Social Media: 3 Easy Ways to Get Into the Conversation

February 3, 2012 by Leave a Comment

Whenever I speak to someone about social media who isn’t actively using it, the main reason they give for not being involved is, “I don’t want to talk about what I had for breakfast and I don’t care what others had for breakfast either.”

OMG, we have moved so far beyond that! Taking a quick glance across the posts on my Hootsuite dashboard right now, I see tweeps sharing articles, announcing new programs, giving feedback to one another, asking questions, and sending words of encouragement.It’s a community of support, and conversations are how that support is conveyed. Which conversations you initiate or participate in are totally up to you.

In last week’s Smart Networking Shift call, guest expert Dabney Porte said conversations are happening all around, and you need to get in the game. So in other words, if you were walking past a room where you saw a group of businesspeople having lunch, you might think that all they were talking about was whether the pasta was al dente enough and you’d walk right on by. But if you actually stopped to listen to the conversation, you might hear about a brand new project they were putting together, something you could contribute to through your knowledge, expertise or connections. Or you might strike a rapport with one of the diners who could become a client or spread the word about your business.

I’m not the most chatty person in the world in real life so I don’t post random thoughts online, but I do love to share information that I find and I especially love to acknowledge and promote the good work of others. So I’ve found my groove with Twitter and other social media tools to expand my network, build meaningful relationships and yes, get new business! Here are 3 things that work for me that you can do too:

1) RELAY a resource. Share a link to a relevant resource, not your own, but someone else’s. I have my Google Reader set up to pull in feeds from about 20 blogs that I follow and it takes me 15 minutes twice a week to scan through the headlines, skim the articles that look relevant, and schedule the post through an online app like Timely that allows those tweets to go out evenly over the course of the coming week all throughout the day. Not only does this help me stay visible to my followers, but it also allows me to be seen as a resource AND to build relationships with the blog authors.

2) REPLY promptly. When someone retweets me or shares my articles, I do my best to say thank you, although sometimes Hootsuite misses some of the mentions, so I don’t catch them all, aargh!). Or when someone posts a “valid” question or comment, I do try to take the time to respond. I stress the word “valid” because sometimes my name will come up in a post that is completely irrelevant just so the person, usually a spammer, can get my attention. Yeah, mission accomplished, but not in a good way!

3) RECOGNIZE a milestone. Social media makes it super simple to congratulate someone when they share a success or celebrate an occasion like a birthday, engagement or anniversary. Don’t underestimate the impact of your acknowledgment just because it takes 2 seconds to do. We all enjoy getting positive feedback and it’s those little strands of ongoing connection that develop into strong bonds over time.

Just like buying a gym membership won’t get you into shape unless you go, social media only works if you know how to work it. If others are having success on social media don’t you think you can too? Time to get in the conversation and find out.

Do you have a social media technique that’s been working for you? Post it on my Facebook wall and let’s build a library of inspiration and resource for those still getting their feet wet. I’d love to hear your ideas!

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© 2012, Liz Lynch

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR NEWSLETTER, BLOG OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include this complete blurb with it: “Liz Lynch, author of Smart Networking: Attract a Following In Person and Online, works with professional service firms who have great expertise but fall short in generating all the business they deserve. To learn how to attract maximum clients with minimum effort, visit www.LizLynchOnline.com.”
Filed Under: Facebook Friends, Networking Aversion, Social Networking, Twitter

Take a New Perspective to Overcome Old Thinking

September 22, 2010 by Leave a Comment
Looking through photos of my cruise earlier this month to Alaska got me thinking about the need to put long-held beliefs aside. 
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For one, I never considered myself much of a cruise person. When I travel, I like to set my own itineraries and do things on my schedule. I detest being told when to eat, where to go, and whom to sit with (must be the rebel in me). But I was pleasantly surprised. 
Celebrity Cruises gives you plenty of choices to do things your way, and even though there was so much to do on board — with nature seminars, activities, ship tours and fitness classes, you can choose to do NONE of them. 
Contrary to my natural tendencies, I didn’t have to sign up for everything. It felt very liberating to be away for 7 days undisturbed to work on my own projects and read for fun (as in reading without underlining. Nothing in the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo trilogy required any highlighting whatsoever).
The photos also brought to mind how important it is to look at things through different perspectives. Take this photo of Ketchikan, for example, our first port. 

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Even though it’s Alaska’s first city and the salmon capital of the world, in my memory it was fairly dull and dreary (I’m sure mostly due to the fact that it was the only rainy day in a week of gorgeous weather). But now as I look at the streetscape I snapped with an iPhone app that makes photos look more moody and mysterious, the place seems a lot more interesting. 
I look at the photo now and wonder, “What lies up the street?” “Who’s the mysterious figure in the shadows on the corner?” and “Why does the crossing guard’s head look way too small for his body?”
The Hipstamatic app allows you to play with different lenses, film, flashes, etc. to achieve different looks. Here’s a side-by-side view of Alaska’s Inside Passage taken with the built-in iPhone camera (left) and with Hipstamatic (right).
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The left side might look more realistic, but the right side looks more inviting, fun and vibrant. What if we could have an app like that for the challenges we’re facing in our careers and businesses? What if instead of seeing dreary “reality,” and feeling drained and overburdened, we see the promise of something richer, more exciting, and more dimensional, and feel exhilarated?
That’s not to say that we should live in delusion. I can’t turn this scene into Paris no matter how many fancy lenses I put on it. BUT, I can take what’s already there and figure out how to make it better. 
If you’re weighed down with too much to do, ask: “How can I amp up the parts of my work that I love? How can I delegate, delete or delay everything else?”
If you’re not getting enough clients, ask: “How can I paint a clearer and more compelling picture of what I can offer?”
If you hate networking events, ask: “Where do I see myself meeting people who share my same interests and attitudes?”
Focusing on what’s not going right only serves to make you feel bad and rarely helps you arrive at an effective solution. So often we want to complain and explain. Instead, view your challenge through a positive lens and ask, “If this could be better, what would it look like?” Then take action, one step at a time, toward that outcome.
Filed Under: Networking Aversion, Personal Reflections, Success Principles Tagged With: , , ,

Nancy Ancowitz, author of Self-Promotion for Introverts, on Smart Networking Radio (Tuesday, 1/19 7pm ET)

January 16, 2010 by Leave a Comment


In today’s tough economy and ruthlessly competitive job market, nobody can afford to go unnoticed. Too often, introverts get passed over while their chattier — although not necessarily more gifted — colleagues get the jobs and the promotions.

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But it doesn’t have to be that way, according to business communication coach Nancy Ancowitz, author of an excellent new book called Self-Promotion for Introverts. Step-by-step she shows you how to find your voice, jump start your visibility, promote yourself without bragging, and use your introverted preferences to your advantage.
If you’ve ever worried that being an introvert has kept you from getting hired, getting promoted, or getting clients for your business, make Nancy’s book your bible for overcoming obstacles and crafting a plan to get the recognition you deserve.
As an introvert myself, I agree with Nancy that it doesn’t have to be a liability, and in fact, it can be a great asset. So I’m thrilled that on Tuesday, January 19th, she’ll be joining me on Smart Networking Radio to share sage advice to help introverts learn how to succeed with their own style.
She may even spill a few secrets she learned from HR and leadership experts such as uber investor Warren Buffett, basketball star Magic Johnson, Hearst Magazines president Cathie Black, former president Bill Clinton, and marketing guru Seth Godin.

We’ll have the chat room open and you can submit your questions or call in live via phone. See you there!

Date: Tuesday, January 19th
Time: 7pm Eastern

(the archive will be available here after the show if you can’t join us live)

Call in number: 347-215-7546


Filed Under: Career Advancement, Career Success, Marketing Yourself, Networking Aversion, Podcasts, Recommended Books Tagged With: ,

Got Adversity? Learn How to Overcome It as Liz Lynch Interviews Josh Hinds of GetMotivation.com (Live Teleseminar)

April 3, 2009 by Leave a Comment

If you’ve read Smart Networking, then you know that the first networking event I ever attended I ran out of the room after 5 minutes completely overwhelmed, and literally hyperventilating. 

While overcoming this challenge initially helped me grow my new consulting business successfully after I left corporate America, what it’s led to since then are incredible opportunities and a second business as an internationally-known speaker, author and coach on the topic of networking. Who knew?

Had I not found a way around that first big challenge, I might have crashed and burned as an independent consultant and had to go back to corporate America. More importantly, I would have never discovered this amazing path of helping others achieve their goals through networking.

“In every adversity we have the choice to remain paralyzed in non-action–neglecting to take the necessary steps that will put us on a corrective path. Or we can choose to take the more proactive approach and ask the question–’What is the opportunity that is hidden in this challenge?’” 

So says this week’s guest on the Smart Networking Teleseminar series, speaker, author and trainer Josh Hinds of GetMotivation.com. Listen in as we discuss…

* * Embracing Adversity and How Life’s Challenges Can Be Great Teachers * *

REGISTER HERE to Get Access to the Event and the mp3 Audio Recording > >

Enter your name and a valid email address, then click “Send Me the Details” to have all of the teleseminar information, and access to the mp3 audio after the call, instantly emailed to you.







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If you’re experiencing any type of setback in your career or business, register for the teleseminar and find out:
  • The myths and realities of dealing with adversity
  • How to see the hidden opportunity behind any challenge
  • Josh’s favorite tips and techniques for shaking off the mental cobwebs and getting motivated to take action

And much more! The teleseminar is FREE; register above to get access to the call-in details:

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EVENT: Liz Lynch interviews Josh Hinds of GetMotivation.com
DATE: Wednesday, April 8, 2009
TIME: 7:00 PM Eastern (6:00 PM Central, 5:00 PM Mountain, 4:00 PM Pacific)
FORMAT: Join us from the comfort of your home or office. Listen via phone or the Internet through a live webcast. No special software is required, you just need a telephone OR a computer with an Internet connection. 

COST: It’s FREE to attend the LIVE event! 
However, you must register to get the call-in number and webcast details.
** Note: the Interview will be recorded, so even if you can’t make it live, 
register anyway to get access to the mp3 recording. 
(Audio available until 30 days after the call) **

 

About Josh Hinds

Josh Hinds is a proven mentor and inspirational speaker. In addition to his well known and constantly growing network of professional development related websites such as BusinessNetworkingAdvice.com, SalesTrainingAdvice.com; BusinessLeadershipAdvice.com and GoalsSuccess.com, Josh is the founder of GetMotivation.com and the author or Why Perfect timing is a Myth: Tips for Staying Inspired and Motivated Day In and Day Out!

Josh has been a student of personal development since the age of 15 when he read his first motivational book by speaking legend Zig Ziglar.

Filed Under: Networking Aversion, Teleseminars & Training Tagged With: , , ,

Wake Up and Smell the Coffee Grinds, My Corporate Friends, It’s Time to Network

February 28, 2009 by 1 Comment

I spent twelve years employed by corporate America and the past eight years consulting to them on strategy and business development issues. Since the Dow took a nose dive last fall, many friends and some clients have lost their jobs, and those who haven’t are the working wounded, taking up the slack for their fallen comrades and waving goodbye to cost-of-living raises, annual bonuses, and 401k matches.

If you’re one of the lucky ones, working for industries and companies unaffected by the economic crisis, kudos for choosing well. But for the rest of you, listen up. The worst is not over.

I’m generally a very happy, positive person, so to write such a doom and gloom post, especially for my debut on the 1317568621_622be9c16ePersonal Branding Blog, is out of character. But, it pains me to see really talented people feel like they got the rug pulled out from under them when they should have seen it coming and had time to do something about it.

Take a look around and be aware

It’s one thing to start over when you’re 20-something, but when you’re 40- or 50-something? With car payments, kids in school and a monthly mortgage? Please don’t let this happen to you. The fact that the Bunn coffee machine in the break room is collecting dust because no new supplies have been ordered for months, is a sure signal that your employer is getting rid of the non-essentials. Might you be next on the list?

You have to take control of your own career fate. Whether you stay or go, shoring up your network and your personal brand ought to be high on your list. Clearly, networking can help if you’re planning to jump ship, and we’ll discuss that in more detail in a future post, but how can investing some time in relationship-building help you at work?

While it might be tempting to take cover in your cubicle and lay low until the bullets stop flying, getting out there and being visible is a much more productive strategy, setting the stage for success in your current job and giving you many more options for future ones.

It’s who you know and who knows you well

Here are 5 ways to be seen and heard at the office to build a positive personal brand image and strengthen your contact base at the same time:

1. Ask for more responsibility. Layoffs and slower hiring practices may have left your company with fewer hands on deck.  So, your boss might be grateful and impressed that you’re willing to take on more work.You’ll develop a reputation as a team player and a hard worker, which can only help your brand as times get tougher. Plus, you can gain some new skills and experiences, and perhaps even wrangle a higher title, both of which you can leverage for your next job if you decide to leave later.

2. Prep your elevator speech. Imagine getting into the elevator in the lobby of your office building, sipping your1443341513_3d5e360257_m extra hot venti soy latte when the president of your division slides in just as the doors close. It’s a long ride up, so she asks what you’re working on. Caught off guard, you barely manage to put two coherent sentences together, leaving a very fuzzy impression in her mind of your value to the company. Obviously what you’re working on is important or you wouldn’t be there, so be sure you can toot your own horn when the time comes, because no one else will do it for you.

3. Attend industry events. Most of the time you’ll tread a well-worn path between work and home, with little deviation, but getting out to meet others in your industry is one of the quickest ways to add to your network. And meeting new folks when you’re not looking for a job will make it easier to make connections because you can focus on the conversation and not hitting them up for leads (not that you should do that anyway). Plus, you may find out important information, or learn about a best practice that you could use on the job or relay to others at work.

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4. Grab a sandwich with co-workers. Networking doesn’t always have to be formal. The everyday experiences we have with others make up little strands that eventually produce strong bonds over time. Instead of having lunch at your desk all the time, take a day a week to walk down to the cafeteria or the deli around the corner with one or two colleagues. The only real assets you take with you when you leave a company, assuming you don’t raid the supply closet before you go, are the relationships you build. Take advantage of that opportunity.

5. Build your online network. You may have ignored those pesky invitations you’ve gotten from friends to connect on LinkedIn, or maybe you’ve accepted a few of them, but have done very little on the site otherwise. Filling out your profile and adding people you already know to your list of connections will put you in the flow of opportunity as more recruiters and hiring managers bypass job boards and go directly to their networks to find qualified candidates.2649733385_af0826ba0c_o

I know what you’re saying. That you don’t have enough time to do any of these things when you have real work to do. Well, guess what? You don’t have time not to do them. Just like they tell you on airplanes, you have to put on your own oxygen mask first before you can help anybody else. You need to secure your own future first before you are physically and psychologically free to do your best work for your employer.

Secure your own future first

Once you start building stronger relationships and feeling more a part of your professional community, you might even find more joy and satisfaction in your current position. And if at some point you do decide to leave, or your company takes a turn and you’re asked to leave, your brand and your network will be stronger then – all thanks to the efforts you’re putting into them now.

Read the original post on Personal Branding Blog

Filed Under: Career Advancement, Job Security, Networking Aversion, Personal Branding Tagged With: ,

Can Networking Impact Your Income? 81% of Elite Professionals Think So

January 14, 2009 by 8 Comments

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I am practically jumping out of my chair and doing cartwheels in my office over this timely new study from Upwardly Mobile Inc. and the Graziadio School of Business Management at Pepperdine University on the power of networking, which supports so many of the principles I wrote about in SMART NETWORKING.
The reality is that few people have networks strong enough to support them during a recession or time of crisis. And with the unemployment rate at a staggering 7.2%, there is much more competition for fewer and fewer jobs. What are you doing to ensure you come out ahead?
I’m still making my way through the whole report, but I couldn’t wait to share some of the key findings and add some perspective from the practitioner side:
Research finding: 70% of executives credit networking as the key activity that leads to career opportunities, but 75% of study respondents said they spend fewer than two hours directly managing their networks.

What this means for you: You absolutely do not have to network hard if you know how to network smart. Two hours can be plenty if you know what you’re doing and can maximize your time. I actually spend less time networking now than I did when I started, yet more opportunities–and higher quality ones–are coming to me. 

Unfortunately, few people know how to make those two hours count, so not only are they not putting in the right amount of time based on their effectiveness level, but they’re also not doing the right things during the time they do spend. A double whammy!

Research finding: Twenty-seven percent of respondents network only when there is an immediate need, such as starting a job search.

What this means for you: Networking that infrequently means you never build the skill to really make networking work when you do try to do it. You waste time, reinvent the wheel, and sometimes burn bridges unintentionally. This makes you have to work even harder the next time.

Think of the constant training that athletes go through for 50 seconds in the pool, 4 minutes on the balance beam, or 2 hours on the marathon course. They don’t just show up on the day of the event, hoping for the best. They do everything they can to prepare for it.

Research finding: Even more alarming, though not surprising, is that most people approach networking ineffectively. They focus on QUANTITY of contacts rather than the most important factor–a contact’s WILLINGNESS to recommend them.

What this means for you: At the beginning of chapter 3 of Smart Networking, I discuss why getting ahead is not about WHO you know, or WHAT you know, or even who knows YOU, but it’s about who’s willing to help you. Just because you meet someone at an event, or even worked with them at your last job, can you really count on them to go out on a limb for you? 

Are you the kind of person they want to help? Are you asking for help in the right way? These are critical skills every smart networker needs to master.

If you’d like your own copy of the report, you can access it here: Professional Networking and Its Impact on Career Advancement
While you’re at it, find out if your network measures up, by taking their free Network Readiness Evaluator.
Leave a comment below and let me know what you think about the study and findings.

Filed Under: Career Advancement, Job Search Networking, Networking Aversion Tagged With: , ,

Traumatized by Networking? Try Tetris

January 9, 2009 by 1 Comment

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Just learned that one of my favorite games from the 80s can help folks suffering from post traumatic stress disorder, and it made me think of people I’ve met or heard from who’ve said they tried networking once and had such a horrible experience they would never do it again.
I don’t mean to make light of PTSD at all. Some events are very traumatic and can stay with you for a long time. On 9/11 for example, I was actually walking into the World Trade Center when the first plane hit. More than seven years later, my heart still races whenever I think back to that moment of confusion mixed with adrenaline. And I still can’t watch documentaries or movies about that day without reliving it all over again. Maybe I should try the tetris experiment then rent Oliver Stone’s World Trade Center movie to see if it works?
The point here is that if people can recover from wartime trauma playing a simple game like tetris, then recovering from a bad networking experience should be exponentially easier. I wouldn’t be where I am in my business today if I never networked again after my first event in 2000, practically knocking people over as I rushed out of the venue after 5 minutes. But I got back out there. For someone who was a late bloomer to networking, it’s literally changed my life, and it can change yours if you can find a way to move forward, whatever it takes. So:  
  • Give yourself permission to eat a whole pint of your favorite ice cream
  • Go for a nice long run surrounded by nature
  • Spend time with your favorite people
  • Make a baby laugh
  • Play tetris
Then move on. Let me know how you do!
Filed Under: Networking Aversion Tagged With: , , , ,

Ugly Betty’s Guide to Networking

January 8, 2009 by Leave a Comment

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Networking situations don’t get too much airplay on TV, but whenever they do, I find them to be tremendously instructive. Maybe it’s the novelty, but the writers always seem to do a pretty good job of contrasting both sides of networking — the light and the dark.

In tonight’s episode of Ugly Betty, for example, Betty gets chastised by the head of her Young Editor’s Training program for missing a networking mixer because of a family obligation. She’s told to make 40 new contacts before the next class or not to come back. 
I loved the different views about networking around Mode: 

Betty: “I showed up to class completely prepared but then she called me out because I didn’t go to some silly networking thing.”

Connor: “Well, networking is one of those annoying things. But if you’re serious about your career it’s something you have to do.”

Mark: “The point of networking is to gather information to advance your career.”

Step 1 – Forge a bond: your name, where you work and one memorable fact.
Step 2 – Gathering information: To get info, you have to give info. 
Step 3 – The exit strategy: get in, get info, get out

Even if you’re not a fan of the show, there are a lot of lessons in this episode, I think the most of important of which is whatever your style, it’s important to get out there. Make networking work for you…even if you end up getting stabbed in the back, you’ll come out ahead in the end if you’ll just be yourself…unless you start ignoring your family too much then it will really come back to haunt you. 
Check out a related post about networking on TV: 
Filed Under: Career Advancement, Networking Aversion, Networking In Action Tagged With:

It’s Still Networking No Matter What You Call It

October 26, 2008 by 1 Comment
What is it with the word “networking,” 

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anyway? Alex Williams wrote in today’s Sunday Styles section of the New York Times about groups of 20-something professionals attending gatherings hosted by an organization called likemind (and no, apparently I’m not supposed to capitalize the L) to discuss business. But no one wanted to call what they were doing “networking.”
I agree that the word needs a Madison Avenue makeover. It generates such an intensely negative reaction in so many people, that they won’t even attempt it. In fact, I almost didn’t want to have it in the title of my book Smart Networking for fear of scaring off the very audience who needs it most (if you Google around a bit, you might be able to catch what the original title was).
Pollster and political consultant Frank Luntz believes that words have the power to persuade. He wrote the book Words that Work: It’s Not What You Say, It’s What People Hear, and he argued on a cable show a few weeks ago that if the $700 billion bailout plan had been called an “investment plan” instead, the American public might have accepted it more readily. Really?
A rose by any other name would smell as sweet. But networking? Would it really be more popular if it were called something else? Would more people actually jump into it with great excitement, or would they find some other excuse to stay home?
There are more shades to networking than some might think. It’s not like the color “black” where even though there are technically different shades, most of us have the same one in mind. 
Networking is more like the color “green” where there’s a pretty wide range. Some may think of grass, seafoam, or pine, while others see apple, mint, aqua, jade, or olive.  The point is, there are many different shades of networking, so if schmooze-fest isn’t your style, pick somewhere else to build and strengthen relationships–coffee one-on-one, small group meetings, alumni reunion, online community, book club, etc. 
All networking is not alike, so don’t dismiss the whole concept with such a broad brush that you never do it at all. Once you get over the semantics, the hardest part will be behind you. 
Filed Under: Networking Aversion Tagged With: