Sales Staff Not Using Social Media They Should Be

Sales Staff Not Using Social Media They Should Be As the power of social media tightens its grip on the modern workforce, the need for companies to make the right kind of noise becomes more important than ever.  Social media  though, isnt just the role of the wider marketing team   employees  and sales people in particular,  should ideally be right in the thick of it, making the most of the online marketplace.  How  is social selling changing the way B2B organisations engage with decision makers?  To get some answers, Ive had a chat with Sophie Barnes of Xchanging. Listen to the interview on iTunes, SoundCloud or keep reading for a summary.  Our tip of the week is the very useful and free  Google Forms. Our big shout goes out to Campbell Syme. Tell us about Xchanging and what you do there? Xchanging provides technology-enabled business solutions to the global commercial insurance industry, recently acquired by CSC, a leading provider of next-generation technology solutions and services. I am the Global Social Media Manager, I implement and manage the global social media strategy across the Xchanging brand. Working to build brand awareness and align our social activity to marketing campaigns. I manage the social selling programme within Xchanging and work closely with the talent acquisition team on their LinkedIn strategies, and own the employee advocacy programme.   How did you go about implementing social selling in the organisation? So first, about two years ago we began exploring the tool [Sales Navigator], exploring what the trend ‘social selling’ meant and how B2B companies could benefit from it. It still is, a trend that is  up and coming. I spoke to LinkedIn and said, What have you got going on and what can we do to implement this at Xchanging?, “How can we benefit from this”.  So, we started a pilot trial with them. To grab the attention of the sales team, I used the gamification of their Social Selling Index (SSI) score, sending the  link around for them to explore their own scores.  I stepped back and watched them all go, Wow, I cant believe Im beating you to each other and looking at how the managers were thinking, Oh God, my team members have actually got higher scores than me. What I can do about this? that’s when the personal emails came creeping in. Then we really pushed it out into the business, which was all about education. We had webcasts with LinkedIn, globally, then figuring out how we can of become one Xchanging and one sales and marketing teams to help drive and fill the leads funnel.   What were some of the challenges that you faced implementing social selling? It was getting the buy-in, obviously, from the business. Sitting down and trying to prove the ROI of social media, which I obviously fight on a daily basis when it comes to the B2B insurance market. Initially, the buy-in, having the time and the resources to sit down with everyone and actually train them one-to-one on how to use the tool.  The challenge that I now face is having the sales guys be confident in what theyre doing and actually stand up and give me a case study. I want to show back the business how social media is helping not only the brand and marketing activities, but sales too. What channels do you use for social selling? Predominantly, obviously, LinkedIn, then I try to encourage Twitter, to help build up individual profiles (to help when attending events and joining the hashtags). Obviously, I get I havent got time to do all of this. So we sync their accounts together, not best practice I know, but to keep their constant flow across both channels with content and help build up their profile. Our main focus is definitely, definitely on LinkedIn increasing the SSI scores, being active and being there. What digital sales collaterals do you use? Weve got digital flip books, theyre called Turtl. We share them across our social media platforms, the analytics we receive are really insightful. It’s also great for capturing leads with the call to action for more content, they also have a little funky GIFs. Weve then got all of our YouTube content and downloadable PDFs all online. We tend to use our social channels as strong content as well. We do twittertchats or hashtag campaigns to help promote a service, and then Ill put that into a nice Storify to then reuse as content as well. What tools do your sales people use on a daily basis? On a daily basis, the sales guys are obviously on LinkedIn. Every single one of them. And of course Salesforce. Then, I have just recently rolled out my employee advocacy program. Ive got them all on Smarp as well.  I have got key senior directors, or their PAs, on Hootsuite. Its what we use internally in my team to log in and schedule stuff from there.  Then obviously, all the analytics you get off the back of Brandwatch, Sprout, and Hootsuite. And then the LinkedIn Sales Navigator, theyve got a brilliant reporting system. I could just pull it off into a CSV file. We then use Google Analytics and how it kind of all syncs in the UTM tracking with Marketo and the lead captures that we have there as well. How do you go about measuring success and what results have you seen? Weve only got half of our sales team on Sales Navigator. I imagine this is about how many people are coming up to me saying, I need a license now. I cant do my job without it. Because Im seeing all of this knowledge being pushed around the business of what youre doing to help us. I need you to give me a license. I think thats a strong success for myself. Then, obviously, the business and what they want to see is measuring the KPIs, the resources. How much weve spent on the project?   We then measure the awareness, the impressions, the leads captured, wherever theyre going into the pipelines, wherever theyre going over the market and going through and being successful. A long list of tick boxes of what we can do and how we report back from that synching in with Salesforce and now Marketo reporting system. Whats going to happen next in this space? For my industry, I definitely think its still the uptake. Insurance is so slow. I think itll be how insurance are really engaging in LinkedIn groups and creating discussions. And the regulations within insurance will make things a little bit harder. I think that will all be overcome and the whole server security thing wont be a fear when it comes to social media. I then think that employee advocacy will be huge in social media and how businesses are really going to be engaging with the programs and platforms that you can be using out there. I think paid social is really, really strong at the moment and sometimes youre going to be lost in the noise if youre not doing it. But employee advocacy is going to be the way that businesses and companies are going to be actually utilising their staff and getting stuff heard. Follow Sophie on Twitter  @SophieBarnesx. Top image credit: Shutterstock

Tips For Writing Resume in First Person

Tips For Writing Resume in First PersonWriting a resume in the first person is similar to writing one in third person. The major difference being that the first person resume will focus on past work experience and educational achievements. The reason for the focus on work experience and educational achievements is that both of these are looked upon favorably by most job recruiters.Writing a resume in the first person is also becoming more popular because it allows for greater personalization. Employers want to know more about the person that they are hiring and what they expect from the employee. By describing past employment, educational accomplishments, or hobbies the recruiter will be able to determine if the candidate will be a good fit for the position that is being sought.Jobs are now open at all educational levels, including those that offer degrees in teaching other people how to teach. There are jobs for virtually any type of teacher that one can think of. If you are a very good writer or one that enjoys teaching, then it might be an excellent idea to add the following information to your resume:In order to get a better look at the kind of positions that are available, it is helpful to take a look at employment history in one of the following fields. If you have been a member of a society and that society has a newsletter that you have published, it would be a good idea to write that information on your resume. This will show potential employers that you are more than just an online writer, and that you are serious about pursuing a profession that involves working with children.If you want to keep the articles you have written for others, it would be helpful to include them in the applicant section of your resume. There are a lot of positions that require individuals that have experience writing for websites. If you happen to be an expert in this field, you will likely be able to get a job through word of mouth. It is also a good idea to list how many articles you have written for other individuals.When you take a look at past work, educational achievements, or college degrees, they will all have a positive impact on your chances of getting a job. It will be much easier for recruiters to hire you if they see that you have a good educational background and that you have good ideas for students. Therefore, it would be wise to provide the following information on your resume:Writing a resume in the first person can be intimidating, but it can be easier to do when you get an idea of the type of person that you would like to become. One of the easiest ways to come up with a good first person resume is to think about all of the jobs that you might have applied for in the past. Once you have gotten a feel for what it is like to apply for jobs in that particular field, you will be able to write your own resume much more easily.One way to begin changing your resume into a first person one is to take a look at one that is already complete and see if you can make some changes to it. You may also want to try to rewrite some of the information yourself, but it is very easy to do when you already have an idea of the format.

Attitude is Everything to Your Boss - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

Attitude is Everything to Your Boss - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career CEOs tell me about the importance of managing your good attitude: “I can easily hire qualified people, but it’s not so easy to find people with a good outlook.” “I hire attitude. Skills can be learned. I’ll take good attitude any day.” “I can teach people the technical side of the business a lot easier than I can teach them how to have a good mindset.” “I no longer hire for technical skills. Instead, I hire mainly on personality and work ethics. Not only does technology change so often that people have to constantly learn new things but also, people who understand technology are not necessarily able to interface with customers, and they can quickly do more damage than good.” “What catches my eye in an employee? Someone who has a positive attitude about everything, leaves problems at home, is uplifting, and turns crap into gold.” “If I have a choice of two people who are comparably talented, I will always choose to go with the one who has the can-do, ‘Hey, boss, we can get this done’ attitude. Frankly, it’s too tiring to have to coax and cajole a negative person.” “I don’t have a lot of patience for a person who always acts like there is a rain cloud parked over his boat.” “I want people who calm trouble and soothe rough edges, who are even-keeled, who are happy with themselves . . . . They don’t have to be jolly and joking; they just need to be more amiable than most.” Debra is the co-author of the new book from McGraw-Hill titled, The Leadership Mind Switch (June, 2017)

Personal Branding Interview Tina Wells - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

Personal Branding Interview Tina Wells - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career Today, I spoke to Tina Wells, who is the CEO of Buzz Marketing Group, which is a youth marketing agency that specializes in youth needs, desires and trends. In this interview, Tina talks about her entrepreneurship path, the obstacles she faced, and how to appeal to the young consumer. When did you get the idea to start the Buzz Marketing Group? I was 16 years old, and writing product reviews for a newspaper for girls called The New Girl Times. Id send reviews back to the companies I wrote about, and theyd always inquire about sending me additional products for feedback. I thought it was a great side gig. I never imagined I could make money doing it. I spent two years building my free product review service, and even hired some friends to help. It wasnt until a client (my services were free) told me shed paid someone $25,000 for feedback similar to mine. I was floored. I was a freshman at Hood College and had just started taking an intro to business class with the head of the department. I asked for a meeting to discuss what I had been up to, and she was equally floored. I told her my idea to legitimize the business and she worked with me to develop a very extensive business plan. What obstacles did you face as a young entrepreneur and what can you share about how you confronted them? My biggest obstacle turned out to be my greatest strength. I was young and didnt even know what I was doing. But because I was young, I was more an advocate for young people. I still feel like its my job to advocate for the youth market. You have a new book coming out about tapping the Gen-Y consumer. What concerns do companies have when targeting this age group? Millennials are fickle, not really brand loyal, and dont want to spend tons of money anymore. Its not easy to attract customers anymore, and only the best will survive. Millennials love marketing, but I think that because they love it, theyre not easily wooed. Its more of, yeah, your commercial is cool. Whatevs. I can get the same thing on eBay in 5 days for 10% of the cost. Its rough. What are your top three tips for connecting with the Gen-Y consumer? Dont assume you know more than Millennials. You dont. Offer value. If you dont offer any value to them, they dont have a reason to give you money. Immerse yourself in youth culture. We all can be youth marketers in some way. Go to a football game on a Friday night and see what teens are really up to. When looking back, what were a few critical decisions you made that have had a long-term positive impact on your brand? I understood my core competency. I had the opportunity, very early on, to go 100% dot com. That would have destroyed my business. Just because it was popular in the late 1990s didnt mean it was the right thing for me. I expanded my original network of teens (13-19) to include tweens and young adults. Both of these groups are critical to my business today. I started taking classes at Wharton a few years ago. Who knows when Ill be done. But its important for me to keep learning and to continue growing. Tina Wells, CEO of Buzz Marketing Group, is in her 12th year of business after starting her career writing for New Girl Times magazine at the young age of 16. Buzz Marketing Group, a youth marketing agency that specializes in youth needs, desires and trends. Tinas ascent from teen dreamer to CEO has landed her a long list of honors such as: Essence 40 Under 40, Billboards 30 Under 30, AOLs Black Voices Black Women Leaders in Business top ten list, Inc Magazines 30 Under 30 and 2009 Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award. Tina has also been appointed to the National Board of Directors for the Friends of Orphans, and is on the Board of Directors for the Philadelphia Orchestra. She has been quoted and featured in such high profile publications as O Magazine, New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Essence, Entrepreneur, CosmoGirl, and Ebony. Follow her on Twitter @fashiontw.

Buzzwords For Writing Positions

Buzzwords For Writing PositionsWhen it comes to composing your resume, there are a lot of buzzwords for writing positions. However, you want to be sure that you use only the best buzzwords to boost your chances of getting hired for the position. In fact, you should also make sure that these buzzwords are highly specific, so that the employer has an easier time looking over them. Once you use the right words and phrases, your chances of being hired to go up drastically.First of all, what do you do when you are trying to get jobs that have job descriptions that may be a little complicated? You want to find out if you have to use buzzwords for writing positions in order to get a job. It will definitely help, as long as you are sure that you are using the right words and phrases for the job description.There are a few common terms that all job descriptions need to be accurate. When you are trying to get a job that is a little more complex, you may need to do a little research to find out which words are best to use in your resume or cover letter. Of course, this doesn't mean that you can't use the right buzzwords, as long as you make sure that they are very specific.One thing to do when you are trying to figure out what words to use when writing your resume or cover letter is to remember the job description. While you might not know what the job description is, you can always find out. If the job description is very clear and if the job description doesn't have many different terms, then you will definitely want to use some buzzwords for writing positions. The job description will tell you what to say in your job application.The next thing to do is to remember the job description and to be very specific about it. This means that you have to take a look at the job description and make sure that it is clear. What does the job description ask for? What does it mean?As long as you remember the job description, you will be able to create a good resume for the job you ar e applying for. For example, if you were applying for a role as a customer service representative, you would want to make sure that you include the customer service buzzwords for writing positions, as this is the kind of job that the company needs. If you were applying for an accounting job, you would want to put the accounting buzzwords for writing positions on your resume.Remember that you can use buzzwords for writing positions even if the job description is not very specific. If you were looking for a job as a receptionist, you could write in the buzzwords for writing positions as 'reservations and reception.' Of course, you could always just send in a resume with a general job description.Since most job descriptions are quite vague, it can be helpful to use some buzzwords for writing positions as well. In fact, you could use buzzwords for writing positions that are specific to the kind of position you are applying for. As long as you remember the job description, you can write an effective resume.

6 worst things you can do in a job interview - Margaret Buj - Interview Coach

6 worst things you can do in a job interview Even most qualified candidates might worry about the interview outcome. You can never be 100% sure if you answered the questions correctly and what impression you have made on an interviewer. You can prepare a perfect resume and other job application documents in advance, order service from  LinkedIn profile writers from CVPolitan, but one can’t be 100% ready for the job interview. To tell the truth, there exists no general guideline that might help slay any job interview. Even a candidate with years of suitable professional experience and an impressive set of skills can fail job interviews. Something always might go wrong. However, it is possible to prepare answers to all the common questions, dress and behave appropriately and avoid things that will make HR managers say ‘no.’ If you want to know what things to avoid doing during the job interview, read the list below. Say that you have other interviews going on There are many job seekers that emphasize on other job interviews and offers from competing companies to make employers feel like they may lose a valuable candidate. In reality, though, none of the recruiters wants to be pushed by candidates using such strategies. Ask the interview if you are qualified for the job One of the main secrets of nailing your job interview is remaining calm and firm. If you want the recruiter to think you are confident enough, don’t ask them something like: “what are my chances?”, “How well have I done?” or “Did you like me?” Say empty promises HR managers hate listening to empty promises. Especially when candidates promise to acquire skills they currently do not possess. Never say something like “I don’t have these skills yet but I am fast learner”. First, you didn’t come to the interview drive a hard bargain. Second, who can guarantee you’ll keep the promise? It is likely that potential hirers will give preference to more qualified applicants. Show being not serious about the interview Why would you and your interviewer want to waste time for the interview if you do not take this opportunity serious enough? If you don’t feel that this is the right place to work for you and you feel that from the very beginning, do not send your resume. Or if you already applied, cancel the interview by writing a letter to the company or making a call. Say you have no weaknesses Nobody is perfect. Looking confident does not mean you have to deny weaknesses. If you keep saying that you have no downsides, recruiters might think as if you are unable to judge yourself objectively. No, you don’t have to criticize yourself in case the recruiter asks you to tell about your weaknesses. But as you list your weaknesses, make a smooth turn and say how you are working on each of the problems to get rid of it and turn into benefits. Try to please the interview in every way Many job seekers believe that agreeing with every single word said by the interviewer would help them please employers and get the spot. Even so, nodding is not what you are coming for. If your opinions differ, don’t be afraid to contradict or disagree. But do not forget to support your claims with strong arguments. At least, recruiters will remember you better, which is definitely a good thing. Author bio: Katherine Page is a professional resume writer and content manager of CVPolitan. She enjoys blogging and writing about career-boosting techniques.

Dangerous Things That Happen If You Clip Your Employees Wings

Dangerous Things That Happen If You Clip Your Employees Wings You are the brain, the heart and the central nervous system behind your SME. You are the reason it exists and you’re the one maintaining the standards and values that make your business stand out from your competitors and keep your loyal customers and clients coming back again and again. But as vital as your skills, knowledge and expertise are to the smooth running of your business, no entrepreneur is an island. Your employees’ contribution to the success of your business cannot be overlooked. It’s their hard work, their ingenuity, their imagination and their dedication that’s gotten you where you are today. As such, you owe it to them to develop them and help them to achieve their dreams and invest in their ongoing development. There are many reasons why entrepreneurs fail to develop their employees adequately. Perhaps they’re wary of the expense and disruption caused by training and development. Perhaps they’re worries that if they make their employees too attractive to their competitors they’ll risk talent flight. Or perhaps their vanity won’t allow them to let their employees exceed them in ability, knowledge or competence. While all of the above are understandable to an extent, there’s absolutely no reason why an employer should deliberately deny knowledge transfer, as you’ll see in this fascinating article on the subject; http://blog.stevetrautman.com/you-are-here-knowledge-transfer-defined/. If you withhold opportunities to benefit from your knowledge including training, performance management and continuing professional development it can have some seriously detrimental effects on your business… You bottleneck their efficacy Entrepreneurs should be extremely wary of bottlenecking how well an employee can not only do their job, but deal adaptively to the day to day problems your business faces. Employees need to feel that they can bring their creative problem solving abilities to bear on the issues they face at work. If they do not, they will lean more heavily on their line managers or on you. This does not improve anyone’s productivity, least of all yours. Your turnover rate will soar Recruiting and developing new employees is a costly and time consuming enterprise and entrepreneurs generally want to spend as little time and money on it as possible. As such, many will employ retention strategies to make sure that their talented employees remain in house. If, however, you don’t develop intelligent and talented employees, they’ll quickly feel like they’re stagnating. They will get bored and their personal investment in their work will decrease incrementally as they find it less and less challenging, and ultimately less and less rewarding. Thus, your turnover rates will soar and you’ll be left not only with a dearth of talented and intelligent individuals but a plethora of costs in recruiting and developing their replacements. You damage your brand’s reputation Even the most dedicated employees will struggle to bring it to the yard if they feel that their employer doesn’t value them. Even if they’re well compensated for their work, if you show a lack of willingness to develop them their skills will stagnate and their commitment will dwindle. Inevitably this will have a negative effect on the standard of customer service they offer which in turn may cause irrevocable damage to your brand’s reputation.