My last post “50 Ways to get More from Linkedin” got a good response, so I decided to do one about using Twitter for business.  Twitter is perceived in some quarters as a lesser business tool and sometimes suffers from a bad press. I personally have found it to be a very effective tool – provided of course you go about using it in the right way. To date,  Twitter has generated for me – the most return vs. the time that I have put it, when compared to the other social media.

When using Twitter for business, It’s important to have a plan so that you have something to measure your results against. In my experience, the individuals and businesses that fail to leverage Twitter effectively are also those who have employed no strategy and/or have not taken the time to understand how to use it.  So what better way to help you to get off to a great start, than taking advice from some people and businesses that use it well. So from me and some of my Twitter friends here are:

# 50 Tips to Get You STARTED Using Twitter for Business

1. @CindyKing Remember that Twitter is a tool in your social media marketing/communication. It is like a hammer or a telephone… and so are all of the fun apps. If it’s a new medium for you, then don’t go blindly wielding that hammer all over the place. Spend lots of time listening to people on Twitter relevant to your business. Notice the different tactics people use. Start slowly. Give yourself 1-3 months to get a feel for the environment and to figure out the best way you can use Twitter to help your business.

2. @CindyKing If you remember that Twitter is just a tool, once you understand the environment it is easy to see how you can use it best to fit in with your business needs. And this approach also helps you to see how to integrate your Twitter activities into an overall social media marketing plan.

3. @whatswhat_sian It’s free and simple to sign up to Twitter. To make your listing look good ensure you have a catchy bio with a link to your website. This way someone can find out more info about you or your business if they need or want to.  Ensure you add an avatar (Picture), preferably of yourself, as lots of people don’t like to interact with someone hiding their identity. If you are on Twitter to market a brand name then make sure your twitter name is your brand.

4. @whatswhat_sian Don’t protect your tweets if you’re aim is to converse with people.

5. @whatswhat_sian To speak to someone directly, type their twitter name preceded by the @ sign – eg. @whatswhat_sian Anyone following both of you can see those tweets. If you wish to say something to someone without anyone else seeing then you send a Direct Message (DM).

6. @davidabrock If you want, you can lurk for a while to get a feel for Twitter and what’s going on.  Both look at interesting people, figure out the etiquette, etc.

7. @davidabrock Know who you are and how you want to be perceived in Twitter.  Stated differently, know your personal brand and be true to it.

8. @skipanderson Post several dozen tweets over a period of several days (or more) before starting to follow people. Many visitors want to know what you’re all about before they follow you, and your tweets do that better than even your profile.

9. @whatswhat_sian It’s great if you already know someone on Twitter and look at who they are following or who is following them – it’s simple to click to follow them then. And the majority of the time they will follow you back.

10. @rbconsulting Plan on how you going to use the service. For me, I don’t really use it for chat, but more for circulating interesting info / links in relation to my areas of expertise or interest.

11. @Barros_Isabel Although there are many applications to back up Tweets I think the easiest and more reliable way is to create a RSS feed of your own Twitter account to yourself (email account). This should be done as soon as possible (ideally when you create your Twitter account).

12. @calebgardner It’s OK to start small. Follow some people that interest you, some that you want to network with – and be sure to upload your email contacts and follow the people you already know. Gradually you will start to build your network.

13. @calebgardner Don’t sign on to a service that guarantees you tons of followers in a short amount of time, and don’t immediately start following tons of people. Both are frowned upon in the Twitter community and will make lessen the quality of the medium for you.

14. @emmattdigital Don’t simply just self promote, but join in on conversations. Establish yourself as an expert.

15. @fredchannel ensure not to go mad with the “integration” fever. If you integrate everything you’ll annoy your audience. I would strongly suggest that you DO NOT integrate anything until you understand what’s going on, what message is coming from “here” and going “there”…

16. @fredchannel After launching a blog post for example, make sure that you use Twitter to spread the word. First, use tools like Hootsuite.com or any Twitter client that allows you to schedule tweets. Depending on the frequency of your posts, you’ll go ahead and schedule tweets for the following days (e.g. if you posts only once a week on Mondays, then schedule tweets for the rest of the week), so you post gets exposure to your Twitter audience AM and PM. You only have 140 characters so keep it short. What I suggest is that you first announce that you have a new post, then include the title (tell people what you wrote about!), then include the LINK to your post (extremely important) Finally include an engaging question that makes people want to learn more about your post.

17. @whatswhat_sian Follow people that are in the same location as you, or the same industry as you, and the businesses that you could benefit – there are several different apps for finding these.

18. @whatswhat_sian Put your twitter address on your website, emails, correspondence and your business card.

19. @rbconsulting I use twitter to circulate links to my blogs and articles of interest or discussions that I have started in LinkedIn etc.

20. @calebgardner Be careful just using Twitter as a way to continually blast out your own content. This is a sure-fire way to get ignored at best and unfollowed at worst. Instead start responding to people and having conversations. Share other people’s content. Then, when people come to know and trust you, you can share your own content.

21. @careerscoacheu Your tweets should be relevant and add value to your audience. Ask yourself does this tweet add value for my followers.

22. @careerscoacheu If tweeting a link – tell your followers the subject of the link so they know what they are clicking on.

23. @nialldevitt Twitter allows you to use up to 140 characters when creating a tweet. When tweeting a link, It’s a good idea to use a URL shortener to save space.  Also, if you are planning to get RTed, you will need to leave space for the person/s doing the RTing.

24. @fredchannel I use Tweetdeck as my primary way to handle Twitter. It is a fantastic tool. When you’re actively looking to network, besides the chit-chat, there’s nothing better than look for people asking questions and try to hello them! Go to the very lower left (First column showing the people you follow) and click on the option below: you’ll find a space where you can search for keywords in order to filter the information in the stream of tweets. The best way to find people asking questions is very simple: just insert into that space “?” and everybody asking a question will pop up

25. @whatswhat_sian I believe networking on Twitter is basically done by chatting to people and getting retweeted (RT’d). Using tweetdeck it is simple to see other people talking and there could be something you are interested in chatting about too or maybe someone is asking a question and you know the answer to.  If you are able to see the conversation then you are following them so it should not be a problem if you speak to that person.  Getting something you say RT’d is huge networking as someone with perhaps 1,000 followers will RT you and there’s a possibility of those 1,000 followers seeing your tweet. Even if you think 10% are online at that time you’re still reaching 100 more people that maybe hadn’t heard of you before.  This is much quicker than face to face networking.  I look at it as follows – imagine you are stood on a stage in front of your 500 followers and you say what you want to say (in 140 characters of course lol). Of that 500 only 50 people are actually listening to you and only 5 of them decide to tell other people what you have said (i.e. an RT). Those 5 have a total of maybe 2000 followers between them and working off that 10% your tweet may have reached 200 people who aren’t even in the same place as you are on a stage and have never heard of you.  Of course if your tweet is interesting enough it could be RT’d again and again – growing awareness of you. Don’t know about you but I’d never stand on a stage and talk to people so it’s a perfect way to network for people like myself.

26. @davidabrock Use Twitter as the starting point to build relationships.  Reach out and touch them, get to know them over the phone, in person, via something more than 140.  Some of my most valued relationships started in Twitter.

27. @rbconsulting Find out who tweeting on areas of interest to me and RT their tweets ts or reply with a response/question to their tweet.

28. @ganeca I’d suggest finding those local people & businesses using Twitter. Connect with them, and join in on their conversations that you can add to. You can use these sites to do that:

Twitter Advanced Search
ChirpCity
Nearby Tweets
Tweepz
Twellow Pages

29. @calebgardner Add yourself to services like Twellow and WeFollow. Start following people in your field and have conversations with them. See when others are posting their content and comment on it. Twitter is a fantastic networking tool when used that way.

30. @nialldevitt Its easy to get sucked in and waste a lot of time on twitter. At the start just spend a few hours a week seeking real results such as making X number of introductions etc.

31. @careerscoacheu Be disciplined about your time. Don’t get distracted with idol chit chat – that is if that is not your objective.

32. @calebgardner I’ve found that turning off Twitter completely for a period of time is the best ways to get things done that absolutely need to be done. There are also programs like Concentrate for Mac that will actually close programs for you and not allow them to open until a certain amount of time has passed.

33. @davidabrock Find good tools and leverage them.  For example, Hootsuite is fantastic.  It allows me to have a great twitter presence without actually spending a lot of time on Twitter.

34. @davidabrock Don’t let Twitter consume you.  You can be seduced into spending all your time on Twitter.  Set specific time for tweeting, stick with it, and again use the tools to leverage your presence.  While I have a pretty good Twitter presence, I actually spent less than an hour —spread through the day—on Twitter.

35. @skipanderson Be real. Be yourself. Find your “Twitter Voice.” Authenticity will set you apart from all the Twitter noise and make you attractive to potential followers.

36. @careerscoacheu Follow mentors and competitors as well as targeted customers.

37. @whatswhat_sian Start building up your Twitter friends by following people – use friends that you already know or follow and look through their followers and followers.  It’s likely you’ll have the same interests if they are friends of your friends.

38. @calebgardner the most important thing to remember on Twitter is: be a human. No one wants to follow a robot, and more importantly, robots don’t gain loyalty or get RTs (unless you’re a Dell or NYTimes, which you’re probably not.

39. @davidabrock Follow who you want, don’t feel obligated to follow everyone who follows you.

40. @davidabrock It’s about quality, not quantity.  It’s actually very easy to get 1000’s of followers very quickly.  But who cares if they are never paying attention to what you say.  Focus on developing a strong, loyal following.  Be loyal to them.

41. @davidabrock Be generous in your RT’s and in crediting others.  Twitter is about sharing, RT’s are a great indicator about sharing.

42. @rbconsulting A great way to engage on Twitter is to place a short question at the end of your tweet – e.g. “Windows7 provides great performance – are you seeing this improvement on your pc?”

43. @calebgardner two keys to getting RTed are loyalty and quality of tweet. If people are loyal to the person behind the account, they’ll RT you just out of that loyalty. The more compelling your message, the more interested your followers will be and more likely to get RTed.

44. @skipanderson If you must directly self-promote yourself on Twitter (“Read about my new affiliate program that makes me money while I sleep!”), make sure you submit 50 non-promotional tweets for every self-promotional tweet. Blatant self-promotion makes me exercise my unfollow finger.

45. @careerscoacheu Be polite – Always acknowledge new followers and thank for RTs and Mentions.

46. @elainerogers Use the Pareto Principle – 80-20 rule – 80% of your tweets should be interactive and informative (including RTs), No more than 20% should be self promoting and declarative (without replying to anyone)

47. @davidabrock If Twitter is a part of your business strategy, then you got to be there.  You can’t come in and out. You have to build relationships and results over time.  Too many tweet for a few weeks, are disappointed in the results and give up.  It takes time and building a presence and reputation. Related to the previous point, be clear about how/if twitter fits your business strategy.  If twitter fits your strategy, there is not an excuse for not tweeting on a regular basis.

48. @nialldevitt Remember Twitter is like any other business tool, it’s possibly to use it effectively and it’s possible to use it poorly. Ultimately all social media is really about people and not technology. Always try to keep that in mind!

49. @careerscoacheu Engage, Engage, Engage – You have no visibility unless you contribute.

50. @davidabrock Have fun and don’t take yourself too seriously.

Please share your Twitter Tips in the comments section below.

Related links:

The Beginner’s Guide to Twitter

137 Small Business Twitter Tips

13 Twitter Tips and Tutorials for Beginners

35 Twitter Tips from 35 Twitter Users

Twittering Tips for Beginners

Twenty-One Top Twitter Tips

The Ultimate Guide To Twitter

Btb Guest Author

Kelvin Gillen

Reading Irails post made me think about what did I understand by ‘authenticity’ ? and was it something innate or something that could be developed? And how authentic was I as a leader?

At a high level I suppose I understood authenticity to be about being honest and true to ones own values and beliefs, but in reality I think this was a little bit simplistic – in my experience many of us work in complex, politically orientated workplaces where complete honesty and openness are not often possible, practical or effective.  So how do we strike a balance between our authenticity and our environments or the work culture we find ourselves in?

Could managing ones authenticity be an answer?

While on the surface this approach intuitively sounds wrong, it is exactly this approach that many, including Rob Goffee and Garetth Jones, advocate in order to develop as an authentic leader.  This approach does not mean being manipulative or insincere in any way, but simply being able to present different faces to different audiences without losing sight of who you are – this role playing is not fake, but simply presenting different facets of yourself at different times i.e. is your audience made up of clients or colleagues? We need to be authentic with both, but will usually adopt slightly different personas with each.

So if we believe authenticity can be managed, is it something that we can work on and improve? I believe the answer to be a most definite yes,

Irail says that authentic leaders must be ‘consistent in their message’ and I think this is the key – you have to ensure that your actions are consistent with your words or else no one will ever perceive you as authentic.  This last bit is often overlooked i.e. you can’t really be authentic on your own – authenticity is largely defined by what other people see in you.

Finding common ground with those who you are trying to lead or influence is another way to establish your authenticity.  Be comfortable with where you come from and use your background to build a rapport with others and be genuinely curious about other people’s histories.

Authentic leadership is also associated with the promotion of positive psychological states such as confidence, optimism and hope, so you need to work on removing barriers between yourself and others and also try to give people feedback that acknowledges their own values and beliefs i.e. what is unique about them.

Anyway, what do people think? Is managing one’s own authenticity a contradiction?  Or perhaps a mechanism to help you grow and develop as a leader?

Kelvin Gillen is a Senior Manager with Pinnacle Project Partners. Over the last 15 years  he has worked as a Project / Programme Manager, primarily within the Financial Services Sector here in Ireland, but also with clients in the UK, Holland, the US and New Zealand. He have worked on a number of significant large scale projects – ranging from process improvement & automation initiatives, to more traditional solution design & implementation projects. PMP™ certified and holder of a MBA (First Class Honours) from UCD Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School.

Salesjobs.ie recently surveyed over 14,000 sales professionals surveyed on the their current economic status, attitudes to work, remuneration, through to sales targets, to key motivators, to work-life balance and everything in-between.

Key findings of Survey

Helping their employers get through the current economic crisis is high on their priorities

• 40% would take on additional responsibilities without additional pay to help their company get through the economic crisis.
• 36% of respondents had been asked to take a cut and a further 40% noted they had been asked to take a pay freeze.
• 71% state they work over 40-60 hours a week with one third of the total working in excess of 50 hours.
• 25% work at weekends, only 12% of sales people surveyed have answered that they never work weekends.
• The sales sector is not immune to the recession by any means with 40% of sales professionals stating they felt their current role is under threat of redundancy in 2009

The survey revealed One third of sales people when asked if the current economic climate has impacted on their sales performance replied they were either on or above target, encouragingly there are some healthy sales out there and it is not all doom and gloom

Only 10% of people are happy with how their companies are dealing with the financial crisis. The majority thought investment in sales and marketing should be increased in order to deal with the crisis.

Of the many options which we gave for how employees within the ‘sales industry’ would measure their success, a huge 24% responded that they would measure their success on ‘peace of mind’ and how fulfilled they were. This compares to only 8% who value material wealth and money as an indicator of success.

A full PDF sales report on findings can be accessed here

Btb Guest Author

Una Coleman

Changes are a coming…

You don’t have to be a marketing expert anymore to put an ezine together or blast your prospects with an e-marketing campaign or a cool survey.  They are all great ways to engage with your customers and Web 2.0 has given us fantastic, easy to use tools.  However, there is a downside to having access to this functionality at the click of our fingertips: Mail Overload.  We all get them – newsletters with nothing to say (or, too much to say), service offerings that have no relevance to our businesses, no personalisation, or the one that for me guarantees a send to blocked emails, “Dear Coleman”.  The sender hasn’t bothered to check my name: so much for customer care.  That’s why I say you don’t have to be a marketing expert…  Need I say more!

Outbound – email marketing

Unfortunately, the down-side is that our email is rapidly becoming our most protected piece of personal data.  We tweet intimate (and inane) details of our personal lives, we post personal and family pictures on Facebook, we upload embarrassing videos on YouTube, all for the world to see.  But, we hold control of our emails sacrosanct: we are becoming ever more intolerant of interruption based or outbound marketing.

This desire to be in control and decide with whom we wish to correspond is driving inbound and permission based marketing.  Equally, it is driving ever more stringent data-protection rules.  Warning: DON’T FALL FOUL OF DATA PROTECTION LEGISATION

Outbound – tele and direct marketing

And it’s not just email marketing: regulation also applies to direct marketing and telemarketing.  New EU regulation is coming into place the end of this year.  You need to ensure you are familiar with the local legislation in each of the countries you operate.

From October 2009, an amendment to the Dutch Telecommunications Act has come into force establishing new rules for business to business email marketing. Primarily, prior consent must be obtained from the receiver if his/her email address is to be used for future commercial purposes.  If you have an existing newsletter with Dutch email addresses you MUST obtain their consent before sending another newsletter.  You may send an email under separate cover instructing them to “opt in” to continuing to receive your newsletter by replying to that email. Without a confirmation to that email, you are prohibited by law to email that person again.  You have until the end of December to ge that consent.  There are nuances to the legislation and of course, where an established relationship exists as a result of the sale of goods and services permission is deemed to exist.

Opt in email marketing legislation

The amended to the Dutch Telecommunications Act is extreme but likely to set the standard for the future.

In addition to B2B email marketing, there are new and severe restrictions on outbound telemarketing activity.

All telemarketers MUST offer a do not call to prospects and register that number, as part of the call script.

Fines and penalties

In the case of the Netherlands, OPTA (www2.opta.nl/asp/en)  is the supervisory authority. The can impose stiff  fines up to € 450.000 in the case of telemarketing offences, or can go as far as temporarily closing down an organisation involved in outbound  telemarketing

UK email rules are currently based on 2003 legislation.  It is similar but not as restrictive as the Netherlands.  Permission is required for “cold” emailing. You can continue to email exiting clients, without requesting permission, as long as the products and services you are offering are similar.  If you are offering something new, then you need permission: http://www.ico.gov.uk/for_organisations/topic_specific_guides/marketing.aspx

This ever more restrictive legislation requires us to be more active and creative with our inbound, permission based marketing.  Websites must radically change from static brochureware to engaging information gateways that help build your brand and draw your prospects back.

What are your thoughts?  Will this make our task more difficult or will it make us more creative.  I’d love to hear your comments.

Una Coleman is an International Strategy and Marketing Consultant with over 20 years experience in marketing and strategy and international operations both in the US and Europe. Broad functional experience in: Marketing and Communications Strategic and Financial analytics including Business Case Development Consulting and Operational management Client Relationship Management Deep financial services sector knowledge. Worked in organisations ranging from technology start-ups, fast-paced direct marketing agency to large corporates. Member of Enterprise Ireland Mentor Panel Member of IIA (Irish Internet Association) International Strategy Working Group

My Good friend Sean Weafer launches his SellingEQ™ programme on the 18th of Feb at the The Hampton Hotel, Morehampton Rd Dublin.

How do you easily create high-trust, long-lasting and compelling business relationships with your clients and customers? Through the unique SellingEQ™ 100 Day programme.

The root word for ‘selling’ is ‘Selje’ meaning ‘to be of service’ and this unique programme shows you how to be of indispensable service to your clients and customers.

1. Understand the role of a modern ‘high trust’ advisor

2.Understand the importance of PCR’s over USP’s and the ‘new’ v the ‘old’ models of selling

3.Acquire and retaining high value clients through focused and strategic networking

4.Build high trust relationships where clients see you – their supplier – as an essential ‘non-equity’ partner and high trust advisor in their business

5.Recognise and adapt to a customer’s communication styles to deliver solutions in the client’s preferred manner – ensuring long-term, sustainable, business.

6.Learn the latest questioning techniques to unlock the emotional reasons why the customers and clients buy, overcome objections, achieve absolute clarity in your communication with clients, control business meetings and build more business.

7.Share ideas with other business people in your SellingEQ™ group.

SellingEQ Programme 1

Master Class 1: 18th of February (10-12.30pm)

Master Class 2: March 25th (10-12.30pm)

Master Class 3: April 14th (10-12.30pm)

Master Class 4: May 12th (10-12.30pm)

Master Class 5: June 9th (10-12.30pm)

SellingEQ Programme 2

Master Class 1: March 25th (2pm-4.30pm)

Master Clas 2: April 14th (2-4.30pm)

Master Class 3: May 12th (2-4.30pm)

Master Class 4: June 9th (2-4.30pm

Master Class 5: July 7th (2-4.30pm)

Created and facilitated by Seán Weafer , an international corporate specialist in ‘high trust’ business relationships, the SellingEQ™ programme provides the skills of driving revenues by creating compelling business relationships. Your SellingEQ™ programme comes with 5 x 90 minute monthly ‘live’ sessions and your own personal SellingEQ™ workbook with full audio CD seminars, unique articles and coaching exercises – all for just €995 per person. To register for our Feb 18th 2010 programme and get a FREE sales DVD call us at 01-2101934 and register BEFORE January 19th next.

LinkedIn Events

Btb Guest Author

Gerard Tannam

More and more, customers are making their choices based on brand.

So what are you waiting for?

When I talk with business-owners who’ve been slow to set about building their brand, I find their reluctance often comes down to a belief that brand-building is an expensive business. Of course, the big brands often spend a lot of money on creating their brands and even more telling the world about them but building your brand doesn’t need to cost the earth. In fact, given that the strength of your brand is based on the quality of your relationship with your customer, you can build a great brand using little more than ‘blood, sweat and toil’.

Sounds like too much hard work? It is, but here’s my five ways (each with a practical step attached) to build a top brand without putting your hand into your pocket:

1. Roll Up Your Sleeves That’s right; the first thing you’ve got to do is roll up your sleeves and get stuck in. Brand-building can be a messy business and you need to show your customer that you’re ready to get your hands dirty in order to make things work for them.

Practical Step: Schedule regular meetings with customers where there’s no sales agenda.

There’s no better way to show your commitment to your customers than meeting up with them to find out what’s going on in their lives. Of course, depending on your business, your meetings don’t have to be face-to-face. You can reach out to customers by ‘phone, email, SMS or twitter just as well.

2. Make Your Story Your Customer’s Story Now you’ve got to show your customers that you’ve been listening. It’s no good just listing your qualifications and achievements as so many of us do. You’ve got to link your story with the stories of your customers.

Practical Step: Put together case stories that show what you can do for your customer.

It’s very powerful when we can demonstrate to our customers what we can do for someone just like them. It’s not enough that we’re excellent at what we do; we must be able to show our customers how that relates to them right now. Good case stories offer a really effective way to do this.

3. Be A Big Fish In A Little Pond Too many business-owners make the mistake of battling it out in over-crowded marketplaces. Unless you can jump higher or shout louder than your competitors, there’s every danger that you’ll simply get lost in the crowd.

Practical Step: Make yours a category of one.

Find some aspect of what you do that immediately sets you apart from the competition. That might be something you specialise in, a unique service feature or guarantee, or a particular theme to what you do. The important thing is that you don’t make the make the mistake of fighting it out with bigger and better-armed competitors.

4. Build Your Own Network This isn’t simply about joining networks, although naturally enough you’ll need to do that too. This is about building your own system of vital links; that network of connections that links you to the important people in your marketplace.

Practical Step: Prompt word-of-mouth.

Don’t think of word-of-mouth as something that happens by accident. It’s up to you to design the network that will carry your message to those you want to influence. Of course, you’ll use existing networks wherever you can, but you need to be prepared to forge links between and beyond those networks.

5. Become An Expert Somewhat surprisingly, expertise is underrated when it comes to building brands. But it’s hugely attractive to customers, particularly in areas where that expertise can really make a difference between getting it right and getting it terribly wrong.

Practical Step: Publish your expertise.

Become the go-to expert in your field. This isn’t about being academic or technical. Work hard to build your expertise and then give it away freely to those who are open to it. Customers are rarely tempted to take things on themselves; when it comes down to it, they’d much prefer to have an expert take care of things for them.

Over To You: It really is over to you now. Put these five ways to work for you in building your brand and keep me posted about how you get on.

Gerard Tannam has long been fascinated with brands and how they work, rest and play. This fascination has taken him from his philosophy studies in Dublin to Asia where he worked with brands including the Mandarin Oriental Hotel, Remy Martin, Cathay Pacific, Prudential, MTV and Chanel. More recently, he set up Islandbridge where his clients include Maldron Hotels, Lee Valley Clothing, Children First and Aussie Ice. Gerard is a regular contributor to discussions on branding in both Ireland and overseas and offers a Brief Word on Brands on The Persuaders radio programme and podcast. He writes regular features: The Blend on the implications of branding for hospitality and tourism and The Pitch on branding for SME’s. He is also a frequent visitor to the Irish Management Institute, Dublin City University and Dublin Institute of Technology where he presents on brand innovation. Gerard set up Islandbridge in 2004.

Describing a “what is Leadership?” can prove a challenge for a great many organisations.  Unfortunately nowadays, leaders are expected to lead without ever being afforded the time to investigate what it means to lead.

Is leadership a about the result? Is it more to do with the process? Which came first, the chicken or the egg? It is a complex subject matter and one in which we all have a personal take.

Looking at history books can sometimes only add to our confusion, while there are similarities, there are often stark contrast in how the great leaders did their thing. While there is of course merit in the exercise, we sometimes forget to also look forward and envisage how the role of leading may evolve.

The collaborative approach is now the name of the game for a great many businesses. I have sometimes heard collaboration downtrodden by those who perceive it to be fashionable or populist, but with respects this is kind of just missing the point. Real collaboration has significant advantages that can not to be sniffed at. Smart people along with smart businesses are embracing collaboration now.

So my point is this, why then should leadership be any different in this regard.
Collaborative leadership is a concept I like, hence the principles behind “shared leadership” are ones which appeal to me greatly.

Let’s be clear here, two traits that a leader must possess to operate shared leadership are courage and confidence – the courage to trust that people can do the job, and the confidence to not want to own leadership exclusively. Insecure leaders on the other hand, are much more likely to instead choose to surround themselves with yes men – who will provide reassurance over challenge.

The role of the leader changes in a shared leadership situation. The unburdening of his or her “William Wallace” allows for a new categorisation of responsibility. It can be summed up in difficult language or indeed, it can be summed up plainly. My tastes have always been for the less exotic.

•    Find the right people
•    Trust the right people
•    Support the right people
•    Let the right people get on with it.
•    Manage the Interactions between the right people
•    On occasion allow the right people to make mistakes

The collaborative leader is a strategist and manager of people but as importantly he or she is also a teacher and indeed sometimes even a parent. I repeated “right people” in my summing up; this is because one significant advantage I feel a collaborative leader brings is in their ability to recognise the right people. This is then coupled with an ability to develop these same people.

Crucially if you truly understand that it is the people that are the organisation’s greatest resource, you should now begin to realise how fundamentally important this ability is in terms of success.

So then, if you are a leader, ask yourself the question do I need to own leadership?  If the answer is yes, perhaps you may be in the wrong job??

Btb Guest Author

Cindy King

Most businesses would like to develop their markets and embrace the opportunity of developing internationally… but very few actually do anything about going global.  Part of the reason behind this lethargy is a lack of knowledge about their international market opportunities.  Some in-house international market research can provide you with the knowledge you need to move forward.

Let’s look at 7 mistakes in international market research that are keeping many businesses from developing their international markets to their full potential.

#1: You Don’t Research Your Own Client And Prospect Data Base Thoroughly

If you already have a few international clients spread out over the world you are should take advantage of this.  Your own data base on international clients is the most useful resource you have because it is the most relevant one to your own business.

Remember to dig through this thoroughly.  Look for any trends or trigger events concerning the sales you have already made that could help you develop effective strategies today.

#2: You Don’t Identify Where Your Competitors Are Overseas

It is a big mistake not to spend some time researching your competitor’s international penetration history and current international targets.  This information can give you a wealth of information for your own international markets.

Remember to spend time observing what your competitors are doing abroad.

#3: You Don’t Research Industry Data Well Enough

Many unpleasant international blunders can be avoided with a little in-depth industry research.  Although this research is usually easy to find online, your particular industry might need some feedback from the relevant local advisers, the key is to know when to ask for help.

Remember to research the differences in industry standards and regulations on the foreign countries you are looking at and to get the right advice your business need.

#4: You Don’t Listen To What’s In The Press

Staying current on topics related to your international business development can help you avoid errors and it can also help you open doors. You need to stay up-to-date on what’s happening in your industry, the country and the area of the world you are interested in, in order to have the right conversations.

Remember to keep an eye on what is published in your own country and also in both the country and the region of the world you are focusing on.

#5: You Don’t Do Local SEO Research

Localized web research can provide you with some useful insights into local markets. This will give you a better idea of who your real competitors are in these countries.

Remember to check out the most popular local search engines and do keyword research in those countries.

#6: You Don’t Go Beyond Online Research

Online research is great, but it can only take you so far. You need to get information from good local sources too.

Remember to make contacts within your local foreign markets.  Instead of spending most of your time with online research, as soon as you have identified the names of the players and possible trends, reverse this trend and spend more time networking with the right players in your local target market.

#7: You Don’t Talk To People In Your International Markets

Business is carried out between people all over the world.  If there is one thing you should do, it is to pick up the phone and connect with people.  You might need to call and reach out to different people continually for several weeks or a few months.  You might need to improve your cross-cultural communication skills to get more out of these calls. But reaching out and connecting with local people will always help you to develop your business internationally.

Remember the value of speaking to the right people in your international markets.

Spend Time On International Market Research

When looking at the 7 mistakes above, it is obvious that the biggest mistake of all is not spending enough time on international market research.  This is why it is a good idea to allocate time every day to combine international networking with international market research activities.  All you need is to include this into your daily routines. It usually only takes a couple of months before most businesses get a very good idea of what they need to do next and how to go about doing it.

Do you want to get international clients?  What are you doing about it?
What other mistakes do you think people make in researching which markets to develop?

Cindy King is a cross-cultural marketer and international sales strategist who specializes in social media marketing. She is the Managing Editor of Social Media Examiner. Follow Cindy on Twitter @CindyKing or visit her Facebook Fan Page

Btb Guest Author

Anthea Newburn

With lives as busy as they are and the current uncertainty placing a lot more pressure on our working time it would be great to gain some extra time in the day.

You may think this is overly ambitious but with a few simple changes to your day you can gain a few minutes here and there. Once you start to look at small things you do you will start to see bigger wins.

• Every week check your diary for the following week – what do you still need to attend, who do you need to meet? Is there anything you don’t need to attend? Could you tag two meetings on the same side of the city to minimise travel time? Can you move any meetings to make your day more efficient?
• Have a priority list not a ‘to do’ list. Each Friday afternoon decide what your priorities will be for the following week & what actions need to be taken to get you there. Slot your priorities into your diary.
• Confirm meetings by text or email at least 24 hours before (you can set this up on web text easily). This avoids wasted time preparing for and travelling to cancelled meetings.
• Curb those at the desk chats – you know when Johnny comes over to tell you about his latest achievement or moan about the football last night. Learn to anticipate these & stop it with a polite but firm ‘I really need to focus on this for a deadline, I’ll catch up with you later’. Instead plan to ‘have coffee’ with key people you want to speak with. This can be one-to-one time with a direct report, a stakeholder in a project you’re taking on, a mentor in the industry or someone who has a different perspective.
• Learn to say no to tasks you can’t take on as you are overloaded, focusing on your priorities or if you are not the right person for the job. Over the years, by saying yes to everything, we train those around us to expect us to say yes. Start by saying ‘Can I check my diary and come back to you?’ The key is to get back quickly – be honest saying that you won’t be able to complete that this week and don’t want to let them down.
• Check if there are tasks others can help you with. What can you delegate? Don’t try to do everything yourself, if someone else has the time, resources or expertise then ask yourself why you are doing the task. Put a value on your time & the other things you could achieve given the time.
• Take a lunch break – ok, skipping lunch this may seem an easy way to gain time in your day but its not. Not taking a break (mentally & physically) will leave you less efficient. Look at your lunch – is there an adequate balance of carbohydrate & protein to get you through the afternoon slump? Take the chance to get out for a walk, even if its only around the block.
• Interesting articles and trade magazines can be kept with your notepad. Catch up on reading when you are waiting to meet with someone or travelling.
• Set up rss feeds for your favourite blogs so that you can scan the feed for anything interesting without taking the time to visit each site.
• Start the day with an energizing herbal tea (or if you must get your favourite caffeine kick)! Choose something with mint, hibiscus and blackberry.
• Check emails at set times in the day rather than watching for ‘You have a new message’ flags. If you are out of the office put a message on your email stating when you will be checking your email & when you are likely to respond.
• Put voicemail on your phone saying that you will respond within 24 hours. If you are focused on a task ignore the phone & let it go to voicemail.
• Get a water bottle and fill it in the morning and after lunch – this ensures you stay hydrated, focused and don’t have to keep walking to the water cooler to top up.

Anthea Newburn is a qualified life coach who is passionate about stress management and emotional intelligence. She works with individuals and groups to enhance their personal and work lives with a holistic view of where they are now & where they want to be. Having experienced a busy corporate career herself she can empathize with her clients. Her background is in hospitality and human resources. Click here to visit Anthea’s website.

This has been a REALLY tough year for many businesses and business people. “I can’t wait till this year is over” is something a great many of us feel right now. It is entirely normal and indeed healthy to expect that with a new year comes new opportunities and indeed new hope.

Perhaps now it is only right for us to pat ourselves on the back: for still being here, for still surviving, for still wanting, for still believed and for still SUCCEEDING….I have always believed that mountains are there to be climbed and next year may present itself as another or a different peak to scale….Christmas is a good time to take stock, to remind yourself why it is, you do what you do, and where it is you need to go. It is a time to prepare mentally and physically, to recharge those batteries - and to reignite your desire to succeed.

The world in which we now operate is one of constant flux – information and opportunity travels at such a speed, you would be forgiven for thinking that it is impossible to keep up. While the tools of doing business are in some cases unrecognisable from those we used only a few years ago – it is my absolute belief that the rules remain intact. Let me explain, here are my 5 KEYS to a Successful New Business Year

#1. Engage with People

Engaging with people is the fundamental first step towards creating person to person relationships. Relationships equal more in business; way too much talk now focuses on the venue, tool or technology – when really these are all secondary to the simple act of SAYING HELLO…. So whether it is making a face to face introduction, picking up the phone, asking a question, leaving a comment on a blog or RTing a tweet – remember the real power lies in DOING rather than the talking about it.

#2. Start to Truly Listen

Listening is probably our most powerful sense, yet so few of us use it well. We often pretend to listen rather than actually listen. Listening requires effort and concentration but it is worth its weight in gold. Think about it! Through listening we can HEAR what our customers want, where our markets are, where opportunities exist for us, how we can innovate and ultimately how you can be successful.

#3. Realise Together We Are Always Greater

All of mankind greatest achievements have come from us working together. From leaving Africa, to building the pyramids and putting a man on the moon, these achievements serve to constantly remind us – that together we will always be greater than the sum of our parts. Technologies serve to create new exponential opportunities for us to realise our collective potential. All we need to do to get there is reach out to one another.

#4. Become a Real Leader

Celebrity culture now infests our weaker minds; it’s like a drug that threatens to deceive the masses. A lack of genuine leaders has created a gap in a market where people are desperate for something to follow. The real power of influence is in what you do with it, not in how much you can eat. If bestowed with leadership, become a real leader rather than just another leadership abuser, because they are ten a penny.

#5. Develop a New Vision

With all that’s being watched, said and read about the current doom and gloom, you may think that I am losing my marbles – when I say it is really a time of plenty, but hold on! Our realisation that old ways no longer work leads to an inevitable conclusion – new ways will have to be found and someone will be required to find them…. Now is a time of creation, it is a time of innovation and it is a time for vision. To see new ways is to first think in new ways…. You will start to change the world as soon as you start to CHANGE your perception of it.

What are your New Year’s Business Resolutions?

Linkedin is a very powerful business tool. It’s wonderful for Networking, Personal Branding, Sales & Marketing, Job Seeking, Recruiting and More! I have used LinkedIn successfully for over a year now. Just to prove the point when creating this post, I posed a question in the Q&A section on Linkedin asking for people’s tips. Thanks again to everyone that contributed! So including some of my own here are:

#50 ways to get more from Linkedin

1. Realise that Linkedin is a complex and multi-functional tool; it’s going to take some time to learn to use it wisely – Niall Devitt

2. Contact/connect with experienced users and ask them for their advice as to how best to use it – Niall Devitt

3. Know why you are using Linkedin – what is your primary goal? This will determine your strategy – Lisa Murray

4. Decide whether you are going to post a resume/CV-oriented profile or a customer-oriented one. If you’re looking for a job, the first is appropriate – Dave Stein

5. If you’re happy where you are but would like to further highlight your personal capital to your customers, use the latter. It should include accomplishments you’ve made from the customer’s perspective, not from your next employer’s. They’re usually quite different – Dave Stein

6. Just be real and authentic, don’t hype yourself or your product if it isn’t the truth.  I always make it a point to get to “personally” know people and what they do…after all; this is ’social media’! – Jody Maley

7. List all your experience and education- Sahar Andrade

8. List all your achievements and honours- Sahar Andrade

9. Ensure your profile is set to full view – Lisa Murray

10. Personalise your Linkedin profile URL - Sahar Andrade

11. Create a proper profile with keywords, no typos and proper grammar – Sahar Andrade

12. Make sure you use a professional photo – no blanks or logos – people like dealing with other people! -Lisa Murray

13. Choose a good picture: ensure to have a clear, professional picture in your profile instead than a holiday pic – Fred Caballero

14. Update your status regularly to share your expertise in useful ways – Lisa Murray

15. Use your three links! You have the option to create three outgoing links to promote your company, blog, twitter account, etc. Use these to generate traffic wherever you want and edit the text so it becomes more attractive to click on. e.g.: don’t leave “My Company” when you can write “Social media blog” for example – Fred Caballero

16. Use box.net to add samples of your work – Sahar Andrade

17. Make sure to set up and add your company page to Linkedin – Niall Devitt

18. Give recommendations, endorse the people that you know are good at what they do – Niall Devitt

19. Get recommendations: one of the tops 5 things that most of the people pay attention to are your recommendations. These say a lot about you. Make sure you request an endorsement to everyone that knows how you work to share that experience with others – Fred Caballero

20. Always write a personal message when connecting with someone – Ian Cleary

21. Double check that you have spelled the person’s name correctly when sending invitations to connect -Ian Cleary

22. When someone connects with you, thank them for doing so Niall Devitt

23. Don’t reject invitations by hitting the IDK (I Don’t Know) button. Archive them instead – Judy B. Margolis, MA

24. Don’t upload your address book as a short cut to building your network. Instead, invite contacts one by one with a personalized invitation – Judy B. Margolis, MA

25. If you make a list of people you want to connect to and they are not in your network, join a group that they are a member of that you have a similar interest, start contributing to the group and then make a connection – Ian Cleary

26. Leverage your connections to get introduced to people you would like to form a relationship with, after all that’s what it all about, making connections – Niall Devitt

27. Join and participate actively in Linkedin groups. You’ll get known to the participants and be top of mind not only for their needs but also when other people ask “do you know someone?” Shel Horowitz

28. Choose relevant groups and be active: offer value and connect with other people in the group. -Fred Caballero

29. Make sure to read and observe group guidelines – play by the rules! -Niall Devitt

30. Stay away from self-promotion in Groups; instead demonstrate your expertise by contributing, asking questions, starting discussions and adding value -Niall Devitt

31. Start your very own group and invite people to join, this is a super way to get noticed and build your contacts – Niall Devitt

32.  Demonstrate your competence and expertise by using the Groups and Answers features to help people, not sell your wares! – Lisa Murray

33. If you correspond with someone as part of a discussion, follow it up with an invite to connect – Niall Devitt

34. Upload valuable articles and posts to the news section – Niall Devitt

35. Don’t just connect on Linkedin, pick up the phone or meet for a coffee, you will really start to see the full value of Linkedin when you take your on-line relationships off-line – Niall Devitt

36. Ask and answer questions in the Q&A section: show your expertise – Fred Caballero

37. Don’t forget to close any questions you ask in the Q&A forum and rate them – Judy B. Margolis, MA

38. Set up an RSS feed for the category of questions/answers you are interested in so you can monitor them – Ian Cleary

39. Don’t flag/report questions and answers willy-nilly because you don’t agree with the politics or don’t like the individual or it looks like spam to you – Judy B. Margolis, MA

40. Use the events application to promote your events – Sahar Andrade

41. Attend events that your contacts are attended and arrange to meet up face to face – Niall Devitt

42. Connect before you arrive: do your homework and check out on Linkedin each on of the people’s profile before going to a networking event – Fred Caballero

43. Connect proactively: When you meet with someone face-to-face ask them if they’re on Linkedin. If they are not, INVITE THEM, and keep in touch. They’ll always remember you for that – Fred Caballero

44. Use the network updates for fresh content (SEO and networking) Sahar Andrade

45. Make relevant comments about your connections’ status updates: that shows that you care about them. Also try to offer help or assistance if there’s anything you can do to get them closer to what they’re looking for -Fred Caballero

46. Don’t hide your contacts. Share! Leave them open so your contacts can see who you are connected with and request for introductions. At the end of the day Linkedin is about getting connected. Facilitate that job. Be a good sport! -Fred Caballero

47. Do an advanced search based on whatever you want to keep top on and save this as an RSS feed e.g. recruiter might set up a search for “looking for a job” – Ian Cleary

48. Embed a video in your Slideshare application – Ian Cleary

49.Leverage your profile with applications: Embed your blog, show people what you’ve been up to and share your expertise. Include presentations with Slideshare and add the Amazon app to share with other what you’re reading and learn from others – Fred Caballero

50. Attend some Linkedin training or get some Linkedin coaching- Niall Devitt

Please share YOUR LinkedIn tips in the comments section below.

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I joined the TSE team earlier this year and they are a truly inspiring group of International sales leaders. Jonathan Farrington is the TSE captain and has acted as a good friend and mentor to me on many occasions.

To celebrate the launch of Bloggertone - he has very kindly offered the new TSE Autumn ebook completely FREE to readers of this blog. It’s another absolutely brilliant sales ebook from Jonathan and the TSE team.

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I would openly encourage anyone involved in sales and developing business to join the TSE site as a VIP member….. It’s a great sales resource that offers simply amazing value for money – Make sure you check it out!