teleseminar | On Purpose Magazine

Many of us have found that social networking can pay off very big. Some of us run around signing up for everything without results. Why do I think so many fail at taking advantage of this incredible opportunity?

I have to define that I am a user of LinkedIn and have my own network at www.crepig.com, which is niched toward commercial real estate professionals and investors. I am not talking about MySpace or other sites for making friends. Thought I still believe that most of these reasons still could apply.

You don’t upload your photo. People like to see who you are. Upload a professional or at least halfway decent picture of yourself. Take the time to make sure it is not too dark or that you are too small to be recognized. Also if you upload your business logo or a picture at least you have gone halfway, but you still get a better response from your own face…
You don’t join any groups. If you don’t like the groups offered start your own. I have started several groups on LinkedIn and some have grown to Super Groups and others have done nothing. Why? I find that I never know what the public wants. Put yourself out and find out. Join a group that means something to you. Woody Allen famously said that “80 percent of success is showing up.”
You don’t participate in the group you belong to. If 80% is showing up the other 20% is participation. If you sit back and wait for people to come to you; you will wait a long time.
You don’t place your promotion in a Forum or Blog. If you don’t let people know what you offer what other reason might they have to connect or speak to you?
You don’t fill out your profile completely. If people are searching for your service and your profile doesn’t name your product, project or service than how will they find you?
You don’t place your contact information in a non private area for people to see and be able to get ahold of you. If you are afraid that you might get spammed then go to your email provider and make an alias address. When I join a network I make an alias account. eg. at LinkedIn I use linkedin@prigen.net. This allows me to see where I am getting emails and spam from. I can then change the email whenever I wish without my friends loosing my main address. I can’t tell you how many times I read something I got excited about only to find that the writer did not leave any contact info… Argh!
You don’t allow emails from forums or mail to you to get to you. If you join a site and then don’t allow the site to keep you abreast of what is up then how will you stay in the loop. Sometimes you just want to get your name or business out there and don’t want to be bothered by updates. OK, but at least allow the site to contact you.
You never update your profile. If you are not getting feedback or contacts from your current profile or Forum post you need to update it. Every copy writer that is worth their salt knows that you need to change up constantly to find out what copy works best. If you are getting a lot of play from your promotion then you don’t have to change till demand goes down, but feel free to play.
You have something to say or promote and you don’t set up any teleseminars. You can get a conference line from FREE Conference call for FREE. Duh…. Get a number and promote your teleseminar or Webinar in the Events Section.
If you are doing all the above and still not getting any play you might have to re-evaluate what you offer. Successful businesses make money in direct respect to the value they offer. What value are you offering. If you offer no or little value then you will make no or little money.

In conclusion I would ask that if you want success you need to make your own Luck, get off your butt and do something. Don’t wait for the phone to ring… Make it ring. Get involved. Get to know people. Call people that you consider prospects and ask them what they need. Don’t vomit all your information all over them and especially don’t be pushy. What a big turn-off. Listen, get to know another person and be of service.

JW Najarian 11/21/08
www.jwnajarian.com
www.crepig.com