While social media remains an evolving story, the players are taking shape when you observe what they do on the web. As my psychotherapist friend (yes, we are just friends) says, “behavior predicts behavior.”
In fact, there are six categories of social media users and these types are usually grouped according to their activities. Check this out:
John Bradley Jackson
Top Dog
The BirdDog Group
© Copyright 2010
All rights reserved.
James Thurber, author and cartoonist, said that many years ago and it is true today.
Selling is not about what you say to the customer, but rather it is about the questions you ask. Many salespeople are in love with their own words and ideas. They are often described as having the “gift of gab” which means that they really just talk too much. Instead of asking open-ended questions and listening, talkative salespeople talk too much.
They ramble on and on about product features to fill the dead air (which is extremely uncomfortable for a talkative person). Worse yet, they invariably talk about themselves, which is the last thing that the buyer wants to hear.
Meanwhile, the buyer ultimately buys from the seller who best understands their problems or needs. Of course, you don’t get to understand the buyer’s needs by talking. Great salespeople ask questions to learn about the buyer’s motivations, concerns, and desires. It is really that simple.
Ask questions to discover what matters most to the customer. If you must speak, then talk about what matters most to the customer.
John Bradley Jackson
Top Dog
The BirdDog Group
© Copyright 2010
All rights reserved.
The students who graduate from college today emerge from a self indulgent cocoon — college was all about them, their interests, and their dreams. Post college is a period of discovery about the stark reality of real life, commerce, and responsibility. I suppose, in many respects, this is the way it was for us old dudes 30 years ago.
The difference today is the broken promise of the Bachelors Degree — it entitles few to a career, or even a job. There are increasingly fewer jobs for young and old. Instead, workers must approach the workplace as an auction or barter for their services. They must be constantly on the hunt for new relationships, new skills, and new opportunities.
For the older worker, this has been an acknowledged trend for a number of decades which has spurred entrepreneurship. Mid career execs leave the corporate world by choice or by termination and then must reinvent themselves. I was one of those corporate refugees nearly ten years ago. I had soured of the politics and BS. I chose to focus my efforts on things that truly mattered and on activities that were satisfying.
College grads have been told a story about how a college degree will empower them to get a job. All the classroom cases and examples are about Procter and Gamble, Coca-Cola, and IBM (By the way, a quick internet search will show that these firms are downsized and have recently cut compensation of existing workers by up to 20%). By and large, the University is clueless about the new normal workplace.
While I totally buy into the value proposition of education, college does little to prepare the student for this new workplace. Students have yet to learn the value of networking, referrals, public speaking, and basic business etiquette. Many also struggle with basic skills such writing, reading, etc. That is yet another problem but still relevant.
Young workers are confused due to the inaccurate messages that they recieved from parents and educators. While the declining value of a college degree is an observed long term trend, it has been largely ignored. Couple that decline with our recent historic recession (soon to be written as so) and you have a bunch of young workers who must quickly adapt.
The bright side of the story is that the young may be more adaptable than us old dudes. They may have fewer biases and have not lived as long with the out-of-date “scripts” about life and careers and jobs. This new story needs to be told, the work scripts need to be rewritten, education must be reinvented, and the game needs to be re-branded.
John Bradley Jackson
Top Dog
The BirdDog Group
How valuable is social media to Entrepreneurs? There is considerable debate about the answer to this question.
A recent Wall Street Journal article provides a critical view about social media as a sales tool —- and this is exactly the problem. Describing social media as a sales tool is like saying that advertising sells products.
Advertising builds awareness for an offering. Advertising does not sell the products. In a similar way, social media does not sell products. Social media nurtures relationships.
Let’s reset the expectations for social media.
John Bradley Jackson
Top Dog
The BirdDog Group
© Copyright 2010
All rights reserved.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB20001424052748703909804575123691040422082.html
The Ides of March was a festive day dedicated to the god Mars and a military parade was usually held. In modern times, the term Ides of March is best known as the date that Julius Caesar was killed in 709 AUC or 44 B.C. Julius Caesar was stabbed to death in the Roman Senate led by Marcus Junius Brutus, Gaius Cassius Longinus and 60 other co-conspirators. (Wikipedia).
For us in the 21st century, the Ides of March is a rally cry to get on with it, despite the dreary economy that continues to linger. From my point of view, our economic recovery is hinged on making things happen now, rather than waiting for an email with a notice about how things rebounded last quarter.
Entrepreneurship is all about making things better, whether you work in a start up or a large organization. If you reduce entrepreneurship to one attribute or trait it, is creativity. Consider creativity as applied imaginatinon —- a bright idea that was acted upon.
So, let’s get on with it.
John Bradley Jackson
Top Dog
The BirdDog Group
© Copyright 2010
All rights reserved.
Entrepreneurship in certainly well represented in Orange County. Irvine is especially famous for being a hotspot of entrepreneurial activities, especially in the biotech and software industries.
However, where does Orange County stand on the entrepreneurship dimension compared to other regions of the country known for their entrepreneurial activities? This question is important since it can point to ways of strengthening entrepreneurship in OC. Curiously, no one can readily answer this question, or so it seems.
The CSUF Center for Entrepreneurship aspires to answer that question. Please click on the link and fill out our survey.
http://ocentrepreneurship.com/2010/03/ocentrepreneurship-survey/
John Bradley Jackson
Top Dog
The BirdDog Group
© Copyright 2010
All rights reserved.
Social media is reporting a new normal in society’s view of money and success. The greed of the dotcom era seems to have been replaced by a new set of priorities which favor trust and authenticity.
If this is true and we are having a cultural shift in values, are your marketing messages compatible? Or, like most firms, does your value proposition boast profits and growth for customers who buy your offering?
Let it known that this author embraces profits and growth, but if there is truly a cultural shift at play there may be no choice but to adapt. Otherwise, your offering will look out of date. Worse yet, you could be sending a message that is rejected.
John Bradley Jackson
Top Dog
The BirdDog Group
© Copyright 2010
All rights reserved.
http://www.bestsocialmediamarketingtips.com/2124″
I just finished my new book “Déjà New Marketing: Increase Sales with Social Media, Search Marketing, E-mail Marketing, Blogs, and More”.
It is now with the publisher and should be available in 120 days or so. The book took 3 years to write and is an update to my first book, “First, Best, or Different”. This one is more search marketing and social media focused.
I will keep you updated on its progress.
John Bradley Jackson
Top Dog
The BirdDog Group
© Copyright 2010
All rights reserved.
Courtesy of Alex Rutledge, CSUF Entrepreneur. Take a look at this list of trends that are good, bad, or interesting:
John Bradley Jackson
Top Dog
The BirdDog Group
© Copyright 2010
All rights reserved.
It is legend that in good times people drink (alcohol) a lot and when times are bad they drink even more. Yet, for the first time in recent memory, alcohol sales dropped in the fourth quarter during the holiday season.
According to Jerry Hirsch of the LA Times in the December 25, 2009 issue, preliminary results show total sales dollars are down about 1.4% over the same period last year.
Does this mean people are drinking less? Not necessarily. It appears that they have downgraded to the “cheap stuff”. Discounting and coupons are coincidentally at an all time high.
The lesson to all marketers is that substitutes exist and that customers will reach for them if the incentives are high enough. True brand loyalty resides in a small group. The rest can be teased away by a lower price or other incentives.
John Bradley Jackson
The BirdDog Group