Becky Robinson's Blog, page 86

Featured on Friday: Favorite Finds {Edition 2}

The internet is chock-full of information, and it’s time for another round up of some of the best links and tips that we have found online. Being a team of social media consultants, we’re always on the lookout for ways to get more out of our time online, and we think it’s only fair that we pass the good finds on to you.

So settle in, pour yourself another cup of coffee (it’s okay if it’s your third, you’re among friends), and start clicking! 

We’ll start with the most important link – Becky’s 31 Days of Twitter Tips e-book is FREE to download through Sunday, September 1, so if you haven’t taken advantage of this deal yet, do it today! Want more? Sign up for her FREE Twitter Tips webinar taking place next Thursday. Grab your lunch and join us!
Google+ … like most people you’ve probably heard of it, but if you’re wondering what to do (or not do) with it, we think this article from Jeff Bullas is a great starting point (don’t forget to put Weaving Influence in your circles!).
Remember back in January when we helped Linda Freeman launch her first book? THRIVE! is still making the news , and it’s exciting to watch and support her continued success.
On Facebook this week, we shared a fantastic infographic from Business 2 Community on the various sizes of images used on social media sites. Covering everything from Twitter to YouTube, we think this is worth saving for reference.
This week, Megan shared a great article  with the team about discovering the 3 pillars of selling more books. Full of good insights, we happen to think it’s made better by the fact that Becky’s Twitter Tips e-book is mentioned (remember, the one you can get for FREE?).

It’s Your Turn! Got a “Favorite Find” that you’d like to share with us (or see shared on a future Featured on Friday post)? Shoot me an email with the link or leave a comment.

Best Book Launch Tips: Use Online Events to Create Interest in Your Book

When many authors consider events for promoting their books, they think about in-person events: book signings, launch parties, even book tours.

As bookstores close, budgets shrink, and schedules fill and as authors seek to grow their influence beyond their own hometowns and communities, online events offer an attractive alternative and the potential of reaching a much wider audience.

We regularly host events with our authors, introducing them and their content through interactive webinars.

These free webinars allow our authors to talk with their readers, fans, and followers, building a closer connection and helping their books and ideas come to life for participants. We record every session and upload our events to YouTube, creating a resource that can be accessed any time, anywhere, by anyone who is interested.

We often partner with special guests to expand the possible audience for our events.

As you consider events for launching your book, consider what online tools you might use facilitate events to bring people together to build excitement for your book and content.

Tweetchats. Sharing your book through a Q and A format in 140 characters or less is a fast-paced, fun way to find new readers for your book or to build relationships with people who are interested in your ideas.

Webinars. Webinars are a flexible format — you can use slides to share key content from your book, field questions from readers, or lead a discussion about your book’s topics.

Live video conversations. Using a Google+ Hangout or Spreecast you can invite others to participate on camera or stream live video of your event.

Facebook event. Some brand pages are hosting live conversations on Facebook. You could choose a one hour time period and invite your fans to join you on Facebook for an interactive event. Similar to a tweetchat, a Facebook chat allows you to connect in real time through text discussions with your fans at a predetermined time.

The most successful book launch strategies employ a combination of online events and in-person events. As  you plan your book launch events, be sure to consider how you can leverage online networks and tools to connect with your readers.

Tell me something! What other ideas do you have for creating opportunities online to create interest in your book?

You are NOT Me

You are just like me.

You think like me. You act like me.

You respond in exactly the ways I would expect.

You share my attitudes and beliefs.

You know what I know (even if I didn’t tell you.)

What motivates me would motivate you.

What would reward me, rewards you.

What I want, you want

Right?

As a leader (as a human!), I often fall into this mistaken way of thinking, also known as the mirror-image fallacy.

The mirror image fallacy is the wrongly assumed belief that others share our thoughts, responses, and perspectives.

 

A few years ago, I fell into the mirror image fallacy when I assumed that everyone I worked with would prefer a phone call to an email. (I certainly preferred it.) And then I drove one co-worker crazy with my fondness for phone communication, offending her strong sense that an email would serve the purpose just fine, thank you.

When we believe that others think, believe, and act like we do, we assume to be able to predict their preferences and choices. We treat people the way we would like to be treated, in a well-intentioned fulfillment of the Golden Rule.

The fastest way out of the mirror fallacy is awareness. I remind myself: you are not me.

Perhaps it’s a boundary issue as well, one in which I see who I am bleeding into and blending with who you are. So I remember: this is where I end. This is where you begin.

Once I am aware that we are distinct, I can cultivate curiosity and ask questions as I build a true connection with the real you. What ideas and beliefs do we have in common? What differences exist between us? How would you most like to be treated? What do you prefer?

Once I understand you better, I am free to choose to relate to you in the ways that put your comfort and well-being ahead of my own, which serves both you and our relationship.

To combat the mirror image fallacy, I can ask: What do you prefer? What do you think? What works best for you? What does success look like for you? What do you want?

I can look at you as through a plate of clear glass and see you as you are, instead of viewing you as a reflection and expression of me.

photo credit  gata no espelho by Wagner Machado Carlos Lemes

Not a Shotgun Wedding

Your agenda is a barrier to true connection.

If you approach the use of social media tools with a clearly defined agenda and looming deadline for results, you’ll find yourself frustrated, invariably.

The more urgent your need to get “something”  from your use social media channels, the less likely you will be to find the results you’re seeking.

Building an online network takes time. Lots. But like anything else in life that takes time, the results are worth it.

If building an online network were dinner, it would be a crockpot stew; the longer your stew simmers, the more wonderful aromas it spreads throughout your home and the more delicious the flavor when you take the first bite.

If building an online network were homebaked bread, it would be a loaf of Amish friendship bread, the one you cultivate over two weeks, stirring and adding daily, before it emerges from the oven, sweet, cinammon-y with melt-in-your-mouth goodness.

If building an online network were a gestating mammal, it would be a sperm whale mama, nurturing and growing her babe for nearly two years before sliding together through the water.

If building an online network were a running event, it would be an ultra marathon, one in which participants prepare for the long haul, getting up long before dawn and continue running, mile after mile, one foot in front of the other. It would be all the days preceding the actual event, unseen and countless miles knocked out in preparation.

If building an online network were a wedding celebration, it would be a long-awaited event, the union of high school sweethearts enduring a long separation and arriving, finally, in a warm embrace.

To be successful in using social media to market your business, grow an audience for a book, or advance your ideas, you must take a long term view, not a shotgun approach.

Be consistent. Regularly showing up is the most important way to build your online presence. Engage, interact, and share value — not once, twice, or every day for two months and then not at all —but every day, month after month, year after year. Every day is a chance to connect and build relationships. While I do regularly unplug for a day or two, and encourage others to do the same, you will be most effective when you show up most of the time.

Give. Approach every interaction with these questions: What value can I share? What can I give? If you are not sure what you can give, consider what you appreciate receiving from others. Can you give credit? Encouragement? Respect? Honor? Love? Knowledge? Can you promote others? Help them reach their goals?

Add value first and add more value than you extract. I think Chris Brogan said this: You must add value before you can extract value. Ideally, you will give and add value long before you ever make an ask of your network. It is for this reason that I rejoice when new authors begin preparing for book launches far in advance. When you begin using social media in the moment that you need something, just in time, like a shotgun wedding, your underlying motivation is as obvious as a baby bump. Everyone knows what brings a pregnant bride to the altar and everyone can see your agenda when you show up needy in online communities.

Tell me something!  What tips do you have for cultivating a long-term approach to using social media? 

photo credit Reunion Underwater photography Aquazimages

Featured on Friday: Chip Bell Guest Post

To celebrate the launch of Chip Bell’s new book, The 9 1/2 Principles of Innovative Service, we are honored to host a guest post from the man of the hour. If you want to know more about Chip, he was featured on an earlier Friday post, which you can read here. Take it away, Chip!

The End of Customer Innocence

The day in 1941 when planes from Japan dropped bombs on Pearl Harbor in Hawaii, has been called the end of innocence for the United States.   We had never had an attack on our soil from a foreign country since becoming a country.  That day of infamy was an attack on our soul.  And, we went to war to protect it.

While clearly not on the same emotional plain as a war-starting incident, the customer has had a version of an attack on what was historically a key feature of exceeding customer expectations—the element of real surprise. There was a time when a front desk clerk, rental car agent, airline gate attendant, merchant or waiter enchanted us with an unanticipated value-added something.  It had a neighborly, old-fashioned feeling when we got an extra.  The mechanic fixed something broken while servicing our vehicle and wrote “no charge” on the invoice.  We heard words like, “It’s on the house” or “we’ll comp it!”

Then, the world of unexpected extras pretty much came to an end.  Easily blamed on the tough economy, the shift was more subtle.  Extras were not actually taken away, they were managed away.  The extremes of a “no variance” philosophy from TQM and Six Sigma got pushed way beyond its rank and pay grade requiring the frontline to hand over their spontaneous generosity to the computer.  Now, the computer, not the gate agent, decides if you get that first class seat upgrade based on your frequent flyer status and seat availability.

And, the customer, robbed of that Jack-in-the-box feeling of surprise, has simply built the expectation of an extra into their criteria for satisfaction much like the cleanliness of a hospital or the security of a bank.  Value-added has become value-assumed and no longer a loyalty-creating value at all.  Proof that it has become a given, not an extra, is how easily the customer is disappointed when he or she fails to get what was once presented as a true surprise.

It is time to bring back the trust and authority the frontline needs to be both generous and ingenious.  If the Ritz-Carlton can trust a housekeeper to responsibly spend up to $2000 to make sure a guest leaves happy, the waiter can be trusted with the decision to a dessert for a loyal customer. Employees who can successfully manage a family budget, juggle soccer, tutoring and baseball practice schedules, and shop for groceries can figure out ways to surprise customers without jeopardizing the unit standards or the bottom line.

Returning customers to a feeling of innocence requires bringing back a setting lined in trust; place filled with joyful innovation.  It takes leaders who are as courageous as they want their employees to be creative. It calls for leaders in search of invention, not obedience.

About Chip Bell: Chip R. Bell is a highly sought after keynote speaker and the author of several best-selling books.  His newest book is The 9 1/2 Principles of Innovative Service, available on Simple Truths. You can connect with Chip through his website or via Twitter or Facebook.

Share Your Thoughts!  Are you a courageous and inventive leader? Have you ever experienced “surprise” service that made you want to tell others about it?

Best Book Launch Tips: Create Bulk Buy Incentives

If you want to sell thousands of books in a week to reach best-seller status on a big list, the best way to do so is through bulk sales.

Do the math. You can sell books singly, and add up the numbers,1 +1 +1, or you can sell in bulk and see sales multiply, 1000 X 10, or 10+10+100+1000+1500.

Gary Vaynerchuk skillfully demonstrates this concept on the landing page for his new book, Jab Jab Right Hook. He ramped up his offer of bulk buy incentives during a live spreecast, An Epic Day of Book Talk, which has received nearly forty thousand views. And though his pub date isn’t until November 26, the book is already ranked in two categories on Amazon and is six thousand overall.

I thoroughly enjoyed The Thank You Economy and I’m excited to read Gary’s new book, so I ordered 7 copies, to share with my team and clients.

If you market each of your books effectively, you will gather readers who are excited to buy your next book, as Gary has. When people are confident that your work adds value, they may be compelled to buy in bulk, especially if your work offers value to their team or organization.

Here are a few ideas about how to leverage bulk buy incentives to increase sales of your book:

Identify incentives that will compel your audience. Whatever offer you make must be congruent with your book’s content and value. Look for offers you can make that fit your audience’s needs and interests.

Be creative! Look for ways to offer unique incentives that compel people to buy more books.

Make sure your offers will scale. If you are offering your time in exchange for bulk sales, make sure the numbers add up. You have a limited number of hours available and don’t want to over-promise your time. Look for incentives that do not require your time, when possible.

Use bulk sales as a negotiation tool. While most authors can’t afford to trade keynotes for book sales, you can use the purchase of a bulk order of your books as a negotiating tool in closing a keynote sale by offering your keynote for a price and allowing part of the price to be applied toward a bulk book purchase.

Ask for bulk purchases. Many authors sell thousands of books to clients of their consulting practices. Your book brings your best thinking and learning to your clients in a convenient package, which can be read, re-read, and shared. If clients already pay top dollar for your knowledge and expertise, they will likely be willing to invest in buying multiple copies of your book. Consider the price of a day of training with you vs. the cost of bulk purchases of your book.

Create a landing page that makes your offer clear and promote it widely. Don’t assume that people who want to purchase in bulk will know about your incentive offers. Proactively share your offers. Make sure people can easily find them. Be open to possibilities beyond the offer. Gary Vaynerchuk’s offer includes the opportunity to barter.

Time these bulk buys proactively. By sending bulk sales to a site like 800 CEO Read, which reports to the Wall Street list and feeds to the NY Times, you can increase your chances of landing one of the big lists. If possible, time your bulk sales through CEO Read to land within a certain week or month.

When you incentivize and promote the bulk sales of your book, you will multiply your success and see your sales grow exponentially.

Tell me something! What other ideas do you have about how to leverage bulk sales? What has worked for you?

Permission to Move On

A friend called me on Monday afternoon. He knew I’d hit a few rough and bumpy patches lately.

He listened to me moan and whine and then he said some pretty powerful words. “You have 24 hours to feel bad about this — eat a lot of ice cream, whatever it is that you do when you’re feeling bad. When the 24 hours are over, you have to move on.”

24 hours. My friend gave me permission to wallow for 24 hours.

(What I didn’t tell him is that I’ve been moping for two weeks!)

I needed permission.

I needed permission to stay in bed past five am, permission to sit at my desk eating trail mix by the handful.

More than that, I needed permission — direction — to put a stop to my self-centered self-pity.

I needed permission to move on.

I needed permission to look to what’s ahead. To leave the mistakes in the past.

I needed permission to make better decisions moving forward. I needed permission to envision a new future.

I needed permission to move on.

My friend gave me permission.

What I’m finding is that in order for me to move on, I have to let go.

In order to move on, I must give others permission to move on to what’s next in their lives —  not making it about me, but about them: their freedom, happiness, right to choose.

They don’t need my permission, of course.

It’s a paradox like forgiveness, which is a gift to the one forgiving perhaps more than the one forgiven.

In the mental discipline of my granting permission to you, I am giving myself permission.

In giving permission to you to move on, I am giving myself the same permission.

What frees you, frees me.

You have permission to move on. I’m on my way.

photo credit Alex Pearson

The Global Leadership Summit – My Favorite Speaker

A little over a week ago I had the extreme privilege of co-representing the Weaving Influence team at the Willow Creek Association Global Leadership Summit. (If you’re not familiar with the Summit, read this great post by Molly Page from last week.)

The experience was truly amazing. Since the Summit, several friends have asked me who my favorite speaker was. While I could list off points each speaker made that hit me hard, there was one speaker who had me hanging on his every word.

Bob Goff, the author of the book Love Does, is unlike most men you will probably ever meet. It’s not because of the way he looks or the authority with which he speaks. It is because he is so remarkably himself. Sounds strange doesn’t it?

But trust me, Bob is the kind of guy who is simply himself, and today, that is incredible. He is a man of many unique interests and he hasn’t allowed anyone to deter him from following where those interests lead. What may be even more astounding about his ability to be totally himself is his ability to be bold.

In his book, Bob describes incredible adventures. These adventures include everything from law school to international encounters with some of the world’s most powerful people. Every story started the same way, with a bold and audacious request. Bob has accomplished many dreams, all because he was unafraid of asking for opportunity.

So what does this have to do with you and me? As everyday leaders, the everyday grind can get to be tough. Working hard to get your name out and build a good reputation can be exhausting. We look at established moguls and think “how did they come to have such influence and success?” Have you ever thought that they may have asked someone for an opportunity?

Maybe they, like Bob, had to sit outside the Dean’s office everyday for 2 weeks asking for an opportunity before the acceptance letter came. You may be thinking, “normal people do not make outrageous requests such as, will you let me into law school even though the date has passed and my grades are tanked?” However, maybe more of us would be a step closer to our dreams if making bold requests was the normal thing to do.

So who are you and what are your dreams? Is there someone who you think is too important to talk with you, but could provide an opportunity for you if asked? Don’t be afraid. Even if you are sweaty palmed and trembling, boldly make your request. It could be the conversation that changes everything

Innovative Service Lessons at Church

We pulled into the parking lot and my daughter read the sign out loud “Newcomers, turn on your flashers.” Parking lot attendants directed newcomers’ cars to the parking spots closest to the doors of the church.

And as I held my girls’ hands to walk them into church, parents of younger children loaded them into wagons — provided and pulled by ushers of the church.

Our entire visit to Newspring Church reminded me of the lessons from Chip Bell’s new book, 9 1/2 Principles of Innovative Service.

From sign-in to the kids’ program, where an attendant wrote down all my girls’ pertinent information then entered them into a computer system that returned printed labels, for me and them, to ensure their safety during church to the ladies’ room, where each sink had its own bottle of fragrant lotion, volunteers at Newspring treated my family and me like royalty.

My girls left church with gift bags containing information about the kids’ programs, a colorful lollipop, and a plastic Newspring cup that turned color when the temperature of the contents changed.

My parents and I visited the Green Room, a meet and greet room for visitors with special snacks — cucumber water and berry lemonade along with packaged energy bars, fruit, and cheesecake square — not your mama’s church refreshment table! At each table in the green room, volunteers greeted newcomers with gift bags and gathered contact information.

At a well-stocked information booth, volunteers offered earplugs for visitors to the church unaccustomed to the loud music.

Chip Bell says: “Boldly summon customers on a journey to collective joy much like a child welcoming a close friend to a tree house filled with secrets.”

As a visitor at Newspring Church, the attention to detail astounded me. Even after the service, the attention to detail continued as my daughters and I each received personalized notes in the mail. My note even referenced a comment I made about our visit to the church! Sherry, who wrote to me, remembered we were visiting from out of town and expressed her desire that we return to the church the next time we visited the area.

The innovative service we received at Newspring Church made me feel valued and special, from the moment we pulled into the parking lot.

I encourage you to buy and read Chip Bell’s new book, 9 1/2 Principles of Innovative Service, for insight and inspiration about the principles organizations can use to create experiences that will cause customers to swoon, smile, and sing your praises.

Featured on Friday: Team Member Megan Constantino

Curious about the Featured on Friday posts? Learn more.

This week, I’m excited to share Featured on Friday – with a twist! It’s an honor to introduce you to one of the talented members of the Weaving Influence team. As I mentioned last week, we’re scattered across the country, covering three time zones and multiple states. Most of us have never met in person, relying solely on Go To Meeting, Google Hangouts, Basecamp, email, and secret Facebook groups to get to know one another.

Earlier this week, I interviewed one of our newest contractors to find out a little more about her. I know some of her answers surprised me, and quite a few of them made me laugh. You just never know what you’re going to discover once you dig a little deeper. With that, I invite you to get to know Megan Constantino…

Tell us a little bit about yourself, Megan…

I am a native and current resident of Beckley, WV. I am passionate about marketing, communications, and serving clients. My professional background spans from retail jewelry sales, retail management, to ultimately my love: public relations and marketing. My husband Frank and I love to travel, learn together, pamper our fur children, and work up a sweat at the gym or on a good running trail.

How long have you been working with Weaving Influence?

I have been with Weaving Influence (WI) now for a little over a month full time. I have always been looking for a company like WI. I pinch myself daily to make sure this isn’t a dream.

What’s your favorite aspect of working with Weaving Influence?

My favorite part of working for WI is ultimately the support factor. I feel the support from Becky, the team, and the clients. What an amazing group of people. We are so blessed to work with one another and serve such awesome clients. The clients truly are rock stars.

What’s your official Weaving Influence job title?

Public Relations Director

What’s your favorite pastime?

Traveling to new places. I have set foot on the soil of 25 countries to date. Looking forward to more. China may just be next.

What’s the best social media tip you can offer?

My tip comes from a personal angle: Stop and think before sharing personal information online as you would anywhere else. We (as a society) tend to be a bit relaxed on the content we share. While I am all for being yourself (see my Facebook page), I am a firm believer that you should always have parameters set up for yourself in regards to your sharing practices. You want to provide a positive reflection of yourself, family, friends, and those that are in your circles. It is no different online.

Tell us something unusual about yourself!

I love to dance. I have always loved it, but last year a fire sparked within me as I participated in our local United Way’s “Dancing with the Stars” fundraising event. My partner, Richard Jarrell, and I danced to Danger Zone with a Top Gun (movie) theme. Though we didn’t win, we had a ball! Monte Durham- host of “Say Yes to the Dress” was one of the judges.

Connect with Megan on Twitter and LinkedIn. 

Share Your Thoughts! How many countries have you visited – can you top her number?