CONVERSATION
STARTERS
Ideas for finding and converting strangers to extraordinary clients and partners
Conversations Starters is written and edited for B2B consultants and coaches who want to build more and better business relationships, achieve visible thought leadership roles and serve more of the clients you deserve.
There are no hacks or gaming of the system here.. If you want sound ideas and advice about how to look good, sound good and fill your sales pipeline, you’ve come to the right place. Welcome!
How to keep meeting people when everything is cancelled
What do you do when a substantial source of your new business pipeline dries up? With conferences and networking events of all sizes cancelled around the globe, travel curtailed, and prospects reassessing spending, new business pipelines are already suffering.
Reality Check: 4 Dangers of Automating LinkedIn
Using a 3rd party application to automate mundane LinkedIn activities has been around nearly forever. Who doesn’t use something like Buffer or Hootsuite to line up a week or so worth of posts in advance?
Is LinkedIn Really Right for You?
If you want to use LinkedIn to generate conversations with people you’d like to do business with, there are three important bits of information you should look at.
5 Reasons to Automate Your LinkedIn Outreach
If you’re spending any length of time using LinkedIn for business development, you’ve probably been tempted to use one of the ever-increasing apps that log onto your account, visit member’s profiles, and send connection invitations and messages on your behalf – all while you’re doing something presumably more productive.
6 Critical Numbers for Your LinkedIn Business Development Program
The goal of a LinkedIn business development program (or social selling, if you want to call it that) is to drive conversations with ideal prospects who ultimately turn into new clients or customers. From prospect identification and initial outreach to closing the sale, there are a number of places where these efforts can go off the rails; and if you’re not paying attention you won’t know how to fix it. You may not even know it’s happening.
Why yesterday’s LinkedIn tactics no longer work - and what to do about it
You are not imagining it. With every month that goes by, it gets harder to connect with your ideal prospects on LinkedIn. Strategies and tactics that worked beautifully last year seem to go nowhere now. Business owners new to using LinkedIn as a business development tool are finding the so-called best practices don’t get you many conversations with qualified prospects.
5 Signs Your LinkedIn Program is Probably in Danger
I’m writing this article for those of you who are using LinkedIn – or want to use it – as a strategic business development tool, meaning you want to generate conversations with qualified prospects.
How to Focus Your LinkedIn Efforts to Meet More and Better Prospects
The world is full of companies that might be interested in hiring you but only a select set are the right combination of likely to buy and likely to be both profitable and fun to work with.
Why You Can't Book Sales Calls on LinkedIn
“Social selling” may be one of the biggest buzzwords of the past few years, but I hear from a lot of sales execs who are having a hard time making it work. They’re frustrated to the point of writing LinkedIn off, and that can be a big mistake.
Why LinkedIn Should Not Be Part of Your Social Media Program
B2B social media programs are dangerous in the wrong hands. And most of them are in the wrong hands.
LinkedIn Reconnection Message – Do Not Try This at Work
Lately I’ve been getting a raft of messages from LinkedIn connections wanting to get reacquainted. This is not a bad idea. In fact, your LinkedIn 1st degree network can be a treasure chest of potential clients you’ve allowed to go cold.
How to Effectively Use Hashtags on LinkedIn
LinkedIn wants you to start using hashtags. And, I think it’s about time. For platforms, like Twitter and Instagram, hashtags are an essential ingredient to the social posting recipe.
8 Powerful Secrets To Meeting More New Clients
For today’s professional services firms, new clients are a critical part of meeting business growth objectives, and tapping personal networks is no longer enough. You have to find and woo strangers – get their attention, then their interest, and often educate them a bit – before you ever have a chance for a meeting.
10 Reasons I'm Glad I Read "Predictable Revenue" and You Should Be Too
I wouldn’t normally have read Predictable Revenue by Aaron Ross and Marylou Tyler. If not for my friend Andy Parkinson repeatedly asking for my opinion, I wouldn’t have given it a second thought – mainly because I wrongly assumed a book about the $100 million best practices of a SaaS software company (Salesforce.com) would have little relevance for leaders of professional services firms.
Why Your Employees Are Your Company's Best Advocates
Ever wondered what it really takes to get an employee advocacy program launched and keep employees engaged? Lisa Marcyes of Marketo joins us to discuss how companies can gain enrollment to get started with their employee advocacy programs and how to measure what’s working and what’s not.
How To Weave Authenticity Into Your Social Media Marketing
Robert Nissenbaum of Tactical Social Media joins Social Matters to discuss how taking an authentic approach to social media marketing can amplify your online efforts and deepen relationships online. We asked Robert to share his insights on better ways to weave authenticity into our content, social media posts and interactions.
Why Do You Want to Use Social Media?
When business execs and subject matter experts ask me for help with a social media program, my first question to them is: Why? What is it you want to use social media to do?
Are Employee Advocacy Programs Helping Employees Get Poached?
Employee advocacy is a hot topic for businesses, and both marketers and business leaders are asking more questions about designing and implementing employee advocacy programs. Your company may be missing a huge opportunity to increase the organic reach of your social media and marketing efforts without one.
How to Ace Your Meetings with a LinkedIn Pre-check
These days most professionals take at least a cursory look at a LinkedIn profile before meeting with someone they don’t yet know.
7 Reasons Why LinkedIn is the Best Social Media Network for Professional Services
While social media has long been prominent for business-to-business firms in industries such as tech, telcom and media, many professional services firms are just now beginning to embrace this powerful business development channel. One thing that holds many firms back is not knowing on which network to start.