Key trends

1. How not if
2. TV on everything and social on everything
3. Location based marketing will continue to grow
4. Social cultures will evolve out of social use
5. Social CRM will move mainstream
6. India is rising
7. A return to engagement
8. Rewards versus contests
9. Filters will dampen the noise
10. Social networks will become more fluid and mobile
11. Corporate social intranets

Potential pitfalls

1. App overload
2. Lack of conversation management
3. No policy, training or identity management
4. Lack of true internal social culture
5. Domestic focus and culture
6. Competitors get better at local, mobile and intimacy
7. No follow-up after the contests (see engagement)
8. Hard push back for no engagement

Hiring a social media manager, social media coordinator, chief tweeter or whatever you might call it is a challenging endeavor. There are many brands which have experienced great success and many who have also shot the foot off of their brand on the internet. Social media is not a department or a cubicle, it represents the most powerful word of mouth (or word of mouse) channels that have ever existed. Too many organizations aren’t strategic about who they hire internally or how they intend on implementing social media and integrating it into their business processes. Today’s podcast covers four major areas you need to look at (there are many more) before hiring.

The panel I sat on was on “Technology Implementation over the last 20 years in our schools. The panelists were: Michael Goldberg, Economist, Marty Keast, President of the School Division for Pearson Education, Linda Fabi, Director of Education for the Waterloo District School Board and the panel was kicked off by a very engaging and insightful talk by Thomas Greaves.

Thomas who is the co-author of “America’s Digital Schools” spearheaded an in-depth research project called Project Red, of which he shared key findings with us. They did an in-depth study of 997 schools (K-12) in the USA and looked at 136 different variables in regards to technology and it’s impact on student engagement, drop rates and even the positive economic impacts and savings associated with schools that are digital.

The schools that had some or all of the above 9 factors implemented effectively outperformed comparable schools that had not embraced technology. Very few schools (I believe only 1 if my notes are correct) apply all 9 strategically and comprehensively.

The one thing that really stood out for me is that fact that students that were allowed to regularly use search and social media in the classroom outperformed those that didn’t. One big question from the audience of over 100 school superintendents, directors and technology partners is: “Where a how do we start with social media?”

My thoughts would be to do the following: (which is expanded upon in this podcast):

#1) Start with a social media policy for district staff from senior executives to principles and teachers. Then expand that to a policy for students, volunteers, parents and any other stakeholders.

#2) Have a series on initial buy-in sessions for staff at all level to help see the scope of social media and it’s impact and relevance in education. This is vital as so many people have varied knowledge and assumptions about social communications. The biggest barrier to implementation is often misinformation and/or politics.

#3) Put together a step by step strategy to implement social media at the school board level. (If leadership isn’t using it how can they tell principals and teachers to do it?

#4) Collaboratively work with Principals and Teachers to build an implementation plan at the school level. (Start with a few pilot schools)

#5) Each plan should involve training in both policy, the rules of engagement, online learning best practices, and in the key tools used by today’s digital citizens (including but not limited to Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube and social search/monitoring) Some of this training can be done by student leaders.

#6) Develop curriculum to help get students social media literate. This educational component must address online etiquette, safety, and the value of collaboration and positive social communications.

#7) Reward collaborators and contributors at all levels.

There is a lot more to this process but the key opportunity and core ingredient for success in using social media for learning is the bi-directional communications and collaborations. It’s no longer about talking at kids in the classroom, it’s about engaging them in two-way dialogue and creating an environment where a network of students (and their teachers) can learn together through networked intelligence.

One statement that was made over and over was that collectively the computing power of smartphones that people bring to school far out-powers what is in the average school computer inventory/labs. The educational environment of the very near future is highly networked, always on, and very mobile. Those organizations that apply all 9 Factors indicated above can prosper in this new environment.

I decided instead of just replying in the comments section that I would take the time to respond in the form of a podcast. Why? It’s so vital to understand the role of psychology and community in Guerrilla Marketing.

I also think it’s important to establish that Guerrilla Marketing is well defined, and it’s body of wisdom and definition that is widely accepted and used by over 20 million readers of the Guerrilla Marketing Series of books. Some people will take pieces of the body of wisdom and use them to suit their outlook on marketing but the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. In addition to this just because you slap the term guerrilla on a book, blog post or marketing campaign it doesn’t make it guerrilla.

Here are the facts:

1. The term “guerrilla marketing” was coined by Jay Conrad Levinson and popularized by his best selling book that was released in 1983. Guerrilla Marketing uses unconventional means to achieve conventional goals,  it relies on time, energy and imagination rather than a big marketing budget. (We added community on-top of time, energy and imagination for Guerrilla Social Media Marketing because of the vital role it plays in social media marketing).
2. Since then over 20,000,000 (that’s twenty million) books have been sold and read in Jay Levinson’s Guerrilla Marketing series of books making it the #1 best selling series of marketing books in history. Jay’s definition is the original and most widely accepted definition and grows by 1million readers and fans per year.
3. Guerrilla’s apply and use the 19 Guerrilla Marketing Secrets (Principles).

Instead of paraphrasing why true guerrillas must understand and depend on psychology, I have posted in Jay’s own (timeless) words the importance:

Guerrilla marketing does not rely on guesswork because wrong guesses are so darned expensive. Instead, it relies upon psychology as much as possible. Psychology used to be a body of theories. Today, many of those theories have been debunked while others have been transformed into laws, actual laws of human behavior. Guerrillas lean on these laws because they want certainty to be a hallmark of their marketing.

There are 15 things that all guerrillas know about psychology as marketing is slowly transforming from guesswork into science:

1. Purchase decisisons are made in the unconscious mind. People may say the words consciously, but they process the data in their unconscious.
2. We now know how to access the unconscious mind. The way to do it is with repetition. Put these two thoughts together — purchase decisions are made in the unconscious, and you can access the unconscious with repetition, and you begin to understand the entire process of marketing.
3. People are either left-brained or right-brained. Left-brained people respond to sequential, logical reasons and love marketing that gives ten reasons to buy. Right-brained people respond to emotional, aesthetic appeals and love marketing that looks stunning and tugs at heartstrings. Guerrillas are sure to hit both left and right-brained people.
4. Businesses that succeed are those that form two bonds with all customers: the human bond and the business bond. The stronger the human bond, the stronger the business bond. Connect up as two human beings before you connect up as buyer and seller.
5. All marketing has two messages — the stated message and the metamessage. The stated message is what you say. The metamessage, often stronger than the stated message, is what your marketing looks like, feels like, where it appears, what size it is, and how professional it appears.
6. If you’re interested in increasing your share of market, the way to do it is to first increase your share of mind. If you go only for the share of market, don’t expect much customer loyalty — or even many customers.
7. There are two schools of marketing hard at work in America these days — Freudian marketing, which is based on Sigmund Freud’s work and aims for a change of attitude — and Skinnerian marketing, based on B.F. Skinner’s proof of the power of behavior modification. Which does a guerrilla choose? Both. Guerrillas constantly implant attitudes while peppering their prospects with special offers that require instant action.
8. During a recession, the tactics that generate sales are: leaning on current customers, enlarging the size of each transaction, offering a guarantee, and showing that high prices are an assurance against making a purchase mistake — something nobody wants to do during a recession.
9. Realize that people hate taking the hard step of buying something, so guerrillas use soft steps to make the hard step a little easier. Soft steps include things like free consultations, free seminars, brochures, videos, demonstrations, and free samples.
10. Full color marketing materials increase retention by 57% and increase inclination to buy by 41%. And the cost of full-color drops dramatically if you tell the printer you have the patience to wait for a gang run.
11. Use as much non-verbal communication as you can. There are only about 250,000 commonly-used words in the English language, but there are 600,000 non-verbal gestures. They are more potent than the spoken words.
12. You can gain guerrilla marketing power if you blend customer insight with product insight. The more your insight, the better your marketing.
13. The way guerrillas view their marketing is as an opportunity to help their customers succeed. If you do the same, your profits will show it.
14. A key to successful marketing is making each of your customers feel a special way. The way they should feel is unique. Not easy, but necessary.
15. It is essential that you constantly feel a sense of dissatisfaction with your marketing and try to improve it without changing your identity. This personality trait will fare you well in the marketing wars.

So I have a challenge when someone (for their own self-interest) tries to redefine Guerrilla Marketing. Add to it? Great! Innovate? Great! But don’t negate, shrink, or dilute it. Back off. It is a timeless body of wisdom that has grown to be mainstream but it is more relevant than today than it was 20 years ago. It works, it’s simple, and it’s time tested.

Guerrilla Marketing is a body of wisdom and movement. It’s bigger and more important than campaigns, tricks, or tactics. To learn more about the book that started the movement (and continues to grow daily and globally). You can visit http://gmarketing.com.

Have a listen to the podcast and tell me what you think!

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We talked about how you can take one blog post and repurpose it in at least seven different ways.  Patrick shared with us a few simple tips, that can build a MASSIVE online identity while working less than most of our competitors competitors.

We also covered some important social media how-to’s:

1. Five places to get great content ideas.
2. Seven ways to repurpose your content online.
3. The reality behind blogs, content and getting found online.
4. The three-part “winning formula” for social media success.

For more information on Patrick’s book and a free gift visit http://www.80shortcuts.com/gifts

Here are the slides to go with the presentation:

Shane Gibson (@ShaneGibson) is a sales and social media speaker who has addressed over 100,000 people on stages on three continents over the past 15 years. He is also co-author of Guerrilla Social Media Marketing and Sociable! How Social Media is Turning Sales and Marketing Upside-down. When he’s not speaking or Tweeting he is in the social media trenches working with his clients as Chief Social Officer for Socialized! Ltd. a social media agency and training organization.

The question of course is what makes someone influential? Should we look at the Klout score of the people they interact with? Possibly the number of important bloggers that write about them? Or is it simply how viral or broad their message gets shared? As a guerrilla social media marketer I measure success in profit and net-action or results. For this podcast I want to focus on a section right out of our Social Media Rules of Engagement training module. Here is the basis for what we consider influential:

John C. Maxwell said it best when he said “Leadership is Influence.”

He didn’t say leadership is a good idea, a vision or a title. He said influence. Influence can be defined for our purposes as causing someone to take action (internally as and personal growth or externally as in doing something). So we can imply the following:

Influence = Action

Following are some examples of action:

• Message gets passed on
• Get linked to
• Changing or molding views
• Registering and attending events
• Solving problems
• Getting feedback
• Listening and creating brand and relationships
• Generating dialogue
• Getting press
• Capturing an e-mail address or contact info

There are many more. The important factor here is to go beyond the Klout score mentality and realize that people are not an algorithm. I check my Klout on a regular basis, but it’s value of the actions we create determine if we are truly influential. So to summarize this:

Leadership = Influence = High Value Action

If you don’t want it on the internet – DON’T DO IT – and if you do it and it ends up on the internet it’s not the crowd’s fault or the the social media communities fault — the responsibility is yours. This goes for executives, public figures and teenagers at a riot. We are humble today or we will be humbled tomorrow.

What are your thoughts?

“When mission is clear abundance will appear.”

This is a vital statement and principle. I discuss it in greater depth in my podcast today.

If you want to start reading thebook on your iPad in the next 5 minutes you can always pick up a copy at the iTunes store.

Buy the Book

1. Social Media Fact: @Banff_Squirrel has more Twitter followers than most marketing experts.
2. Social Media Tip: Content is not King [or Queen ] Connection rapport and trust are today’s currencies.
3. Social Media Tip: build the community, contribute to others success, be authentic and people will line up to help you as well.
4. Social Media Tip: treat likes, followers, and connections on any network like gold. Those are votes of trust and confidence.
5. Social Media Tip: Contrast keeps the conversation fresh. Vary your update and blog formats. Use multiple media to engage.
6. Any social media activity that involves deception, trademark or copyright infringement isn’t guerrilla marketing. It’s lazy marketing.
7. Social Media Tip: it’s not old versus new media — it’s about integrating the right media for the right market.
8. Social Media Tip: In the “Thank-you Economy” don’t outsource or automate your thank-you’s.
9. Social Media Tip: People will read your Tweets and blog posts in the context of their goals and needs. See through their eyes.
10. Social Media Tip: Social media marketing is not a fad. BUT social media consultants now need deeper business knowledge.
11. Social Media Tip: Blogging is not dead, but recycling content and cut-and-paste mentalities are getting old.
12. Social Media Tip: social media strategy needs to be in-line with your business culture and integrated with your business processes.
13. Social Media Tip: Having a Twitter account is like having a telephone. It’s just a tool. How are you going to use it to win?
14. Social Media Tip: Being an early adopter is not enough. You need to evolve with your market and the tools to stay relevant.
15. Social Media Tip: Your rules of engagement will be in context with your goals and your target market’s culture/etiquette.
16. Social Media Tip: Activity doesn’t equal profitability. Activity that builds relationships = mindshare = walletshare. Build relationships.
17. Want to increase the number of people that follow you back on Twitter? Try taking an interest in them. Marketing is a conversation.
18. Social Media Tip: All of the engagement and trust you have built evaporates when your community finds out you outsource your conversations.
19. Social Media Tip: You can go it alone, brave the storms and reach great heights by yourself. BUT half the joy is in bringing people with you
20. Social Media Tip: hiring the wrong social media help can be worse than not doing it. Be prepared. Assess them & where you are starting from
21. Leadership Tip: You don’t need to make someone else irrelevant to raise your profile. In fact you’re usually only hurting your brand.
22. Remember it’s not a about blogging, Twitter, Facebook or the next great thing. It’s how you use it. Wisdom comes from mistakes. Experiment.
23. Social Media Tip: You are never too popular to be humble. In fact no matter who you are eventually the web will humble you
24. Being on a path of integrity isn’t a one time choice. It’s a lifetime of commitment and daily decisions.
25. Social Media Tip: Use hootsuite to flag DM’s from other people in Twitter for future follow-up. They can often get buried.
26. Social Media Tip: Subscribe to your twitter searches as RSS feeds in your feed reader so that you only have to do the search once…ever.
27. Social Media Trend: Community building skills are becoming more important than pitching or selling.
28. Good things come to those wait — but they’re usually the things left behind by those who hustle. Giddy up!
29. Social media monitoring is vital. The opportunity is in engaging at the right time with the right person on the right topic.
30. Leadership Tip: You can never lose by investing in good people. Err on the side of generosity. It will pay in efficiency and loyalty.
31. Social Media Tip: Educate and equip all staff to be social… it provides less headache and greater ROI than policing them.
32. Social Media Tip: The longer you try to contain social media use to one department the further behind you will be from the marketplace.
33. Good publicity is about doing the right thing and getting the word out. Integrity is about doing the right thing when no one is looking.
34. Social Media Tip: If you are more aware of the community gossip than you are of the community needs then you’re going the wrong direction.
35. Social Media Tip: Stop seeking recognition from the cool kids… instead strive to be significant to the/your community
36. Social Media Tip: The more open we are with other people the more willing they are to share with us.

Shane Gibson (@ShaneGibson) is a sales and social media speaker who has addressed over 100,000 people on stages on three continents over the past 15 years.  He is also co-author of Guerrilla Social Media Marketing and Sociable! How Social Media is Turning Sales and Marketing Upside-down.  When he’s not speaking or Tweeting he is in the social media trenches working with his clients as Chief Social Officer for Socialized! Ltd. a social media agency and training organization.

Shane Gibson (@ShaneGibson) is a sales and social media speaker who has addressed over 100,000 people on stages on three continents over the past 15 years.  He is also co-author of Guerrilla Social Media Marketing and Sociable! How Social Media is Turning Sales and Marketing Upside-down.  When he’s not speaking or Tweeting he is in the social media trenches working with his clients as Chief Social Officer for Socialized! Ltd. a social media agency and training organization.

Today’s podcast was inspired by a couple of conversations I have had recently. The recurring issue is people and organizations revamping their websites (some spending thousands and thousands of dollars) and not having a social media strategy before doing so. Many sites are built by well meaning developers or agencies that haven’t considered what a truly social site and blog are.

I personally think organizations should have a plan, strategy and spec their sites to be social and easily adaptable to new social media tools and trends (and not cost huge amounts of money in the process). Have a listen to my podcast and let me know your thoughts on this.

Shane Gibson (@ShaneGibson) is a sales and social media speaker who has addressed over 100,000 people on stages on three continents over the past 15 years.  He is also co-author of Guerrilla Social Media Marketing and Sociable! How Social Media is Turning Sales and Marketing Upside-down.  When he’s not speaking or Tweeting he is in the social media trenches working with his clients as Chief Social Officer for Socialized! Ltd. a social media agency and training organization.

Here’s an excerpt from her bio:

Jessica Northey, SocialMediologist
(Social=Friendly, Media=Form of Communication, Ology=Study Of)

Tucson Native Jessica Northey is taking over Country Music and Radio one Tweet at a time. Specializing in, using Social Media when you ARE the brand, breaking new artists and strategic use of Social Media for Broadcasting; her optimization techniques are being implemented at top stations across the nation, and her writings/methods instructional material for various programs from Real Estate to the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism.

She is a Social Media, Broadcasting, Country and Music Blogger/Writer, Nationally Recognized Speaker, On-Air Personality, Daily Columnist for AllAccess.com, the web’s largest radio and music industry community, who owns Social Media boutique firm Finger Candy Media, LLC.

Having a personal network of over 140,000 followers and a second order influence of over 4 million she is consistently ranked in the top 100 most influential people on Twitter (in the world) according to TwitterGrader.com and in the October Issue of Fast Company Magazine was shown as one of the most influential people on Social Media ranking at 109.

This is day 3 of my 30 day podcasting challenge. I will be posting a new podcast everyday for the next 30 days. If you would like to contribute as a guest on the show e-mail me shane@socialized.me. Otherwise a comment, tweet or Facebook share would be greatly appreciated.

I have had a number of inquiries from my tech and social media brethren about how to present on stage. Some are gentle questions like “how many slides should I have for a one hour presentation?” to outright pleas for help such as “I’m terrified of audiences over 20 people, how do I present our new iPhone app at this conference?”

Geeks (science or tech savvy and knowledgeable folks who get turned on by pixels, pings, microchips, biology, chemistry, APIs etc.) tend to struggle with presentations, yet if they master the art they can have a massive impact on their business and career (think Steve Jobs or David Suzuki).

Too many people think content is king. Connection is king. Unless you can connect with your audience and engage them effectively your geek speak will mean very little to them. Today’s podcast covers a few insights on better stage presentations.

[This is day one of my 30 day podcasting challenge, I will be posting a new podcast everyday for the next month, drop by, make a comment or share a link to the podcast you posted today).

I then looked at my roster of podcasts and realized that I have much more to share. The podcasting seems to happen after the client work, proposals, research, books etc. BUT it has been a major driving force in my business and I have been less than generous with my listeners. I should be giving you way more in the form of interviews, strategy and just sharing the things I’m learning everyday.

I decided to publicy make myself accountable and also ask for your help. Starting today I will be doing 30 podcasts over 30 days.  I would also like to challenge you to contribute in a few ways:

1. If you’re a podcaster – take the challenge with me. Start sharing more of your knowledge more often today.
2. If you are an author, subject matter expert or are having success using social media for business, community building or charity — reach out to me and lets get you on the show TODAY.
3. If you’re a listener, Twitter connection, LinkedIn associate or Facebook friend take a moment to listen to the podcasts, submit your questions, share what you like and let me know what you think. Heckle me if you feel like it!

That’s it. Thanks for coming along this journey with me. I hope you enjoy the show. (I am posting two podcasts today just to get a head start — come back in an hour!)

Shane Gibson
Chief Social Officer
Socialized! Ltd.
http://socialized.me
Blog: http://www.closingbigger.net
Got iTunes? Click here to subscribe our Podcast!: http://tinyurl.com/itunes-sales-podcast
Follow Shane on Twitter: http://twitter.com/shanegibson

1. Social media tip: life is an experiment. Be willing to make mistakes, challenge your own assumptions and break the mold to win.
2. Social Media Tip: It’s not social if the result isn’t about building relationships, trust or community.
3. Social Media Steps: 1: Have a goal. 2: Know your market. 3: Monitor & Listen. 4: Identify Needs 5: Create Focused Content & Conversation.
4. Social Media Tip: You can’t buy trust and you can’t outsource authenticity.
5. Social Media Tip: the customer is operating in real-time. Socialize your whole team so you can too!
6. Social Media Tip: Always go back to the basics. If you’re no longer getting the results you want, look at what you stopped doing.
7. Social Media Tip: The numbers mean very little. A small group of passionate people is and always has been a majority.
8. Leadership Tip: The quest for knowledge for the sake of empowering those around us is one of the most powerful intents in leadership.
9. Leadership Tip: Don’t let your Ego separate you from other people. We are more alike than we are different.
10. Sales Tip: treat mid-month with as much urgency as month end and your year end will look a lot better.
11. Social Media Tip: it’s okay to make mistakes — but remedy them quickly — apologize and then move on
12. Social Media Tip: it’s never too late to say thank-you. Reach out a acknowledge those in your community who make a difference.
13. Social Media Tip: People don’t care about your marketing tweets until they know how much you care about them.

1. Have a custom background that tells what you do and who you are
2. Have a complete bio with keywords that people search for
3. When you follow people, find something to comment on or ask a relevant question to let them know you’re there and are conversational and community focused
4. Make sure your Twitter profile is recognizable and real. Photos of celebrities, cartoons or logos tend to get less follow-backs than a profile with a real smiling human face.
5. Follow people who recently followed your competitors
6. Follow people who are complaining about your competitors
7. Follow-back those that follow you. Many will un-follow after a period of time if you do not follow-back. Avoid following spammers, pornbots or anything that doesn’t resonate with your values or personal brand of course.
8. Look at your competitors public lists and follow those that are relevant
9. If you’re a local business use Twitter local search to find people talking about your business, industry or community and follow them (remember to interact)
10. Search for relevant industry #hash tags ( ie #scrm #rechat #bieber or whatever your target market talks about) follow those people, then as per #3 – reach out and communicate.
11. Use relevant #hash tags on topics, conferences, and issues and attract more followers
12. Search Twellow.com for regional influencers and follow them
13. Search Twellow.com for industry specific or topic specific people and follow them
14. Register for Twellow.com and fill in the expanded profile and bio section, you will show up in more searches.
15. Change your Twitter bio from time to time to attract new markets through search
16. Put your Twitter address on your business card, brochures and any other printed material you give out
17. Have a decal designed and put your Twitter address on the back of your laptop (I have had a number of new and interesting followers and it’s a good ice-breaker at coffee shops and airports)
18. Finish all of your blog posts with a short bio that suggests people follow you in Twitter
19. When making comments on blogs, many ask for a web address – give your Twitter address instead
20. Have a prominent Twitter badge displayed on every page of your site and/or blog that links to your profile
21. Let your Facebook and Linkedin connections know you’re on Twitter and ask them to connect.
22. In Linkedin Groups (relevant ones) ask members as a topic discussion to share Twitter profiles with each other and suggest you also connect on Twitter.
23. In a tasteful non-spam format let anyone on email lists, meetup groups YOU operate and other online groups that you’re on Twitter and would love to connect. This is often done best as a side-note or footnote in a regular Meetup update or email newsletter blast. Emails and updates titled “Follow me on Twitter” are generally considered bad form.
24. Target regional (all regions your market to) influencers (not necessarily Twitter superstars) on Twitter and put them on a private list. Monitor their discussions and updates and pro-actively have relevant discussions, RT (Re-Tweet or Share) their updates and promote things they are promoting. After a period of time they will take notice, often following you and even sharing your content with their network.
25. Follow anyone who retweets your content and thank them (except of course spambots)
26. Use backtweets.com to find out who is linking to sites of interest or competitor sites. Follow those people and apply #3 again.
27. Host a #Tweetup in your community or at a conference.
28. Attend #Tweetups in your community (What is a Tweetup? Watch Here)
29. If you can type fast and well offer to Liveblog and live tweet an event
30. Guest blog on key sites
31. Write for magazines, newspapers (online or print) and get your Twitter ID into the footer.
32. Start a Twitter Tribe. A group of non-competing people who Tweet each others content. This can be formal or informal but all members usually benefit from increased Klout, reach and followers. (not to mention blog traffic)
33. Make sure your Twitter handle is on all relevant Keynote or PowerPoint presentations.
34. At the beginning of any public presentation let everyone know it’s okay to get out their smartphones and Tweet to the world.
35. If you sell packaged goods or products get your Twitter handle on those packages!
36. Have contests rewarding those who Tweet about you, keep it simple and don’t make following mandatory
37. If you have a physical business location or retail store/restaurant/lounge/pub etc. have a “We are social” poster that shares your social site URLS (Don’t just use the logos)
38. Use QR codes in print materials and on presentations that Link to your Twitter account or a page with all of your social ID’s [This one will take you to my Google Profile]
    
39. Put your Twitter handle on your nametag at Meetups and conferences
40. Put your Twitter handle on your contact info for your VCard, Bump application (for Iphone) etc.
41. Link to your Twitter account at the beginning of any video descriptions on YouTube, Vimeo Etc.
42. If you do a podcast or produce video put it on your splash page or mention it in your intro and extro.
43. Create public Twitter lists of great people in specific industry or interest segments. They will often follow you back as a result
44. Tweet to different time zones. I typically Tweet between 7:00 am and 7:00 pm on weekdays. That means I miss showing up in a lot of searches on Twitter during my off hours. To appeal to markets like India or Europe I schedule Tweets in Hootsuite to be posted while I’m sleeping. I also devote a night a month to staying up late and chatting with my buddies in India, South Africa and Europe. This conversation also increases followers.
45. Using local search start conversations with people in your immediate area who share things of interest. It doesn’t have to be about business, it could be a common interest in art, hiking, food etc. This will often result in a follow-back.
46. Reply quickly. Often people will follow us, then ask a question or make a comment. To build rapport and maintain momentum respond and interact as soon as possible. These means checking Twitter more than once a day and taking time to respond in a personal authentic way. When we ignore people’s questions or take too long to reply they may unfollow or never follow us in protest.
47. “Follow me on Twitter” with a link in your email signature
48. You can custom program “Tweet-this” buttons to include your Twitter address in the title of the Tweet (when people click on the button). This makes it easier to find your fans and gets your Twitter handle more exposure online.
49. Follow the 90/10 rule. Twitter is about engagement, people who might follow you and only see marketing links and no-conversation will most likely think you’re not watching or don’t care about what they say. Keep your stream about community, conversation and connection 90% of the time and Tweet about business, blogs, marketing etc. 10% of the time.
50. Follow people who retweet your competitors or content similar to the content you produce and once again apply step 3.
51. Create and share awesome, unique content via Twitter tips,  links to blogs, videos etc. This will get retweeted, shared and increase your following
52. Pay it forward. Get your friends, clients, staff and associates on Twitter and coach on how to use Twitter. They can become your biggest allies and fans.

Shane Gibson (@ShaneGibson) is a sales and social media speaker who has addressed over 100,000 people on stages on three continents over the past 15 years.  He is also co-author of Guerrilla Social Media Marketing and Sociable! How Social Media is Turning Sales and Marketing Upside-down.  When he’s not speaking or Tweeting he is in the social media trenches working with his clients as Chief Social Officer for Socialized! Ltd. a social media agency and training organization.

Monitoring conversations is great – but getting involved in the conversation and being a thought leader is where the true opportunity is. Having a Social CRM strategy is vital, we need to help our sales team understand how to socialize online. Today’s podcast talks about some of the pro-active components that should be included in that strategy.

In my opinion your end goal must be to fully socialize most of your departments from HR to sales, marketing and even the senior executives in the company. What are your thoughts?

There are also brilliant people and awesome brands that don’t realize that their persona is actually hiding the great things about them. Today’s podcast focuses on why we need to build the person, build the organization and forget the veneer.

Today I had the great opportunity to once again have Bruce Philp author of the Consumer Republic on my social media podcast. I was so inspired by our conversation I actually reworked my Socialized! Lunch presentation today to include some very important thoughts that Bruce shared about the future of brands and the true power consumers now hold in their hands.

The idea for this podcast discussion really came from a couple of tweets I posted about Groupon’s recent off-color marketing tactics and my disappointment that their response and handling of comments and complaints seemed to be more about sanitizing and denying versus engagement and authentic apologies. (Still not happy with Groupon’s Super Bowl Ads this was the icing on the cake) Bruce’s question to me at that point was; “what if consumers become discouraged and no longer engage?” (because of this type of corporate response online.) I invited Bruce back on the show to talk about the “Consumer Republic” and answer this important question.

During the podcast the conversation quickly turned toward so-called social media experts bloggers etc. who are often the first to criticize a brand, but personally don’t walk their talk in regards to engagement or even responding to blog comments and tweets.  (I’ve been personally guilty more than once of not returning an email or a phone call due to huge volumes of in-bound tweets and inquiries.)

Have a listen to the podcast and let me know what your thoughts are on the subject. A huge thanks to Bruce Philp for logging on and having the conversation as well.

I first met Guy Kawasaki at an Olympic Tweetup here in Vancouver a little over a year. My co-author Jay Conrad Levinson had already filled me in on guy, and Jay may have even used the work “enchanting” when he described Guy. He seems to arrive and light up a room and make everyone around him feel at ease, when guy speaks about marketing and leadership business leaders listen. When Guerrilla Social Media Marketing was being written Guy was #1 on our list as the person to write the foreword, and we were absolutely honored to have him do so. He is a true guerrilla marketer and his use of Twitter and the creation of his site Alltop.com make him a social media thought leader and innovator. He also is an Apple Fellow and the driving force behind the creation of the Apple Fanboy many decades ago (a movement which is still in full force).

With Guy’s new book Enchantment being released today I responded to Guy’s announcement and asked him to do a podcast interview. In the interview we discuss:

• Enchanting brands
• Social media marketing
• Enchanting today’s worker
• How to resist enchantment
• and the difference between enchanting brands like Apple and Zappos and mainstream run-of-the-mill brands

Below is an “Enchantment Info Graphic” to accompany the podcast:

Here’s what the book site says about the book:

Consumer Republic
Using brands to get what you want, make corporations behave, and maybe even save the world.

Consumer Republic is premised on the uncomfortable truth that brands give consumers power over the marketplace that is essentially political. Brands make corporations accountable for their actions and, especially now, they give those corporations something valuable to lose if they fail us. Consumer Republic faces consumers with that power, explains how we got it, and then shows how the choices we make at the cash register can change our own lives, the way that corporations go to market and, ultimately, our entire way of life. Just as an engaged citizen is essential to an effective democracy, so an engaged consumer is the key to a sustainable free market, says Consumer Republic. My new book is a challenge to all of us who consume to vote with our money… and to marketers to be ready for a future in which they will face their customers eye to eye.

 

5 reasons why you should not let your sales team publish content using social media:

1. You have hired idiots – even if you trained them they would just be motivated idiots.
2. You have so much profitable business that you couldn’t handle any more
3. Your product really sucks
4. Your company and culture really suck
5. You haven’t or will not equip them with
   – The rules of engagement and a social media policy
   – Training in the tools of engagement
   – Accountability in place – once engaged it’s game on – have a framework support and accountability.

10 reasons why you should let your sales team publish content using social media:

1. “It’s not marketing it’s talking to customers” – Scott Stratten of UnMarketing
2. It adds to value added frequency
3. It opens up new channels
4. It can save time
5. Load balance your branding
6. Social CRM is the next big thing – are you cruising or are you road kill (Social CRM Podcast)
7. Immediate data instead of compiled and stale data
8. It makes them almost as smart as your customer
9. You can see the activity
10. It builds a passive pipeline and makes projections easier “If you’re talking to unqualified prospects it’s not a sales problem, it’s a marketing problem” – Zero Rejection Prospecting (Michael J Durkin and Norbert Orlewicz)
11. It builds a fence around the customer
12. It creates joy
13. It elevates sales people above pitch artist to trusted advisor

Today’s podcast is about the importance of a social media calendar for individuals and organizations. I have also provides a social media calendar template that Jay Levinson and I developed for Guerrilla Social Media Marketing.

Have a listen, download the sample social media calendar and then let me know how it works for you.

Download the sample Social Media Calendar (WORD) and Social Media Calendar (PDF)

Social Media Calendar

Amacus

Today’s podcast is with sales technology thought leader John Cousineau who is President of Innovative Information the creators of Amacus.  John and I have had a number of coffee chats and debates around why and how to use technology and social media to improve sales performance and customer experience. The nexus of sales and social media seems to be happening in the CRM and Social CRM space.  The question is it happening fast enough and making things more efficient or is it just giving sales people more buttons and buzzwords to worry about.

10 Things That Will Not Change About Social Media in 2010

1. It’s about the conversation
2. It belongs to everyone
3. It can’t be controlled only lead
4. It works best integrated
5. It doesn’t fit in the marketing ROI box
6. It’s an investment
7. It’s never been about the tools but those who wield them
8. It’s not going away, it’s not a fad
9. Experimenting with your clients money is a bad idea
10. Success belongs to the storytellers

Those of you who follow me on Twitter will know I’m a big Hootsuite fan.  I interviewed Ryan Holmes CEO of Invoke Media (the company that made Hootsuite) a few months ago about the Twitter app and I’ve been a loyal user ever since.  It is a web based Twitter app, and actually if fully used to it’s capacity could be considered a Social CRM tool.   I use  Hootsuite to monitor 15 niches’ of clients, stakeholders, influencers and friends.  I also use the program to do A/B testing on headlines and research what time of day people respond best to my updates and links. The fact that I can now take this Twitter/Social CRM tool with me on my iPhone truly un-teathers me from the office and allows me to interact with my Twitter accounts, clients and core niche markets.  Expect more Tweets from me on the go now. The video is on the Hootsuite iPhone App:

More information on the seminars here:

Seminar Details

“Leading and collaborating with stakeholders and employees in a hyper connected marketplace.”

With employees, customers and stakeholders equipped with technology that allows for mass collaboration and rapid communication we as leaders need to understand how to harness this technology and the crowds we are connected to.

Today’s workplace is not a homogeneous one. As leaders we have to lead teams that are made up of Baby Boomers, Generation X and Generation Y.  This coupled with diverse cultures and values in the workplace make leading both exciting and challenging.

In this session Shane Gibson will cover core trends, leadership tools and opportunities that are associated with today’s digitally connected and diverse marketplace.

Key topics include:

• New rules for engagement in a digitally transparent era.
• Web 2.0 collaboration and learning tools.
• Creating an environment that is productive and engaging for the millennial / Gen Y.
• Tips and approaches for recruiting staff using tools like Facebook, Linkedin and Twitter.
• Using technology to break down silos and create collaboration within your organization.
• How to apply timeless leadership principles to this new work and business climate

CMA Testimonial

“I found the seminar (Partnering & Stakeholder Relationships, November 2009) very beneficial. Shane did a great job on the presentation and communicating the message. I would highly recommend his sessions to my fellow CMAs.”

Sanjeev Lal, CMA, Abbotsford

Register for Victoria, December 2nd 2009 Seminar

Register for Vancouver, December 3rd 2009 Seminar

1. It’s a conversation – As marketers in the past we have been awarded based upon our ability to craft messages and broadcast to an audience, a niche or a market segment.  People no longer want to be talked at.  In fact their conversations with each other on Twitter, Facebook, or even the videos they post on YouTube impact and define major brands.  As social media marketers we need to get involved in those conversations if we want to effectively brand and market online.
2. It’s a listening tool – More than a conversation, social media marketing is about listening.  We need to be listening for opportunities to engage with people that are talking about our brand.  Social media gives us the opportunity to engage at the instant someone is talking about us (if we’re listening), and have relevant, personal and authentic conversations with our customers.  Use tools like Twitter search, Google Alerts, and SocialMention.com to monitor those conversations.
3. Social media belongs to everyone, which is good and bad, it forces you to be different to win – As a marketer you no longer have control or a monopoly on a medium.  Social media tools are in everyone’s hands.  This is great news for anyone who wants to create a brand and generate revenues online.  This is also a bad thing, because it creates a lot of noise. You must have a distinctive message, offering and leadership style if you want to get noticed online.  To win you must be more engaging, add more value, and be more creative than everyone else if you want to rise above the noise.

The End of Social Media

Yes I have consumed the social media Kool-Aid. In fact I have opened my own roadside stand.  Social media is an exciting disruptive technology.  But the ride is almost over, the hype will die down after everyone has found everyone on Facebook and when even our dog has a blog. Marketers and the community at large will ask “Now What?”

Social media will come to an end.  The ride is not over yet, we have a few good years ahead of us but the writing is one the wall.  My podcast today is about the end of social media and what it means to marketers, bloggers, business owners and the community as a whole.

Here’s how 28 Days to Better Selling Works:

1)    A daily task that you can easily implement to improve your sales and business
2)    A succinct daily lesson to help you make the improvement

By the end of the 28 days you will have looked at 28 ways to fine tune and improve your sales process and business.  The daily lessons will be in written, video or audio format and will take less than 10 minutes each to review.

Day1  The ABC’s of Targeting

Day 2 Targeting the Right Referral Sources

Day 3 Prospecting in Person

Day 4 Networking Strategy

Day 5 LinkedIn Prospecting

Day 6 Investigative Prospecting

Day 7 Lead Nurturing

Day 8 Don’t Be A Boring Salesperson

Day 9 Listening in Sales

Day 10 Needs Analysis in Sales Part 1

Day 11 Needs Analysis In Sales Part 2

Day 12 Twitter for Sales Part 1

Day 13 Twitter for Sales Part 2

Day 14 Keeping Commitments

Day 15 Selling Benefits and Results

Day 16 Preemptive Objection Handling

Day 17 Sell the Price Different Not The Total Cost

Day 18 Vital Signs

Day 19 Preparing For a Sales Call

Day 20 Team Selling

Day 21 Just Thinking About You

Day 22 Team Players Make Efficient Sellers

Day 23 Day of Rest, Chill Out and Reflect

Day 24 Influencing Top Level Decision Makers

Day 25 Key Skills and Strengths for Selling Intangibles

Day 26 Reducing Anxiety and Worry

Day 27 15 Ways to Close A Sale

Day 28 Operationalizing Your Sales Process

Want to Close Bigger Deals? Buy the Book:

The topic Ronald chose was: What It Takes and/or How to Become a Thought Leader?

This is a great question, have a listen to this podcast to hear about becoming and influencing thought leaders.

To Donate the the Vancouver Food Bank Click here or the image below. Every bit helps!

Blogathon 2009 for Vancouver Food Bank

This podcast is about becoming a community building and marketing maven.  How long have you invested in yourself and your people?

Can a fictional character blog?

This was a huge question in the early days of blogging. Blogging stalwarts felt that only “real” people should be blogging, especially for a company. There were a couple notable character blogs that were pretty controversial at the time: the Denali Flavors Moose blog and T. Alexander from the Gourmet Station blog.

For a number of months this was an all-consuming tempest in a teacup, with all sorts of name-calling and unpleasantness, however when it all blew over…
Sure, characters can blog. It became clear that whether it was fan fiction or a company mascot assuming the role of “spokesperson”, it wasn’t who the “author” was pro-ported to be, but rather what and how things were said.
Businesses find it helpful to have one “person” be the voice for the entire company, but have several folks write behind the scenes because there aren’t enough people in the company to dedicate one person to blog. The hardest part of having multiple authors blogging is keeping the “voice” of the writing the same. One easy fix is to divide the tasks up. Maybe only one person writes longer posts, but others do things like a weekly post of interesting links or another do the photo of the week. Mix up the type of posts and the people writing them and you’ll have a dynamic blog with a lot less effort!

This is an excerpt from Tris Hussey’s upcoming book on blogging “6 Easy Blogging Projects” published by Pearson. Follow Tris on twitter.

To Donate the the Vancouver Food Bank Click here or the image below. Every bit helps!

Blogathon 2009 for Vancouver Food Bank

#1) They need to master the art of Rapport Building

#2) They need to get good at Needs Analysis Selling

#3) They need to understand how to sell what people buy, and it’s not features, price or technology

To Donate the the Vancouver Food Bank Click here or the image below. Every bit helps!

Blogathon 2009 for Vancouver Food Bank

Twitter For Sales Part 1

Twitter For Sales Part 2

What the Heck is a Tweetup?

Social Media is Turning Sales and Marketing Upside Down

How Hard is it to Video Blog?

To Donate the the Vancouver Food Bank Click here or the image below. Every bit helps!

Blogathon 2009 for Vancouver Food Bank

Today’s sales podcast is for Day 6 of The 28 Days to Better Selling. In sales your ability to find new opportunities and fill your funnel constantly is the oxygen your career lives on. Without prospecting continually your sales career will come to an abrupt end. Have a listen to today’s sales podcast. I’m looking forward to your feedback.

If you haven’t signed up for the program you can join at anytime by signing up below:

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Today’s consumer has a lot of choice. They also have access to many points in the distribution chain that they never had before. This poses many opportunities for entrepreneurs, sales professionals, and anyone else involved in the value chain.

Marketing and sales has changed.

This is a positive thing for progressive marketers and sales people, but it also offers up many challenges for those who are selling like it was 1999. Have a listen to today’s sales podcast to find out the three key skills and tools necessary to engage today’s consumer and client:

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Special event:

28 Days to Better Selling Launches May 18th 2009:

Here’s how 28 Days to Better Selling Works:

1) A daily task that you can easily implement to improve your sales and business
2) A succinct daily lesson to help you make the improvement

By the end of the 28 days you will have looked at 28 ways to fine tune and improve your sales process and business. The daily lessons will be in written, video or audio format and will take less than 10 minutes each to review. There is no charge for this event and program.

To Register for the program please enter your e-mail address below:

Enter your Email

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If you want to improve your sales and have been too busy to put a plan into place you’re not alone.

I have had many people in the sales community including sales professionals, senior executives and high tech entrepreneurs and bloggers who are all looking for ways to convert connections into long-term clients and relationships.

Their challenge is that most resources available are either one time training opportunities, or extensive and over whelming programs that are tough to implement. This program takes care of all of this.

The 28 Days to Better Selling program is completely free and is 100% content and 0% advertising or promotions. All content focused on helping you.

This concept was inspired by a 31 Days to Build a Better Blog program that Problogger.com put on for 12,000 other bloggers. As a participant it was very helpful for me. The concept is simple:

Here’s how 28 Days to Better Selling Works:

1) A daily task that you can easily implement to improve your sales and business
2) A succinct daily lesson to help you make the improvement

By the end of the 28 days you will have looked at 28 ways to fine tune and improve your sales process and business. The daily lessons will be in written, video or audio format and will take less than 10 minutes each to review.

To Register for the program please enter your e-mail address below:

Shamus Brown did a blog post called “Your Prospects are Human Lie Detectors.” It’s amazing that in this era of extreme transparency that sales professionals and business people still are missing this core lesson.

Simone Blum urged us to be Un Reasonable when it comes to business decisions and launching a new idea or product.

Alan Majer provided a great list of 21 things we can do to succeed in a carreer in selling.

The guys at Sales Roundup put together a good sales podcast on finding and prepping for a sales job.

The guys at the Advanced Selling Podcast did a great podcast on The Rules Tools and Attitudes needed to put more prospects into the sales funnel.

Brad Trnavsky at the Sales Bloggers Union did a good sales blog entry on The Primary Role of a Sales Manager.

Skip Anderson in his Selling to Consumers Podcast talked about the Essence of Selling. It’s all about helping the client make a decision according to Skip.

Lastly I found this sales cartoon from Count5.com and it reminded me of at least half of the sales people that call my office daily. Anyone else suffering from the same?

Jay Levinson has sold over 20 million books on Guerrilla Marketing making him one of the top selling marketing authors in history. Following is a brief video interview I did with Jay on Guerrilla Marketing.

#1) This is actually a live feed of multiple sales bloggers from around the globle. The World’s Top Sales Bloggers List is a great place to discover new sales bloggers and podcast producers.

#2) Dave Kurlan put together a great sales management checklist of must have attibutes for sales leaders and managers.

#3) Kevin Eikenberry posted a good list of 5 ways to do some spring cleaning to your life.  Good tips for those needing to refocus.

#4) Paul Espinosa talked about how critical it is for organizations to get good ar hiring good sales managers in his post on “Sales Managers – The Real Role.”

#5) The guys at the Sales Roundup Sales Podcast put together a great show on “How to price what you sell.”

#6) George Petri from Symvolli posted a sales podcast on “B2B Relationships Don’t Have To Be Lost – Continuous Contact Doesn’t Mean Customer Stalking.” Great stuff on creative follow-up.

#7) Bill Caskey and Bryan Neale put together a podcast on getting to and dealing with decision makers.

#8) Rick Cooper: The Fortune Is In the Follow Up was another podcast that I enjoyed.

What I am talking about is real time, permission based data on clients that will have the potential to tell us everything from what time of day they are most likely to answer a twitter comment from us to what events they are attending and what brand of TV they prefer or “favorite.”

This data is available on most contacts you have if you are connected to them on Facebook, Twitter, and Linkedin but the challenge is managing the noise and the chaos to hone in on the events, preferences, and people that matter most to your sales, networking and community building efforts.

A comment made to me on Twitter just moments after recording this podcast was:

From: @Raize604 @shanegibson it’s also more high maintenance CRM which makes me wonder if its worth it” (He was referring to all the trouble with watching clients and prospects on multiple networks)

A properly engineered and formatted Social CRM can pull all of this data for you, filter it, help you focus on a target group and tell you when specific people or groups are most responsive to what messages in what mediums.  Here’s today’s sales podcast on Social CRM:

I picked up my copy of Leadership Lessons of the Navy Seals today and it really got me thinking about how casual or loose most sales teams and organizations are. If I was to go into battle (so to speak) how many sales people that I know would I actually bring with me? Who could I count? Who can count on me?  Today’s podcast is about how sales management and sales professionals can learn from the leadership lessons of the Navy Seals.

Some once said part of success is just showing up. To add to this it’s about HOW YOU SHOW UP. Have a listen (Be warned this one may offend those who don’t enjoy sarcasm):

Chris Maurer did a great blog post on Social Media for B2B Sales, he talked about the importance of laying out a strong strategy for your sales team to use the tools effectively.

Jonathan Farrington said it well when he said “Successful ‘closers’ know that there is no need to use magic phrases or techniques because if they’ve effectively followed the sales process, closing the sale is the next step in a logical sequence.” in his great blog post on “Closing. It’s easy if…”

Neil Godin did a great blog entry in his Marketing Dangerously blog on “May I help you?” and how he was able to help a company double their customer conversion levels by shifting the way they great customers.

Wendy Weiss did a podcast that really talked about the difference between Amateurs versus Professionals in the art of cold calling.  “Fix Your Saggy Butt!”  (I’m glad I never have been a dancer or a model, sales sounds easy after her story).

Colleen Francis blogged about the importance of CRM for sales teams of any size.  The blog was answer to a blog reader’s question. I liked Colleen’s practical logical arguement for those that may still be sitting on the CRM fence.

Stephen Jagger founder of Reachd and Ubertor posted a great video of Vic Jang speaking on the Future of Real Estate Sales.

Skip Anderson posted some straightforward but often missed sales management tips for ramping up your effectiveness in “Sales Manager, How Are You Going to Spend Your Time Today?”

Ian Watt did a video blog titled “Don’t Become a Realtor for the Money, it Will Eat You Alive” (you can see all of his video blogs here). It’s great insight on loving what you do.

Another great resource for sales blogs and podcasts is the sales channel of Alltop.com

If you have any favorite posts or authors you like please share them in the comments section.

1. Become a constant prospector
2. Attend industry events twice a week
3. Blog everyday about solutions to client pains
4. Make new connections using Twitter
5. Ask for introductions through Linkedin
6. Share your ideal client profile with your entire network in the form of a distributed case study
7. Inform clients you’re looking for new business
8. Offer referral fees to non-competitive service or product supplier
9. Be newsworthy or launch a press release
10. Use seminar and webinar selling
11. (Bonus) Become a subject matter expert

Here’s today’s sales podcast on the topic:

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It’s an interesting question. Falling into being transactional when things are going well or when things are not going well is a bad long term sales and business strategy.  Non-transactional selling is relationship based, focused, purposeful and customized for your client and market. I answered his question via podcast. If you have a sales question you want answered follow me on Twitter.

Here’s today’s podcast:

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Your thoughts and feedback would be greatly appreciated

I’ve heard many people (including myself) talk about the fact that the rules of business have changed.  In sales and marketing this is true.

What’s interesting is that the rules of leadership are universal. Offline and online networking and building social capital follow a very similar strategy. Today’s podcast addresses this challenge and opportunity.

[quiz=1]

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Thank-you to Split Mango (Ubertor and WordPress Specialists) for editing the CSS and PHP for this quiz to make it legible and functioning!

Enjoy:

Symvolli has done a great podcast on this topic as well (I listened to it and thought I’d post a response via podcast). The key here is it’s better to “get real” about what we truly have for opportunities and then build a solid plan to help us get to where we want to go.  The alternative, pushing unqualified leads through the pipeline is exhausting and will have us show up short of quota at the end of the year.

Today’s podcast is an interview with Sarah Villeneuve Bundy Co-Founder of 49 Above Marketing a multilingual full service internet marketing firm with clients in Canada, USA and numerous other countries. Sarah was on the show today to share with us how to put together a comprehensive sales and recruiting strategy.  Some of the tools we discussed were Twitter, SEO (Search Engine Optimization) PPC ( pay-per-click campaigns ), blogging, and the power of “Long-Tail” keywords in attracting the right prospects.

About Mike Desjardins:

Mike is a graduate of UBC’s Sauder School of Business with a specialization in Marketing. Immediately prior to joining ViRTUS as the “Driver,” Mike was the President of Purity Water Treatment Products, a company which manufacturers and distributes hot tub and pool treatment products throughout North America with offices in Surrey, Oakville, and San Diego. Under Mike’s direction, Purity became the only Canadian based chemical company to have its entire product line registered for sale in the US, distributing to twenty-nine states.

Mike is a health and wellness fanatic, an avid downhill skier, beach volleyball player, and motorcycle enthusiast. His energy and enthusiasm are matched well to his desire to build relationships and help connect the right people together in his ever-expanding network.

Mike’s role as the Driver is to focus on strategy, growth, day-to-day operations, and the quest to continually improve every aspect of the experience customers have with ViRTUS.

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Five Minutes with VITO is a must read for those that are frustrated with long sales cycles, corporate dead-ends in the sales process, and pretty much anyone else who is serious about meeting their sales targets.  The book will not tell you where to find CEO prospects, nor will it talk much about key account management or “Closing the Deal.” Instead it focuses on the critical 5 minutes with THE senior executive in your sales process, and how to deal with this true decision maker during this “make-you-or-break-you” window of time.

Listen ot my full podcast review below:

Click the book to learn more…

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Direct MP3 Download Link

Click Below to Add to itunes

We can forget the ultimate goal is happiness, and that happiness is routed in truth.  The biggest truth happens when we are authentic and in line with our own personal values.

In our values reside that which we love, and that which we are good at, our talents and our personal gifts are very close to those activities, people, and things that we value the most. You can follow me on Twitter: http://twitter.com/shanegibson.

Today’s Podcast is about identifying and searching for our deeper purpose in business, community and life.

As most of my stories start, it began with Guinness and good times.  I tipped several pints over several nights with Trevor and Robyn and we formed a friendship.  Eventually I asked Trevor to help me as a Ghost Writer for my book ( later named “Closing Bigger the Field Guide to Closing Bigger Deals”) yet after a few weeks of working with him his in depth of experience as a real crime reporter, Bloomberg business writer, and all around brilliant guy, I asked Trevor if he would be co-author with me instead of just a writer in the background.  At that time I had the first glimpse of this gentle warrior genius and I knew that I wanted to share more adventures, successes and creative moments with him.

It soon came to pass after many months and some great mentoring by people like Dr. Denis Cauvier and my father Bill Gibson that the book was ready for market. Trevor and I liked to celebrate a good day of writing with a a few pints after work.  We calculated that “Closing Bigger” took 386 pints to write. Not bad. We should have had more Guinness and written the sequel too.  All joking aside, in the year we worked together sided by side we forged a great relationship, and for the first time in a very long time I had found a business partner that I could completely trust, COMPLETELY.

So it was with great sorrow and angst ( I hope I hid it well ) that I bid Trevor farewell from the Yaletown brewing company in Vancouver, gave him a big hug (wasn’t something we did normally) and watched him walk out the door.  It’s the last time I witnessed him walk.  He as a reservist turned full time military officer he was heading to Afghanistan to emancipate those without a voice. Trevor dreamed of fresh water, young girls with access to education, and renewing hope for those who had lived under tyranny, ignorance, and war for decades.

Three months later; just before 7:00 am in early March 2006 my phone rang.  The call displayed “Gregory Kirkpatrick” a mutual friend and rugby buddy of Trevor’s and mine from the Vancouver Rowing Club.  I knew it could only be one thing. Trevor Greene.

“Trevor’s been hit in the head, he might not make it, he was ambushed”

I originally thought he had been shot in the head. I later learned that while meeting with some village elders in a small town attempting to find out what rebuilding they needed (schools, infrastructure etc.) he was “Brained, LITERALLY” (as Trevor describes it) with an axe to the head by a deranged young man.  The axe literally chopped part of his skull and brain in half, leaving bone, blood and gray matter on the ground.  They all thought he was dead. The young man that hit him was riddled with bullets and died before he hit the ground. ( You can read more about the incident here )

That morning was for me the lowest emotional point of my life. We had built a friendship, a brotherhood, and a dream together and now it was taken away from me, from him, from Debbie and little Grace.  I woke my wife up sobbing, wailing actually.  I had held people while they died, I even while living in Africa witnessed up close an execution/gun fight in front of the Hard Rock Café in Johannesburg of all places, but nothing in my past compared to this.

I was angry, I should have done more to make him stay.  I should have made him quit.  This angst spread into a low level numbness that lasted months.

Back to Trevor: First he had to stabilize, then they would fly him to a US Military hospital in Germany where they would operate on him.  While I was full of sorrow and a healthy dose of self pity Debbie Lepore, Trevor’s Fiancée was arriving in Germany and about to begin an incredible journey with Trevor.

They told her that he might not live, and if he did, he probably wouldn’t wake up.  If he did wake up, he would be a vegetable.  Debbie simply replied “You don’t know Trevor.”  This would become her mantra. Their mantra.  No one had ever come back from this, there is no medical case history. Once a Doctor told her to put him in long term care and get one with her life. “You don’t know Trevor” she replied

Experts defined: Ex= “a has been” Spirt= “a drip under pressure.” The problem with these people is they attempt to measure the infinite with finite tools.  As much as Trevor’s story is about a hero and a warrior it is one about infinite love and faith.  That cannot be measured by indoctrinated “group thinkers.”

“He will not wake up”
He woke up.
“He will be a vegetable”
He responded and was aware
“He will not talk”
He talked
“He will not survive several bouts of pneumonia”
He healed, he survived
“He will not have use of his limbs, he will not be able to move on his own”
He now can feed himself, he can now push his own wheelchair and sometimes if he’s really motivated he can tip his own beer.
“But he will not walk again.”
YOU DON’T KNOW TREVOR

I visited Trevor and Debbie in the hospital several times when he was in Alberta.  One trip I visited and he according to others was just coming out of a depression of sorts. (I worked with him, and we’re both moody at the best of times!)  I asked him why the positive change? What happened? Why had his progress rapidly increased all of a sudden?

In his own words to me:

I forgave my attacker, you can’t hate and heal at the same time.

Love heals. Love creates abundance. Give what you most want. If you want love, give it. If you want respect, give it. If you want peace, give peace.

In the documentary about Trevor Greene and Debbie Lepore that airs today at 7pm PST on CTV here in Canada (done by an amazing woman Sue Ridout) Trevor answers a question and his answer is something that stuck to me, permeated my being.

The question was “Trevor do you have dreams about what happened?”  Trevor answers “Yes.  I’m in Afghanistan, I’m sitting in the village where I was attacked, I am talking to the boy that attacked me, and I tell him, I’m sorry, I’m sorry that my friend killed you, I was there in uniform in your home, with a weapon.”

Many people think it’s too late to change, to change their lifestyle, to change their habits, to learn new things.   At 41/42 years old Trevor has been able to rewire his brain, retrain his Nero system, and rewire the brains of anyone who is influenced by Trevor and Debbie.

Trevor and Debbie, their story, and their friendship has changed me forever.  I feel blessed to know these two heroes, these two healers.  Some of the lessons that I have been blessed with as a result are:

• Trust your heart not the experts
• One person is a majority not a statistic
• You can’t hate and heal at the same time, so make up your mind
• Love and faith are really great medicine
• See the miracle in every moment you spend with those you love
• Tell them how much they mean to you sooner than later
• With faith, focus, and follow-through anyone can create massive positive change in their life, in their body, and in their community.

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December 14th Update:

Summary in Macleans Magazine of the Documentary on CTV ( W five )

Video Trevor Greene “Peace Warrior” You can now watch parts of the documentary on CTV.ca

• Ian Watt of http://www.ianwatt.ca posted a video review of yesterday”s Seminar I did for the Vancouver Board of Trade on Selling and Succeeding in Turbulent Economic Times.
• Vinetta Peek Vice President of Marketing and Communications for the Certified Management Accountants shares her thoughts on the event as well.

Ian’s Video:

Shane Gibson Selling and Succeeding in Turbulent Economic Times from Ian Watt Vancouver Condo on Vimeo.

Vinetta Peek’s review of the event:

On behalf of the Certified Management Accountants of British Columbia – I wanted to let you know how pleased we were to participate and sponsor your event yesterday with the Vancouver Board of Trade.

Selling and Succeeding in Turbulent Economic Times is definitely something any company who wants to survive the upcoming Economic Storm, needs to focus on – and your presentation went into great depth as to how to focus on those positive opportunities – which will ultimately result in growth vs. decline.

In talking to some of your guests after the event, the comments were extremely positive: in the information you provided, your great sense of humour – which makes learning enjoyable, and the overall positive benefit to them attending the event.

I look forward to attending more of your seminars in the future – as I find them refreshing and relevant to the challenges businesses face each day.

Vinetta Peek, CMA (Hon.) Vice President, Marketing and Communications CMA Canada – British Columbia Suite 1055, Two Bentall Centre 555 Burrard Street, Box 269 Vancouver, BC V7X 1M8 1-800-663-9646 ext. 7003 | Fax: (604) 687-6688 or 1-800-663-8715 Website: www.cmabc.com

cmabcjobs.com – The exclusive job site of the Certified Management Accountants of BC!
BC’s Best Employers, BC’s Brightest Students & Graduates, BC’s Top CMAs.
We encourage you to visit this new site often as job postings and resumes are added on a continual basis.
Visit www.cmabcjobs.com today!

Here’s today’s podcast on “Using Social Networking and Social Media to Succeed in Tough Times.”

Here’s today’s show:

Click Below to Add to itunes

Here’s today’s Episode:

Quick Links:

Sales Training Courses

Internet Marketing Training

Shane Gibson‘s Bio

More Sales Videos

Sales Podcasts

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Become a CMA in British Columbia

Learn about the CMA Designation across Canada

Book Shane Gibson for your next conference

Title: The Career Maker – Relationship Development Skills

This is blogathon entry number 38 for the MSMF Blogathon. Visit this page to learn how you can support this cause.

The Board has helped me grow my personal network, increase my personal leadership capacity and even after several years as a  member I now see an endless flow of new business coming in from referrals and opportunities at the Board.

Fiona’s question is: “What qualities of a successful leader are also shared by successful sales people?”

Answer: Due to 18 hours of typing (my hands are a bit stiff) I will be answering this in audio or podcasting format! But here’s the coles notes version:

1. Vision
2. Influence
3. Networking Skills
4. Coaching and Mentoring Skills
5. Teaching and Training Skills

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This podcast is on how to run effective sales meetings.

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Click Here

I’m looking forward to your feeback on this new assessment.

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I have provided you with a brief 13 minute audio sales podcast of the topic discussed.

Sales Performance Meetup

On Reachd TV, an online video channel on internet marketing I was interviewed on how the net has helped my business.  Here’s the video:

Direct url:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wKSqfbSxU6s

The focus of the Complex Sales Training Podcast part 3 is on measuring and progressing our level of relationship development with our key accounts and understanding how that impacts our success in navigating large, complex and long sales cycle deals.

This program is now formatted and compatible for your iPhone!

In my opinion, (Gates, Jobs, and every iPhone user are banking on this too) delivering mobile audio blogs, video and podcasts to mobile devices is a service that has moderate demand now but is going to be huge very soon.  With that said, I wanted to get on board sooner than later.  We (JP Valdes and I) have set up this blog and podcast site using Brave New Code’s WPTouch iPhone plugin.

So What does this mean?  For all of you that are mobile sales people, entrepreneurs, marketers and like to browser the net with your iPhone or iPod Touch this blog has been set-up to detect your iPhone browser and deliver the content in an iPhone (Safari) compatible format.  No zooming or side to side scrolling necessary.

I’m looking forward to your feedback on how this works for you. Here’s our iPhone Podcasts on Sales

Some interesting links on the iPhone:

Projected iPhone Sales Numbers for July 2008 at Fortune.com

How to receive podcasts on your iPhone

Apple’s official page on iTunes and the iPhone

Apple beats iPhone and overall revenue targets July 21 2008 (BBC)

]]> http://www.closingbigger.net/2008/07/iphone-sales-podcast/feed/ 4 http://www.closingbigger.net/2008/07/complex-sales-training-podcast-part-2/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=complex-sales-training-podcast-part-2 http://www.closingbigger.net/2008/07/complex-sales-training-podcast-part-2/#comments Wed, 09 Jul 2008 00:46:43 +0000 Shane Gibson http://www.closingbigger.net/?p=82 The Complex Sales Training Podcast series part 2 is focused on understanding the motivations and strategic situations and circumstances that affect how the Power Players or major stakeholders in your target companies make decisions (or won’t make decisions).

Complex sales is about 90% preparation and 10% perspiration. It’s not just about a pitch in the boardroom, complex sales people, or simply put people who are masters at closing bigger deals strategically map out their process and the battle field (so to speak).

Please have a listen to my podcast and post any comments or questions so I can address them in Part 3 of the Complex Sales Podcast Series.

Complex Sales Training Podcast by Shane Gibson – Copyright 1999-2008 Knowledge Brokers International Ltd.

This complex sales podcast introduces you to the process by first defining what complex sales is and then moves into

part 1.  In Part 1 of the Complex Sales series we are introduced to the 6 major Power Players in a Complex Sale or complex business relationship: The Navigator, The Ruler, The User, The Protector, The Contributor and The Opposer.

Definition of Complex Sales (From Wikipedia):

Complex sales, also known as Enterprise sales, can refer to a method of trading sometimes used by organizations when procuring large contracts for goods and/or services where the customer takes control of the selling process by issuing a Request for Proposal (RFP) and requiring a proposal response from previously identified or interested suppliers. Complex sales involve long sales cycles with multiple decision makers. Multiple stakeholders and stakeholder groups contribute to every complex sale.

Any product or service may become a complex sale. In some instances a complex sale occurs when the market is mature and the stakes high enough to warrant attention from a variety of stakeholders in the buying organization. In other instances a complex sales process is needed when the buyer has never had experience with the vendor, technology being sold, or if the solution is business critical or impacts the buying organization on a strategic level. The series of filters, purchasing steps, and stakeholders involved are designed to reduce the risks associated with making the wrong buying decision…

…often the sales person is required to have a set of skills that are more in line with a subject matter expert or consultant than a traditional sales person. This type of sales person can often be referred to as a Key Account Executive or Complex Sales Executive. (Full Definition here.)

The next few podcasts will hopefully help you develop an understanding of what core skills and strategies will be required to navigate and close complex sales.

Click Here to Download the MP3 Now

Subscribe in iTunes to this Sales Podcast

Our intentions impact the sale more than our attention!

Shane Gibson

This sales podcast is presented by Shane Gibson.

Shane Gibson is the author of Closing Bigger the Field Guide to Closing Bigger Deals and President of Knowledge Brokers International Systems Ltd. a leading sales performance and leadership development organization. Shane divides his time between his entrepreneurial projects, speaking at major conferences and mentoring salespeople and entrepreneurs.

Quick Links:

Sales Training Canada
Sales
Training South Africa
Sales Training Boot Camps Vancouver
Complete Sales Action System
Managing Complex Business
Relationships System

Click Here the Download the MP3 Now

Subscribe in iTunes to this Sales Podcast

Get focused, think bigger, and close bigger!

Shane Gibson

This sales podcast is presented by Shane Gibson.

Shane Gibson is the author of Closing Bigger the Field Guide to Closing Bigger Deals and President of Knowledge Brokers International Systems Ltd. a leading sales performance and leadership development organization. Shane divides his time between his entrepreneurial projects, speaking at major conferences and mentoring salespeople and entrepreneurs.

Quick Links:

Sales Training Canada
Sales
Training South Africa
Sales Training Boot Camps Vancouver
Complete Sales Action System
Managing Complex Business
Relationships System