  So let me add it to my current business processes so I can more closely map the reality of my everyday business experience.  That's the point isn't it?

 

Raymond Chip Lambert
Network 2 Networth
Outsourced Business Development

 

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In the last several weeks I've had the privilege to speak to some pretty intelligent people who have had various levels of success in their businesses.  And as someone who puts on live events (see our LinkedIn® Live! Event in Phoenix) I find it intensely interesting that people still don't get that it's not just about who you meet.

That got me thinking about how to effectively communicate what I know about networks, the nature of networks, and the impact that has on business development and referrability.

The first thing that came to mind were those annoying Verizon®  commercials with the technician in the horned rimmed glasses.  He was on the phone with one person - ostensibly testing the quality of the network - and behind him were the thousands of people that were BEHIND the network.  The power of that message is that it's not just about the one-on-one of the phone call - but the network that's behind it. (BTW - read about how effective that branding campaign was) Can you hear me now?

The second thing that happened was a phone call I had with a gentleman from Oklahoma City, Kirk Shelley.  Kirk is interested in what happened with the Ron Paul phenomenon.  Grass roots organizing.  Millions of dollars donated to an "unknown".  A message that got out regardless of how the corporate media covered the story.  Blogs.  Social Media.  This is the true nature of a network. Can you hear me now?

Then there's the Internet. A network of networks.  Think about how that has impacted your life.  How you collect and manage information.  What can you do today in 10 minutes that even 10 years ago was next to impossible? Google? E-mail? LinkedIn® Can you hear me now?

In my humble opinion, placing a "networked" technological backbone (known as social media software) behind humanity's aspirations will revolutionize humanity the way the Internet revolutionized (and continues to revolutionize) information.

Go back and read the "Cluetrain Manifesto".

See how much it has influenced the online world over the last 10 years.  See how much markets (which are networks) have begun to create technologies to be heard. (Blogs - You Tube - Social Bookmarks, etc.) Can you hear me now?

And finally, there was a poll in the Phoenix Business Journal about "21st Century Networking" and some of the responses highlight the current state of thinking - at least by respondents - around networking, social networking sites, and social media.  People still don't fully understand the implications.

Online social networking, is not necessarily about the one-on-one connections.  It's about getting access to what's really in the NETWORK.  Graduates of my Business Development Training know this. Of course real world networks are important - that's what social media is about.  It's about connecting with people you know in real life.  It's about sharing resources, knowledge, connections, etc.  It's about discovering new tools that will make your life easier, more enjoyable, productive, or profitable and sharing those with the folks in your network.  And with tools like LinkedIn®, MySpace®, Facebook®, etc. you can begin to meet your markets where THEY are - know what THEY think.  Know what is important to THEM.

When you understand this - you can begin to speak what my friend Jon Ward refers to as their 'Tribal Conversation'.  And when you do that, you are no longer an outsider looking in.  You are someone who is one of them - who has solutions to their problems.  Who speaks their language.  Who knows their friends.

And that, my friends, is the opportunity of a Network.

Can you hear me now?

 

Raymond Chip Lambert
Network2Networth
It's Much More Than a Book of Business!™

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Technorati Tags: branding,business development,Jon Ward,Kirk Shelley,LinkedIn,LinkedIn Live,network development,networking,networks,referrals,Ron Paul

 

Social networking is not new for business owners and entrepreneurs. Many of you belong to Professional Associations, Chambers of Commerce, Leads Groups, etc. For some of you, it may be your single largest source of business. Some of you have given up on social networking as a business generation strategy because it was a “waste of time”. Regardless of your opinion, when done well Social Networking can be an enormous source of leads, deals, and connections to resources.

Well, you’d have to be in a cave not to have noticed that the process has gone online – and that has some pretty staggering implications for business generation and lead generation.

Social Media describes a wide range of on-line applications which provide a technological backbone where you can manage and create relationships with current and potential customers, suppliers, vendors, team members, channel partners and experts.

In future articles, I will be exploring how Social Media can impact your bottom line by taking the documents, articles, photos, conversations, problem solving, and issue management that you deal with on a daily basis and involving the people in your networks in such a way that they come to know and engage you and your business deeply and profoundly.

Increasingly, the current and potential stakeholders in your business are going online to find out about you and your services. If you are not managing the process of strategically placing information about you and your business online, your current and potential customers will be migrating to your competition.

Where do you start? I recommend www.LinkedIn.com. It is one of the largest B2B centric Social Business Networks online. By completing the profile well, you will become instantly findable on the Internet.

In my next post, we will discuss the impact Search Engines have on driving business to you and examine why Social Media – worked into your already existing business networks – can make or break you as your stakeholders move online.

Raymond Chip Lambert
Network 2 Networth
Deep Business Development

 

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