LOVE AT FIRST TWEET

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This is not your typical love story because I have been happily married for 43 years.  It started in July with a notice from Twitter that I was being followed by Phyllis Neill, a woman I didn’t know…which certainly is not unusual for Twitter.

I quickly reviewed her profile and saw she was a business person living here in Birmingham, so I clicked to follow her.  Being curious, I then searched her LinkedIn profile & invited her into my network.

She quickly accepted & asked to meet for coffee.  The plot thickens. 

I met Phyllis at Starbucks in Vestavia & liked her instantly.  She was smart, aggressive, had a great deal of high level marketing experience, & was a social media wonder.  It dawned on me we could make a great team…so I popped the big question:  “How about becoming business partners?”

Now you may be asking how on our first date I could ask a stranger to consider a partnership.  Well, this is not as far fetched as it might seem.  By the time we met, I had done a great deal of Internet & social media due diligence on her.  I reviewed her LinkedIn profile; examined her work history, recommendations, connections—including our common connections; read her blog & I had Googled her.  I was not surprised she dominated her Google search pages. This woman was a find.

It didn’t happen that day, but Phyllis & I are now partners at WeMentor Social Media Marketing.  We help companies make money with social media. We wouldn’t have met without Twitter.  We wouldn’t have known each other without LinkedIn.  This is the true value of Social Media.  This is David Sher, your e-Networking guy saying it’s not what you know, but whOO you know.

BEST WAY TO FIND EMPLOYEES…PASSIVE RESUMES ON LINKEDIN

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I recently had lunch with a good friend; one who really understands the Internet. We got into a conversation about finding employees on LinkedIn. This is not surprising because we’re both avid LinkedIn users.

She said, “You know the platforms that job applicants generally use to find jobs, or companies use to find employees, like Monster or CareerBuilder?  It’s only a matter of time before LinkedIn eats their lunch.”

 I didn’t quite understand what she meant, but she explained.  “Look, you’re an employer who is trying to hire employees. Would you rather hire someone who’s out of work and looking for a job or would you rather hire someone who’s been in a job for eight or ten years, and not necessarily looking for a change? You probably have a better chance of hiring a winner when you hire somebody who’s winning already, rather than someone who is looking for a new opportunity.”

 I got additional insight when a business associate pointed out that resumes on LinkedIn are peer reviewed.

 I thought about that for a minute. It’s probably not a good idea to post anything on LinkedIn that’s not true, when your brother-in-law or wife, cousin or co-worker, can look at it and see that you didn’t tell the truth. Your credibility would be shot.

 This statistic may shock you.  Fifty three percent of people who apply for jobs lie on their resume. I don’t know about you, but I think I’d rather find a peer-reviewed resume on LinkedIn than take my chances with a resume.

 This is David Sher, your e-Networking guy saying it’s not what you know, but whoo you know.

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WHY SOME PEOPLE ARE SUCCESSFUL & OTHERS NOT

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Let’s go back ten or eleven years.  I got a call from Michael Calvert, the President of Operation New Birmingham…the economic development organization for our city center.  At the time I was Chairman of the Board. 

A national consultant was in Birmingham meeting with all the economic development groups to gain support for building a dome stadium.  Michael wanted me to attend.

When Michael & I arrived, there was a young man with the consultant.  I remember being impressed that such a youthful man had such an important job.  I figured he must have been a great athlete or well connected.  By the way, his name is Nick Sellers & as it turned out he was neither a great athlete or well connected.

Now let’s fast forward to last week to a Leadership Birmingham meeting.  Nick was one of the co-chairs & I had an opportunity to talk with him. 

We reminisced about the first time we met & he told me he had been twenty-three years old & had just moved to Birmingham.  He had tried out for arena football, but had been cut after two weeks.  He needed a job badly & single mindedly had decided he wanted to work for a local celebrity, Gene Hallman, the president of the Alabama Sports Foundation.

He didn’t know Gene & was unable to get him to return his phone calls.  Then one day, he saw Gene on TV speaking at a cerebral palsy telethon.  He put on a coat & tie & rushed to the telethon where he basically stalked the guy.  When given the opportunity, he asked him for a job—no matter how menial.

Gene called him the next week to ask if he would consider being a driver for the consultant.

The rest is history. Nick eventually went to work for Alabama Power where his career has been on fire…all because of Nick’s people skills, creativity, & bravery.

This is David Sher your e-Networking Guy saying it’s not what you know, but whOO you know.

THE MORE YOU HELP OTHERS…THE MORE THEY WANT TO HELP YOU

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I was rushing out the door, heading for a workout, when I got a call on my cell.  It was from a business owner friend who had a problem.   He was being audited by Federal wage & hour & he was looking for an experienced attorney who specializes in that area of the law.  He said, “I know you have lots of connections,” and I was wondering if you know a lawyer you could recommend.”  Fortunately I hadn’t had a need for wage & hour counseling, but I had recently talked with a client who was having the same issue.  I called him and he, indeed, knew an experienced attorney he was currently working with. 

 Helping people find jobs, connecting friends who are looking for vendors or vendors looking for clients…I spend a fair amount of my week helping others.  Now you are probably saying, what is that all about?

 And I know this sounds strange, but the more people I help, the more people that seem to help me.  Steven Leung, from the San Francisco area, who I wouldn’t have known -without LinkedIn, taught me how to do podcasts.  Wade Kwon, our local blogging expert, spent an hour with me giving me tips on how to improve my blog.   In fact, you may be listening to this podcast because of some search tips or tags Wade showed me.  Duncan Lamb, a brilliant business man and a good friend of mine, actually came to my house to help me with some computer issues.  My friends on LinkedIn, Facebook, & Twitter are always answering my question.

 I was talking to a long time attorney friend of mine and he said, and I quote, “I don’t want to get on LinkedIn…someone might ask me for something.”

 Now I don’t usually get philosophical, but I am going to quote the Talmud, “If I’m not for myself, who will be for me?  If I’m only for myself, what am I?  And if not now, when?

 This is David Sher, your e-networking guy, saying it’s not what you know, but whOO you know.

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A SALESPERSON WHO REALLY GETS SOCIAL MEDIA

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 I woke up at 5:30 to get some work done and rushed to my computer.  I had checked my e-mails the night before…so I didn’t expect any new ones.  But there was a lengthy LinkedIn e-mail from a John Garrett.  Who is John Garrett?

 I had posted a question on LinkedIn the previous afternoon asking if anyone had ideas about how to build traffic for my podcast.  John sent me two pages of suggestions at 1:30 in the morning.  What an unselfish act.

 I responded with a thank you, and he replied by inviting me to lunch to brainstorm other ideas.  I didn’t know it at the time, but that is how John builds his business relationships.  He sincerely tries to help others and has a goal to never eat alone.

 At that lunch and through other interactions with John, I’ve determined John might be the most creative salesperson I’ve ever met.

 He created a LinkedIn group titled, “Business Owners of Birmingham, Alabama.”  As of the day of this post, the group has 129 members….128 business owners…and one salesperson, John.  Of course John is a business owner, President of the Microfit Group, but he sure has packed the group to his advantage.

 And John doesn’t believe in cold calling.  He has a sure fire way of getting past the gate keeper and having decision makers want to talk with him.  John publishes a blog…so he calls up companies he respects and offers to give them free publicity to write about them.  Naturally, everyone loves a free plug.

 You may say this seems contrived, but I don’t agree.  I’ve never seen John ask for business.  He believes if you show interest in others and sincerely try to help them, they will recognize your value.  John gets it…that’s what social media is all about.

 This is David Sher, your e-Networking guy saying it’s not what you know, but whOO you know.

 John Garrett’s blog:  http://www.johnegarrett.com/

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