CarusoBlog

Linkedin's best-kept secret

Every social media platform has a secret weapon. 

The best feature on Facebook is the Notes page where you can promote your company in messages much longer than 140 characters.

Twitter has some amazing apps such as Tweetdeck that put the micro-blogger on steroids.

Even the relatively staid Linkedin has a piece of heavy artillery.  It's called "Recommendations." 

In the old days (the 80s, LOL) business people used to request a "letter of recommendation" from satisfied customers.  Now I ask people to post compliments on my Linkedin page.

These types of testimonials are what Robert Cialdini, author of Influence, refers to as "social proof."  Such recommendations, for example make me feel good, but they also make my prospects feel good.  Nothing brings in business like third-party testimonials. 

A client of mine recently posted this kind compliment on my Linkedin page for all to see:

"I had the opportunity to hear Michael speak at a Rotary function several years ago and was so impressed that I invited him to speak at an upcoming Zone meeting for seven Rotary Clubs in Southern Wisconsin.  He had 120 people totally involved while speaking and his ideas for improvement are something we actively use today. I highly recommend Michael Angelo Caruso."     

  -John Stensland, VP, Martin Business Group, Geneva, Wisconsin, via Linkedin

 

Thanks, John! 

If I had written this message about myself, people would think of it as advertising.  But when John posts this message, it's the truth.  That's the beauty of third-party testimonials, such as recommendations on Linkedin.

I'll be interviewing Linkedin expert Dean Delisle on Tuesday, December 1 at 4 PM ET.  He's the President of a company called Forward Progress and a real guru on Linkedin.   

Register at http://budurl.com/UseLinkedin4Biz.

Marketing made easy; Use social media and blogs to forward testimonials

It's easier than ever to market your company.  Using a blog, Facebook or Linkedin as a delivery system, simply forward testimonials to people on your list(s).  For example, I recently received this message from a client named Chad Drexler.  He cc'd me when he sent the same message to about a dozen of his closest friends and associates.

Hello all,

Hope everyone is doing well!  Just wanted to drop you all a quick note.  I have been fortunate enough to develop a relationship over the past few weeks with Michael Angelo Caruso, nationally known sales/inspirational speaker. 

I ordered some of his sales training material, and decided to pick up the phone one day to make contact with him. To my astonishment, he actually picked up the phone and took valuable time out of his day to listen to me and guide me in the right direction. 

Since our first contact, we have been in touch several times and I really love his stuff.  Take a look at what he has to offer and check out the following websites:

http://www.edisonhouse.com http://carusoblog.typepad.com

In my humble opinion this guy is right on the money.  You may even be able to call him as well and bounce some ideas off him.

Regards,
Chad Drexler, The Baseball Head Doc, MInneapolis, Minnesota

The above is a pretty good testimonial, don't you think?  When Chad originally sent this out, only about a dozen people saw it.  Chad gave me permission to send it out, too, so I posted it on my blog at www.CarusoBlog.Typepad.com and posted the link to my blog on Facebook, Twitter and Linkedin.  When I did this, about 40,000 people saw it. 

Be your own public relations firm.  Use a blog and social media to share the nice things people say about you and your company. 

What will your book be about? Whatever the topic, it'll be pure profit if . . .

Ever think about writing a book?

An e-book or electronic book, has one of the highest profit margin products in the history of marketing because the author doesn't have any fixed costs.  When you write and sell an e-book, there are:

-  No production costs

-  No inventory costs

-  No printing costs

-  No delivery costs

-  No returns

-  No cost of goods sold

-  No design costs

-  No advertising costs

-  Almost no barriers to entry

In fact, since the author is essentially selling electrons, whatever price he or she charges for the e-book is almost pure profit.  Yes, the author's time is worth something and there may be a few dollars spent on Internet marketing tools, but for the most part, those expenses are minimal.

Of course, a free market economy and the price of competitive products may dictate some parameters, but information products are generally free of traditional publishing costs and even most marketing expenses.

This is true for many digital information products, including e-books, teleseminars, home study courses, podcasting and anything else you choose to "self-publish."  Here's an example of such a product, an e-book on how to create information products:

http://tinyurl.com/CreateSellInfoProducts

While it is true that the average published book only sell a couple thousand copies.  A $10 e-book that sells 100 copies nets the author a cool grand--pure profit, less the time it takes to write it.

What will your book be about?

How much would you pay for more self-esteem?

Feeling good is important enough to spend money on it.  In fact, we do.

New clothes, a clean car, hair color and vocational training are just a few of the ways we try to buy a strong self-concept. 

And there's a store in Royal Oak, Michigan that actually sells self-esteem.  The Self Esteem Shop (248-549-9900), located at 32839 Woodward Avenue, sells books, audio programs and various signage that promote feelings of self-worth.

Many people think nothing of spending money on liquor, tattoos and gambling--purchases that give little long-term return-on-investment. 

But what if you could go to a store, browse through some shelves and pay for more self-esteem?  What exactly would you purchase?  How much would you be willing to pay in order to feel better about yourself?  Would you make one such trip a year, or make weekly visits?

 

15 seconds that can change everything

An audience member from a past speaking gig wrote me to request clarification on the finer points of making an "elevator speech."

 

Imagine meeting someone on an elevator.  Signals are exchanged and the other party is impressed enough to introduce himself or ask for your card.  Of course, elevator speeches can be used in lots of places besides elevators. 

 

Brief and potent, these strong little impressions are made in 15 to 20 seconds.  You can trade these signals in dentist waiting rooms, restaurant foyers and business meetings. 

Elevator speeches can be used to introduce yourself to a stranger, to kick off a meeting and to greet a grocery store clerk.  Use these potent impressions for dealing with difficult people, getting a job and psychologically moving others closer to you. 

 

More specific ideas for your elevator speech and other tips on improved communication can be found in my e-book, 5 Cool Ideas for Succeeding at Work at http://www.edisonhouse.com/Products/5CI_Working.htm.  The quality of all conversations are predictated on the fifteen-second elevator speech.

 

-Michael Angelo Caruso, www.EdisonHouse.com

Free newsletter for cool ideas on leadership, selling, growing your biz

Sign up for Michael Angelo Caruso's bi-monthly newsletter at http://www.EdisonHouse.com.  You'll also receive discounts for live events and valuable information products.

4 easy ways to grow your business with Twitter

It's happening right in front of your eyes.  Twitter is being adopted by major businesses.  The speed of this development is nothing short of astounding.  Here's a short list of first-adopters: 

BBC http://twitter.com/BBC

British Airways http://twitter.com/BritishAirways

Delta http://twitter.com/deltaairlines

Honda http://twitter.com/Alicia_at_Honda

Vodafone Germany http://twitter.com/Vodafone_de

Here are four grea ideas for using Twitter at your company.

1.  Monitor Customer Buzz  -- Sometimes businesses are the last to hear bad news from their customers.  Twitter allows you to listen to these conversations through various tools that allow to monitor online conversations. The easiest starting point is Twitter search to search for conversations that include a certain brand name.  Just open Twitter search, type in your brand name and tap into the conversation.  Monitter.com allows to monitor three keywords.

2.  Proactive customer service -- Negative word-of-mouth can kill your business.  To track trash talk from customers, setup Twitter monitors for your brand or products and then be ready to defend yourself when a customer complains.

3.  Hiring employees --  Twitter can be used to find potential employees.  I've read that Research In Motion, the company that develops the BlackBerry smartphone, has recently started to actively recruit employees via Twitter.  Simply message "twits" who seem like they might be interested in what you offer.  If they're not interested, they might know someone who is.  Be careful to not cast too wide a net or you'll be spending too much time with unqualified candidates. 

4.  Customer feedback --  Use Twitter to collect instant feedback about your products and services.   Invite customers to give feedback through a web-based survey tool like SurveyMonkey or Google Docs Forms to keep the feedback private, but still instant.

My trick for meeting famous people

Posted from Laurel, Maryland-

I've been fortunate to meet many famous people through the years--Mike Love (Beach Boys), George Herbert Walker Bush (photo of us on my Web site), pop star Rick Springfield, speaker Tony Robbins, best-selling authors Mark Victor Hansen (Chicken Soup for the Soul), Dr. Stephen Covey (7 Habits of Highly Effective People), many more and counting.

The truth is that luck isn't the only determing factor when it come to meeting people of influence. 

Someone once asked thief Willie Sutton why he robbed banks.  Sutton answered, "Because that's where the money is!"

If you want to meet famous people, remember the old real estate axiom, "Location, location, location."  In other words, you've got to hang out where celebrities hang out. 

The first class cabin of an airliner is such a place.  This is where I met Michael Steele, Chairman of the Republican National Committee today on the flight from Detroit to Baltimore. 

All conventions and national trade shows have keynote speakers.  It's fairly easy to meet this guest of honor, but first you have to meet the Executive Director of the hosting organization.  That's how I met Tony Robbins.  I ended up going to the Nashville airport to pick him up.

Famous people are just like other people.  They don't mind spending a few minutes with you if you are polite and to the point.  As always, it helps to be complimentary, but don't fawn. 

Finally, try not to say the same thing everyone says to them.  The phrase, "I've seen all your movies," is not likely to get you extra time with a celebrity.

What famous people have you met?  How did it happen

The 15 most powerful words

Composed in Nashville, Tennessee-

There are over 500,000 words in the English language, but some words are much more powerful than others. 

As the author of many books on communication and a veteran public speaker, I've identified what I think are the most important fifteen words you can ever use with another person. 

"I am proud of you."  People love to hear this phrase--even from total strangers--because they don't hear it enough from bosses, co-workers and spouses.

"What do you think?"  Everyone loves to be solicited for their opinions.  There is no faster way to let people know that you take them seriously.

"Will you please?"  Etiquette is always popular, even when it goes out of style.

"Thank you."  Nuf said.

A person's name is the most powerful word you can ever use with him or her.  My free e-book, "How to Remember Names," teaches a remarkably effective technique I call "cluster imprinting."  To get your copy, send me an e-mail through http://www.EdisonHouse.com.

There are two kinds of people in the world

It's been said there are two types of people:  those who are focused on anticipated reward and those who focused on avoiding pain.

Sigmund Freud referred to this as the Pain/Pleasure Principle.

This bit of insight can be very helpful in life, not only when it comes to dealing with others, but also when dealing with yourself. 

Take the issue of motivation, for example.  If you are a person who looks forward to reward, you might tackle a project because of the good feeling you'll have when finished. 

If you fear negative consequence, however, you'll probably approach the project in a much different way.  In this instance, you may fear being embarrassed or penalized for not getting the project done on time.

When working with others, it can be very helpful to know if they are more effectively motivated by pleasure or by pain. 

Neither way is wrong.  The point is that knowing who you are and knowing aling with will do wonders to streamline communication and help you connect with others.