I recently spoke at the Increase Sales with Social Media conference in  San  Diego with David Carleton  (@DavidCarleton)  Denise Wakeman (@blogsquad) of the Blog Squad, Mari Smith  (@MariSmith) of Facebook fame, Paul Colligan (@colligan) - Social Media Strategist, and Warren Whitlock (@warrenwhitlock) of Twitter fame.  I'll write more about what I learned in a future post.

But the thing that sticks in my mind was that the place was "tweeting" like mad.

Now, I had been on Twitter.com for some time.  But I had no idea about the power of the platform.

For those of you new to Twitter, it is a micro-blogging platform (you have 140 characters to get your message out) which allows you to follow key people in your networks and to build a following of friends, fans, customers, and partners.

Imagine this - as each speaker was presenting, people from the audience were taking the gems and sending them out to the people in their Twitter network.  And a buzz got created out in the real world about what was happening in a conference center in San Diego.

Think about that.  People built a following on Twitter, and then fed them with valuable information that they were getting at a conference which their followers couldn't or didn't attend.  Talk about delivering value & building customer and partner intimacy.

This is something that savvy business development people have been doing for years offline - and now they can do it online - and deliver incredible value to the stakeholders in their success.

I also learned about a few cool management tools to keep up on what was happening in the Twitterverse.

1. Tweetdeck - this platform allows me to search for exact terms out in the Twitterverse and respond personally to people who have an interest or ask questions in my area of expertise.  I have been steadily building a following by doing just that.  One of my students, Anita Leafty, introduced me to it.
2. Twitter Search - Search allows you to do much the same as above, but doesn't update automatically like Tweetdeck.  Very powerful, however, to find people who are interested in areas in which you have interest.
3. Hash Marks - If you want to be able to easily aggregate information or a flow of information, us the "#" followed by a short moniker.  For example, the ISSM conference was #ISSM (go ahead, Twitter-Search it).  I've started #LinkedInTips, #BizDevTips (go ahead, check them out too)
4. Direct Messaging - While some people dislike it, DM, as it is referred to, allows you to send a special message directly to someone on Twitter, much like an email.  This helps when you have something private to say and don't have their email address.  Very Useful
5. Socialtoo.com - This service allows me to follow the people who follow me and to send them a special thank you message.  As my following grows, it can be time consuming to do all the followup.  This program automates the process.  Now I just go and change the message every few days.
6. Mr Tweet - A very cool service that tells me who I should be following given my "tweet" content and the people I follow & who they follow.  Very good for network building and visibility.

Results, you ask?

I've been booked to speak at several more conferences (I'll keep you in the loop); I had more sales come through for our LinkedIn Training Webinars from people who have followed me; Jack Canfield is now following me (wow - what an honor!); And with some generous help from Mari Smith and folks in the Twitterverse, I now have close to 300 people following me - in less than a week.

And I'm just starting to get the hang of this.

I HIGHLY recommend that you start to learn about Twitter.  It can revolutionize the way you interact with, build, and leverage your network.

Find me on Twitter at www.twitter.com/chiplambert73

Raymond Chip Lambert
Network2Networth
Your Outsourced Business Development Training Partner

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Inbox spelled backwards - it does just that.  It turns your experience of your email on it's ear.  And it's FREE

Instead of having to fish through thousands of emails in your inbox, or setting up complex rules - that sometime work, sometimes don't work - Xobni's add-on to outlook shows you all the key data related to your contact, the communication you've had with that contact, and the documents that you've exchanged between you.  

All this happens outside of Outlook itself - in Xobni's indexing process.  This means that you can preview all of these pieces of the interaction jungle  before you need to open any relevant communications.

You can easily search for people with their built in search bar and it calculate the pattern for when you receive emails from the contact.  That way you know when you are most likely to catch them at their computer.  The analytics tell you how many emails you've sent, how many you've received, and ranks the contact via the number of communications you've had.  . 

Are you interacting enough with the key people in your network?  Quite an eye opener

Another very cool function is the "Schedule time with" link.  It will check your Outlook calendar and open up an email with your availability for the next 5 business days so you can send it to your contact to set meeting.  Very Handy!

Xobni also has a built-in LinkedIn function which allows you to click right over to a contact's LinkedIn Profile.  

All in all a very handy tool

A special thanks to N2N Student Toni Allen who called me raving about it's functionality.

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

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Technorati Tags: business development,linkedin,productivity,productivity tools,sources of business

Originally published in the inaugural Edition of The Rainmaker Advisor - for attorneys

Let’s face it – you’re busy. You may even fall under the classification of “very busy”. When it comes to developing business, you are faced with all kinds of options: a website, blogging, networking, referrals from current clients. The question is often where do I start? And how do I manage the ethical considerations? Especially because I’m so busy.

My advice – start with what you’ve already got. Then leverage it.

Enter LinkedIn.com, a free online social networking site for professionals.

Unlike Facebook.com or Myspace.com, LinkedIn® focuses on a business demographic¹:

• Average Age – 41; 
• Average Years of Experience – 15;
• Average Household Income – $109,000;
• 46% of it’s users are Decision Makers;
• Executive from All Fortune 500 companies are represented inside LinkedIn®.

These are folks who use legal services.

I train my clients to view LinkedIn® as a technological backbone to place underneath their already existing network of relationships. With 21 million people using the service, you may be surprised to find that many of the people that you know professionally are already users.

Add three levels of depth (seeing who your contacts know, and who their contacts know) and a search engine to explore those resources, and you have an extremely valuable resource to leverage.

By having a systematic approach, you can use this free service to become a magnet for referrals, business opportunities, and profitable alliances.

Here are the Seven Steps for Using LinkedIn® as a Business Development Magnet:

1. Perfect your Profile

Your LinkedIn® Profile is an online hub for Business Development Objectives. A well designed profile lets your contacts, prospective clients, and prospective referral sources know who you are, what you do, and what you are looking to accomplish. Make sure that you spend plenty of time perfecting it. Fill out all of your education. Fill out your past employment and experience. People feel like they know you when you disclose those things. Because LinkedIn is a Social Media, you want to bring down the barriers that people experience to getting to know you and your firm. This step is critical.

2. Learn the system

The power of LinkedIn® is the platform. The social software allows you to do advanced searches, connect to your current websites and blogs, promote your profile to current connections and people who could be connections, answer questions of users who are looking for someone like you and your firm, etc. Understanding the capabilities of LinkedIn® will allow you to leverage them once you’ve built out your network in their system.

3. Reach out to people you already know and build your network

You’ve spent a lifetime making connections. You already belong to multiple networks: your firm, your law school, your alma mater, your professional organizations, your place of worship, the PTA. All of these people know people. They all have connections that have potential value to you. And you have connections that have potential value to them. By reaching out to your already existing contacts, you will quickly reproduce your existing networks and be ready to use the technology to explore the opportunities that already exist in your first level connections, as well as your second and third level connections. You will never know if you don’t build it.

4. Get strategic

Know exactly what you want to accomplish. Write out your Business Development Objectives clearly and concisely such that anyone who read them could tell if you reached them or not. Are they specific? Are they measurable? Once you are clear, consider that you have an enormous network of resources available to you via your LinkedIn® network. Now answer the following questions:

• · How are you positioned with the people in your network?
• · Do they really know what you and your firm offer? If not, why not?
• · How could you communicate that to them?
• · Does your firm have a newsletter? Put a link in your profile so people can subscribe.
• · Do you blog? Via your profile you can direct people to your blog so they can read more about you.
• · Who refers you on a regular basis and why?
• · Do you have enough of these people in your network?
• · Do the people you know have contacts that could be referring you?
• · Do you know the characteristics of the people who refer you?

Once you have the answers, look newly at the network you’ve built. You will see opportunities that you didn’t see before. They were always there. Now leverage them.

5. Use the system to manage relationships

The advanced features contained in the toolbars that LinkedIn® offers give you powerful tools to manage your interactions with the people in your network. Download them and learn to use them. You can keep track of birthdays and overlooked emails. You can get updates from the people in your network as their profile information changes. You can keep track of your searches. Via a scan of your regular emails, you can find new people to connect with and continue to build and cultivate your network.

6. Reach out to meet new people through your contacts

Once you’ve built out your network and cultivated deeper relationships with the people you already know, begin to browse their networks. Look to see if they know people that will help you achieve your Business Development Objectives. You can even do deep, specific searches to find experts, vendors, specific people, and specific companies. Using the built in features of LinkedIn®, reach out to those people through the people that you already know. Use some of that Social Capital that you’ve built up with people. You’ll be surprised how willing they are to help you achieve your goals.

7. Be Consistent

The key to any Business Development strategy is consistency. Schedule 10 minutes a day for the next 90 days to work inside the LinkedIn® system. Not only will you find it enjoyable discovering new sources of business, but you will also build a habit that will transfer into your day-to-day habits and translate into a profitable world of new opportunities.

Social Networking is not a new thing. Professionals have been doing it from the dawn of commerce. Social Networking Software like LinkedIn, however, provides an opportunity to take those networks you’ve built over a lifetime and put them to use.

By developing a systematic approach to developing your network, and a technological backbone to uncover the hidden connections contained in that network, you have the opportunity to set yourself apart from other firms, and produce the kinds of result that Senior Partners in the big firms produce on a regular basis.

In our next article, we’ll address privacy concerns, ethical concerns, and demonstrate how LinkedIn®’s system is built to handle this.

Meanwhile, enjoy building what will likely be one of the best Business Development tools you will ever encounter.

Raymond Chip Lambert, of Network2Networth, is a Business Development expert who works exclusively with seasoned professionals to leverage their existing relationships through time tested Business Development strategies and online Social Media strategy thereby unlocking the value of their existing network connections. He can be reached at 602-635-4541 or www.network2networth.com.

¹Linkedin.com-http://www.linkedin.com/static?key=advertising_info&trk=hb_ft_ads

One of the beauties of having a wide and diverse network is that I get some great things in my mailbox.

Gary Freed, a Partner of Valuation and Forensic Services at Clifton Gunderson, CPAs, and also colleague of mine who sat on the East Valley Board of the University of Arizona Alumni Association, sent me an email with this telling look at the financial mess.

(click for a larger picture)

Always one for proper attribution, with a little work I found the author to be Mark "Spumoni" Slavonia.

Makes you wonder where we're heading.

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

Many of you have been hearing about Online Social Networks for some time.

You may even have a LinkedIn.com, Facebook.com, or MySpace.com account.

But how do you use it?  What do you DO to get the most out of it?

Each of these networks serve a different audience and have distinctly different purposes.

And given your busy days, with a focus on results - it's important to use the right system for maximum bottom line impact.

I'd like to focus on LinkedIn - primarily because if it's demographic - 27 million and growing business professionals.

Some stats:

Growing by 1.3 million members per month
750,000+ Senior Executives
Executives from all Fortune 500 companies
46% are Business Decision Makers
Average Household Income - $109,000
Average Years of Experience – 15
Average Age: 41

                   (source: LinkedIn.com)

This is a group of people that are not only your prospects, but also have access to your prospects. (Centers Of Influence)

The key with LinkedIn is to Map your current business network onto the system and begin to look for leverage points. 

LinkedIn is designed with a search engine that allows you to target your searches, via name, industry, location, etc., and see the direct introduction/referral pathway THROUGH THE PEOPLE YOU ALREADY KNOW.

Think "Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon"

You can approach the people you already have developed relationships with to make introductions to great prospects - and decrease the resistance that those prospects could experience because you are leveraging social capital.

I understand that some of you are simply technology averse.  And you can continue to do what you've done and continue to produce the results that you produce. No harm, no foul.

But for those of you that are looking for a way to increase your productivity, shorten your sales cycle, and increase your closing rate, you may want to consider learning to utilize and integrate LinkedIn to your prospecting strategy.

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

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In a recent radio interview I did with Boomer and the Babe in the Phoenix market, we had a passing conversation about getting out there to network.

It seems that everyone knows they should be "networking".

People are telling them they should "get out there and network".

But what does that mean?  And do you really have the time to spend "networking" if you don't know what you are doing.

Isn't time one of your most precious commodities?

I got to thinking about what I could share that would make the biggest impact for readers regarding networking - what I call network development or business development.

First of all, know your markets. If you are like me, you are looking for leverage.  Go to events, or sites where your perfect client get together.  Then it's like shooting fish in a barrel.  You can take those time tested sales skills and go to work qualifying people and setting appointments.  Don't make the mistake of trying to sell in those places.  Use your time to meet prospects and schedule appointments to get people into your sales process.

Secondly, identify the vendors who serve the same markets you do.  They are potentially a great source of business for you.  But you have got to position yourself with something to offer them as well.  The law of reciprocity demands that you bring value to the table and have something attractive for them.  It could be that you make them look good to their clients.  It could be that you offer a product or service that enhances your prospective referral partner's business or value proposition.  The key here is to know what you offer and approach them with the intention to build shared value.  Set an appointment to meet and explore how you might be able to help each other grow your respective reach and influence in your market.  Be mindful that you are potentially putting your reputation on the line by referring someone - so take time to get to know these folks.

Finally, follow up and follow through with the people you meet.

Most sales folks fail in the follow up.  A friend and mentor once said to me that "The fortune is in the follow up."  Have a system and work the system.  If you don't have a good CRM (customer relationship manager) system, get one.  Your profitability depends on it.

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

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I logged into my LinkedIn account today and saw a little box in the upper header area of the site that says they have updated their User Agreement and their Privacy Policy.

Take note!

There are some things in here that we have been telling our clients for some time now - including specific things that you can and cannot do with the LinkedIn system.

In the next couple of days I will share my observations on the changes that have been made and how they may effect you and how you use the LinkedIn system.

Read the new User Agreement or Privacy Policy.

I'd love to get your feedback.  This could be pretty disruptive to the strategies some of you have been employing.  Let me know.

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

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I've just spent the entire day on a redesign of our blog and would love to hear what you think.

There are some great new features including some of the things blogs that I read on a regular basis as well as photos from recent events.

Any suggestions or mistakes that you see, please let me know.

Look for new and interesting articles to be coming in the next few weeks as I begin to roll out some new partnerships!

Have a profitable week!

Raymond Chip Lambert
Network2Networth
Your Outsourced Business Development Partner

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Lee LeFever Strikes Again!

One of my original posts to this blog was one of Lee LeFever's videos on Social Networking.

I just got an email from a friend with this new video that does a great job of explaining the power of LinkedIn.

Please pass this on to the people in your network who are asking you what this "LinkedIn thing" is all about.  You will be their hero.

And if we can help you or your organization - or even the organizations of people you know -  master the use of the system for your bottom line business results, please contact us.

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

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I just got off the phone with Stacy Burleson co-owner of Beyond Zebra.  Stacy was referred to me by Eileen Burick who did our linkedin training.

Now while I was talking to Stacey, I was looking at her LinkedIn profile and noticed that she was an ex-Disney employee - she was a member of a LinkedIn Group for those folks.

Although she said I came "highly recommended", the rapport that opened up in our conversation was amazing.  That one piece of information transformed a stranger into a friend - someone I had something in common with.

I shared with her that I still point using the signature sweeping gesture that I was taught at 16 when I worked in the park as a sweeper.

I then started sharing about my speaking engagement at the LACBA Small and Solo Law Firm Conference and that I was speaking to large groups of people about using LinkedIn for marketing and business development.

The world opened up.

You see, she is on the board for the Women's Business Enterprise Council - West.  And they look for speakers that can make a difference for their organization.

Now - I don't know if it will turn into anything, but she left our call excited that she'd just found a resource for her group.  She's going to pitch the idea of my speaking to her membership.

And that's the power of affiliation and LinkedIn!

If you've had any success stories like this, please let me know.  I'd like to interview you and possibly share your story with the folks who are following this blog.

Have a happy 4th of July.

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

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Thought you might have an interest in listening to an interview I did with David Crumby of Assist2Sell that he posted for his franchise network.

I found it with my Google Reader search for my own name (something you may want to consider as people are more and more writing online).

Here's a link to the post "LinkedIn Expert Audio Interview" on the Assist2Sell Today blog.

Or you can click here to listen to it.

I'm beginning to really use LinkedIn as a way to get the idea that a network is a powerful thing and that it takes strategy to work a network. 

I'm of the opinion that most people work networks from a tactical perspective, and I hope that this interview, which was originally designed as a conversation for LinkedIn for Realtors, sheds some light on that.

Let me know what you think.

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

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The last few weeks have been nothing short of amazing.

As I've begun to drill down and clearly identify and articulate what I do for attorneys, CPAs, and financial planners, a literal avalanche of opportunities has presented itself.

Our positioning statement is: We help established small- to medium-sized professional firms leverage their book of business by shifting their relationship to that book from one of transaction-focus to one of strategic asset development.

I will be speaking about the power of LinkedIn® to facilitate that process at the Small and Solo Law Conference in Los Angeles this week put on by the Rainmaker Institute, LegalTech, and the Los Angeles County Bar Association.  It began with a clear articulation of what I was trying to accomplish and a conversation with Stephen Fairly.  I've written for the Magazine that is being launch at the conference (and I've been asked to potentially write a series) and there are some more exciting things in the works given the relationships I am building. I will continue to update you as things roll out.

Suffice it to say - if you have an attorney in your network, invite them to subscribe to this blog.  We'll have lots of resources for them in the not too distant future.

I've also begun in earnest to address the CPA market. 

What I've found is that many small to medium firms have no marketing plan whatsoever.  They grow primarily by organic referral.  Our Business Development Intensive is perfect for this market because we work with these firms to tap into their already existing client base to determine their markets, find and work their leverage points, and design a systematic approach to firm growth. 

One firm I worked with grew by 25% in 6 months.  And this was a well established, highly regarded firm here locally (Phoenix Market). 

We are also now offering, in partnership with a marketing firm that has served over 6000 professional services companies, a comprehensive 2-day marketing audit that leaves the firm with a roadmap of exactly what additional marketing steps to take to achieve the results they are looking to accomplish.

I'm looking for suggestions to position this new offering into the market (via word-of-mouth - We'll be using some of the marketing strategies we espouse in other media) so if you have any, or know someone I should be speak to please let me know.

I also recently spoke at the Women in Insurance and Financial Services Phoenix Chapter launch on June 10th.  If you are a woman who works in financial services or insurance, I would recommend that you contact Tisha Diffie, the president, and get to their next meeting in August.

I found as I was speaking, many of the women in the room understand that the strategies that had them reach a certain level of success now leads to a plateau in production.  As I spoke about leveraging their networks and using LinkedIn® to help facilitate the process, the lightbulbs began to go off.  I expect that many of those in attendance will be going back to their book of business with a different set of eyes and I'll be looking forward to hearing from some of them as they apply what I spoke about.

Again - if you know a successful producer who has plateaued, please introduce me.  I can help them.

As always, I welcome your feedback and input.

The journey from Small Time Clever Continues.

Raymond Chip Lambert
Network2Networth
Your Outsourced Business Development Training Partner

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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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