Congrats on your class. I hope you’ll continue contributing to the conversation long after you graduate:)

Thanks so much for joining in the discussion and sharing your perspective and ideas.

Tim – you are so right. Many people want a sale now. And it doesn’t work that way off line or online. Patience and a blended approach is key.

Nicole – your party analogy is so great…though the MLM types would still not understand party etiquette.

More – authenticity is key…why that’s so hard for many folks I just don’t know.

All I know is that building quality relationships that lead to business results takes time and effort. And all 3 mentioned something key…our approach sets up apart from the competition.

I don’t know what I can add that hasn’t already been said in many good ways, but I wanted to chime in with a few brief thoughts anyway.

I commented on a blog yesterday (http://budurl.com/ubmb), responding to a comment that even though this person had been networking on LinkedIn (engaging in discussions, commenting, blogging, etc.) but nothing ever came of it….and he seemed to think that by doing all of that some magic was supposed to happen and bring him new clients and new business.

My somewhat lengthy comment focused on ‘expectations.’ I tend to do all of that and more (blogging, commenting, podcasting, posting videos, connecting with other people) with no expectations, so when some nice referral or online mention or solid connection does come about it is a pleasant surprise.

The second point I hoped to make was the to truly make those connections work, you have to pick up the phone, reach out and become ‘real’ to those online connections. Hopefully you’ll meet face-to-face someday and strengthen those connections even more.

The challenge as I see it is that most people want results NOW, and that impatience shows through and guides their aggressive tactics. I feel that patience and persistence will win out – and ultimately show good results.

Love the title, love the philosophy. People like xyz, make my job easier by eliminating themselves as my competition. It’s amazing how people just don’t know how to be themselves.

For me, I’m all about contributing to the discussion and doing whatever I can to add value and help others. In my LinkedIn groups, I do not mention my company, my services, what I do, etc. I believe that if you contribute value, people will naturally want to check you out and they do. I’m often asked to join other networks as a result.

I contrast that with a guy I’ve been watching in the ASTD National group. He just cannot refrain from mentioning his company and how great their products are. He poses questions/he answers them, but is clearly using that as a self serving way to brag about himself and his company. People see through that. He started getting smacked down pretty hard in one discussion recently.

IBM’s sales training approach was like that of your soccer coach. When you went on sales calls, you were NOT ALLOWED to mention your products even once during the first 3 meetings with a customer. The goal was to really learn about the clients needs. BTW – I didn’t work for IBM – I worked for their competitor:) I loved that approach though and trained my sales folks the same way.

The online world is awesome! I love how I can monitor blogs I like – Hubspot is definitely one of them – participate and then other people contribute in my discussions. So cool!

Sincerely,
Barb

Yes, I do practice what I preach and blend different things into the LinkedIn status updates. It is a delicate balance. As I said in my post – it’s OK to promote what you do, but I do not believe that should be the ONLY thing you ever do.

If you watched this week, I promoted my colleague – Monica Ricci – who was quoted in a great article in Success magazine. Then I mentioned how I was enjoying contributing to the LinkedIn community discussions and right now my status poses the question about creating relationships. Not a post about a speaking gig in sight:) On that note, when I do talk about where I’m speaking – I do that as much for me, as I do to promote the organization hosting me.

You are right to remind me to practice what I preach, and I do appreciate your participation!

Sincerely,
Barb

Does this mean you will practice what you preach and stop with your status updates telling us where you are speaking next? They can be a bit much at times!

What was that old saying about glass houses?