LinkedIn. Need I say more?

I have been thinking more and more about social media recently, and I have started giving much greater thought to the massive potential in connecting through the various available free platforms online today.

I say ‘free’, but there is, of course, a cost. It is TIME.

I have spoken to people recently, when I have been swept up in LinkedIn enthusiasm, and they have said things like:

“I tried LinkedIn a bit, but I couldn’t see the value/I prefer face-to-face networking”

To that I say:

“Yes, LinkedIn is a great way to build relationships, but it needs to be worked in tandem with a variety of other means of networking and other marketing tools”

I am not saying AT ALL that face-to-face should go, but if you spend 60 seconds speed networking with someone, and then possibly don’t see each other for months or years, do you fully understand their business, and they yours?

Equally, you may be very structured when you network, and follow up religiously after the meeting.  You might find that this is hugely beneficial, but it could take a LOT of time.

Still, not to say it shouldn’t be done.

When you make the contact with those people, why not connect in a way that will guarantee, if it is a year or more before you have need of each others services, that even if you move business, or change job role, you know this fact, and can manage the relationship accordingly?  LinkedIn operates for me like a constantly self-updating contacts database, with extras.  And more!

However, to put into context my point here, I was speaking to a lady who is some hours’ drive away from my location, so we shall possibly never meet.  She wanted to know to whom she was speaking, and what I could possibly do for her, and I wanted to know who she was as well.  Now, generally, I am sure a lot of us look up the website of the company to whom we are speaking whilst on the ‘phone, and this gives an understanding of their business.  If, however, we could be more specific, and know where the person we are speaking to has worked before, who we both know, and other pertinent information (hopefully all up to date), then how much easier would it be for us to build a relationship in a short space of time?

LinkedIn allows me to know what associates are doing, planning to do, and what events are going on, as well as allowing me to read archived newsletters from connections, and to generally engage in a time and cost-effective fashion, and to keep my finger on the pulse, as it were.

To elaborate on this, I have attached an article which further fuelled my enthusiasm for social media, and I think makes the point that it is here to stay, and we need to make the most of it!

http://blogs.forbes.com/ciocentral/2011/02/16/why-linkedin-is-more-valuable-than-facebook/

I would also ask, if you can spare a moment, if you would like to answer my poll question about photos on social media profiles. 

Enjoy!

Thanks,

Caroline Anderson

Business Boots

www.businessboots.co.uk

Twitter: @businessboots

Ho Ho Ho!

Christmas Spirit is coming early this year!

I would just like to extol the virtues of networking and positive referrals.

Sounds obvious?  Well, it is, but we don’t always appreciate the value of these matters!

I have been truly honoured this last week or two to not only meet people for whom I shall be able to offer referrals in the Future, I am sure, but also I have had Christmas come early in terms of getting the opportunity to meet with and work with some of the people I have had on my ‘wish list’.

What I would like to ask, Dear Reader, is that if you have someone on your list, that you get in touch, and see if I can help in any way.

Keep in touch!

Useful Information About Home Working Courtesy of Enterprising Women

I found this, and thought it might prove useful to all of us, and that the information about Enterprising Women might be useful particularly to my business ‘sisters’!

How to be a successful home worker

Do you already work from home? Or are you thinking of taking the plunge? Make sure you read our idiot’s guide!

When you’re in full-time employment, the idea of working from home can seem like a dream come true: no more waiting at the bus stop in rain, wind or snow; no more hours spent in traffic jams; and no more last-minute panics to iron the last clean shirt in the wardrobe.

But most home workers find that the novelty soon wears thin. Because there’s no divide between home and work, it’s easy to keep working long after you’d normally clock off; there’s no water cooler, let alone anyone to chat with over it; and the temptation to spend all day in your pyjamas is a force to be reckoned with.

So how can you make the most of your day, minimise distractions and ensure that home working really works for you?

Stake your territory
Or rather, create a dedicated workspace – easy if you’ve got a study or a spare bedroom at your disposal. If you haven’t, find a corner that can be allocated as your office, and nothing more. It’ll really help you to keep your work and domestic lives separate.

Create a routine
Set your alarm at the same time every day, get up, shower and change. Allocate a set amount of time for breakfast, a start time and also a time to clock off. Once you get into the routine, it’ll become automatic and you’ll be less tempted to waste time. Some people find that a ‘walk to work’ – even just around the block! – helps to separate work time from free time.

Create your own goals
When there’s no-one around to nag you, it’s easy to procrastinate and put off unpleasant tasks. Decide what you need to achieve each day and concentrate on clearing those items one by one. Before you knock off, write a list of what you need to do tomorrow: it’ll help you to switch off and start enjoying your evening.

Ban Facebook
Sitting at your computer does not necessarily equate to working – especially if you’re continually checking your email or Facebook account! If you really can’t do without your fix until lunchtime, set aside 5 minutes’ ‘leisure time’ each hour. Be strict with yourself and gradually decrease this as you get more disciplined.

Set clear boundaries
When you’re at home all day, it’s easy to be seen as the perfect candidate for babysitting, grocery shopping or receiving deliveries. Drawing a clear line between your domestic and business responsibilities will help manage friends’ and family’s expectations, and help keep you sane.

Seek out company and make the most of quiet times
One of the biggest drawbacks of home-working is that it can be quite lonely. Going to networking meetings can combine socialising with productivity, but when business is slow, don’t be afraid to get out of the house and meet a friend for coffee. The morale boost will help you to be more productive once you’re back in the office.

Get a business phone line
It can seem like an unnecessary expenditure, but a dedicated phone line will ensure you always sound professional when you answer the phone (you can be sure it’s not your mum calling about your plans for the weekend), and as an added bonus, you can switch it off outside office hours.

For more information about Enterprising Women, please visit:

www.enterprising-women.org

The Business Boots Fable of The Monkeys…

This is in part based around the ideas explained in the ‘One Minute Manager meets the Monkey’, but I have tried to make it relevant to what we offer at Business Boots, and to therefore try to better explain WHAT we offer to businesses and people, and how we can best help.

Here is the analogy:

You have an idea.  You want to contact new sectors with what you can offer.  You have this great idea.  You have things to offer.  You are, however, too busy doing what you do.  That is a MONKEY.

You have a project, it could be small, such as a mail shot, which needs co-ordinating from designing, printing, planning the mailing list, timings and strategy, to picking the best people to target with your message. That is a MONKEY.

You have a lot of strong leads which need attention, but NO time to deal with them. Another MONKEY.

The monkeys are now actually getting in the way of the work you managed quite well before.  The opportunities are blocking your path to achieving them!

Here is the answer:

Move the monkeys.

If you pass the monkeys onto someone else, then they stop being such a nuisance.  They become SOMEONE ELSE’S PROBLEM.

We are happy to take monkeys for either short-term or longer-term management.

We will care for a love any monkey in our care as though it were our own, because it BECOMES our own.

So, to summarise:

Don’t let the monkeys get you down!  We can love and nurture as many monkeys as you want to place in our care, and you will know they are safe.

For Monkey Management, think Business Boots.

Business Boots Blog for a Rainy Day

As I sit here, with the autumnal rain splattering the glass of my window, I feel the need to point something out to myself, as much as anyone else.

It is a truth universally accepted that people on a quest for health and fitness join gyms.

I have been a member of a gym for about 4 months now.  Still not much fitter, I only attend about twice a week.  I don’t go to the myriad classes to which I am entitled, nor do I stick to a strict nutritional regime to go alongside this ‘new me’.

There is a point to this…

The gym slips out of my mind and therefore out of my routine because other things are higher in my list of priorities.  This can be applied to lots of things we know that we ‘ought’ to do.

Business Boots is one year old in three weeks time, and since we began I have been a huge advocate of the benefits of communication and social media, and yet I have been remiss.  I have not blogged sufficiently, and I tweet only a couple of times a day, at best.  I am certain beyond any doubt that I meet with more useful information each day than I pass on, and that is no good.

I can no longer be the one who preaches, and then does not act upon her own message.

From now on, check in to this blog to see at least two inspiring, amusing or interesting things (hopefully) per week.  Doubtless it will all be worth your effort.

Any feedback will be gratefully received, and please do get in touch at www.businessboots.co.uk.

I hope you enjoy what I have to say.

Keep in  touch.

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