TGIF: To #FF or not?
Yes, today is Friday. You will start to see a lot of #FF.
What does #FF mean? Well, starting back in 2009, Twitter fans created this hashtag as a shorthand for Follow Friday.
Should you #FF? YES ! Why? Well it helps you introduce new users to a great social tool. In addition, it allows you to show appreciation and thanks for the followers you have that retweet you, or support your thoughts, and more.
To be authenticate, don't FF just because folks follow you. Do it because you recommend them for a reason.
I like recommending a person and giving great attributes about them, like this:
I avoid doing big groups as to me it doesn't tell me why I should consider following someone.
So given today's Friday ... #FF someone you know!
The Social Sales Team - Knowledge accidents and all!
The Social Sales Team
A good sales team should rarely meet each other. It should, instead, be out meeting customers. It should be working out what your customers want and be maximizing the return for your organization. The problem comes because sales teams have voracious appetites for ideas, comments, case studies, pricing, presentation, market intelligence and so forth. They are generally very poor at following a process and providing forms to fill out and records to keep gets in the way of the sales process. In addition to this, much of what a sales team relies on is experience amongst the members of the team.
The knowledge accidents that occur when they bump into each other in the corridor or at lunch are extremely valuable and efficient to exchange information and catch important snippets. So how do you keep their appetites satisfied, but maximize their time in front of customers?
Make them Mobile
Give them the technology they need to keep in touch easily with the places they need to go to help them in their job. This might be an iPad with a 3G card, or a Mi-Fi device or similar which lets them connect to the office and access your systems.
Collaboration Hubs for Clients
In your social intranet, create communities focused on each of your major customers. Use Wikis, Forums, Activities, Ideation Blogs and all the other tools you need to share everything you have about that customer which would help your sellers. Consider organizing the material around opportunities (perhaps pulled from your CRM system) using tags. That way you can easily find everything about a particular opportunity whilst keeping the structure fluid so that it’s easy to re-use information. For more information on this, please see
Give them some Power Tools
Provide them a social network to interface with other sellers. Teach them how to use the outside social tools . Did you know the most productive sellers in IBM leverage social in their sales process?
One of the best techniques the Sales Team can deploy is to use an informal blog. This lets them express their thoughts, experiences and opinions about the work they’re doing with the customer account without the need for the structure of more formal meeting minutes. It’s in the blog that the seeds of the knowledge accident tree are sown. It’s where short narratives about what’s going on can be captured and stored for the benefit of the rest of the team.
Remember that by putting mobile technology, which is connected to your system in the hands of your sellers, they will be more inclined to participate. If it’s made easy, and they are rewarded for doing so, they will do it.
Social Selling Video Blog! Know the influencers!
Welcome to our Social Business Coffee Break!
We are in the middle of a Social Selling series. Today we will focus on leveraging influencers to help you reach that white space client and to retain client loyalty!
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MaRpAqGpZAM&feature=youtu.be]
Happy FRIDAY!! Social Tip of the week! Create a Social Calendar
Yes, a calendar. If you have a blog, or Facebook page, or even Twitter think through your strategy of content that you need to study, learn, or create.
Then plan out your posts. Now this does not mean that will not do the article and post that is in sync with real time events, but planning out your content helps you to add more value for your readers.
For instance, I plan my series for my Social Business Coffee Breaks. Each Monday, I post one of my VBlogs and I plan out the content. 5 Tips for better social selling for instance has a great following!
Each Month, I plan my series, and my topics. And then each weekend I write, research, poll, and ensure that I can add value to my readers!
Do you create a social calendar?
The Social Caveman
I just watched the Croods with my kids! It was such a great movie.
It was funny to watch the Crood Family move from Cavemen to being transparent and living out in the open!
The same is true for people who are hiding from Social! They are cavemen and woman!
Here's some incentives to move out of the cave!
* Determine what your brand stands for and what you want it to stand for. Search yourself on: Google, Technorati, Twitter
* Come up with your own tagline and ensure that you have the tagline (your brand) on all your social tools. Make it short and sweet like: John: Scholar, Nice Guy, Sales leader or Sally: Highly recognized Corporate executive with Top Tier MBA
* Remember every interaction and experience is a nonneutral brand experience. Make each one count!
*Engage your core community of enthusiasts, customers & employees where they spend their time -- pick the tools you leverage based on who you are targetting
* Build/engaging with a loyal “brand army” of enthusiasts that make your success their cause. Social is about forming a relationship. This is not about marketing. Acknowledge and harness their goodwill to generate insight and return on your investment
* Increase your engagement in important conversations. Have a POV (point of view). State it and add value!
* Remember, it is not JUST about social. It must be supported with real-world events and experiences (F2F is still the most meaningful interaction!)
Move out of the cave and get started! Reach out if you need help!
More followers? Just ask! Follow me! sandy_carter
So I was reading this weekend -- with my broken leg, there is not a lot to do! I learned some interesting things about how to drive more from Twitter --- quite simple actually -- just ask.
In an analysis by Twitter, they found that 4 core ways to get great results from your Tweets are:
1 Ask for a download. Explicitly asking people to download accompanied by a link increases URL clicks by an average of 13%.
2 Ask for a Retweet. Explicitly asking people to retweet increases retweets by an average of 311%.
3 Ask for a follow. Explicitly asking for a follow increases followers by an average of 258%.
4 Ask for a reply. Explicitly asking for a reply increased replies by an average of 334%
So would you guys please follow me on Twitter at sandy_carter and subscribe to my BLOG! Pretty Please!
Women’s Toolbox Conference: Giving women the tools to excel in the workplace!
I’m so thrilled to be speaking at the Women’s Toolbox Conference on Friday, Oct. 18th!
What is the Women’s Toolbox Conference? Exactly what it sounds like! It will deliver thought leadership, resources, and networking—all the tools that can help women create a lasting impact in the workplace, marketplace, and community.
Now what does making an impact mean for women? Well, not only can it translate to making more money, but also getting more clients, finding a better job, and being known for your expertise and what you bring to the table. All these things can set you on the course to living a more balanced and happy life!
I love initiatives that champion women in the workplace so I’m excited to be sharing some of my experiences and knowledge at this conference, specifically around social. I’ll be discussing how to become essential to your customers with social business by building your social presence, knowing your prospects and customers and their influencers, engaging and responding with speed, and celebrating your customers!
Interested in attending this wonderful event and hearing from business superstars and thought leaders?
Register http://womenstoolbox.com/annualconference/registration/ for the event, which will take place Oct. 16-18th in Beverly, MA!
Social Networks Help me Survive! 6 Degrees of Separation goes to 0!
It began as a normal day. I flew to Brazil and when I landed, I Foursquared, Tweeted and Facebooked as I headed off to meet my partners and clients. And when I finished, I would fly off to meet the CEO of one of my top clients! This was going to be a superb day!
But then a life-changing event occurred. With a bit of water, cobblestones and bad luck, I fell while heading up a ramp. When I saw people running toward me, I knew something was not right. I could not move my left side and was panicked because all I heard was Brazilian Portuguese. Employees at my hotel called for a doctor. IBMers and others tried to assist and get me to the right hospital, but after four hours I was in intense pain with massive blood loss.
I was afraid and alone. I was scared, very scared. I have had few accidents in my life but before this, they all happened around my family.
But that was about to change.
My new family emerged...and rose up out of social networks, both online and in the real world. First, a colleague of mine came to ride with me to the hospital. I called my parents and husband. When I arrived at the hospital, I was greeted by three local IBM colleagues who gladly helped interpret and relay my needs, including the biggest at the time -- pain killer, please!!!!
I broke two toes, my left rib, and my femur -- the biggest bone in the body. I also lost about 1.5 liters of blood. (They say shock sets in at 2L.) The surgery occurred the next day and went amazingly well. And yes, I do have a long recovery of about three months ahead of me (with no travel -- ouch!). But enough about the blood and gore...
This amazing story is about the people!
Let me start with the surgeon. strong>His name is Dr Jose Sergio Franco. He is a top-rated surgeon in Brazil and was a miracle worker for me. He did emergency surgery the day after the accident and did an amazing job. My doctor in New York said it was one of the best jobs he had ever seen -- better than 95% of the surgeries for like injuries in the U.S. But Jose was more. He was my cheerleader, my comforter, and my hero.
He came to see me daily and encouraged me to hang in there (said of course in the Brazilian way) even though my family wasn't nearby. I would not be where I am without him.
The IBM Nurse Dottie Robinson, who is based in New York, immediately jumped on the phone with me time and time again to advise, reassure and ensure that I was being taken care of. With bravery and compassion, she saw to it that I was cared for in the best possible way in a foreign land. She helped me get from Brazil back home. 
(This part was fun: medical evac plane to San Paulo to 10-hour flight through ambulances -- and bigger cars to ensure my health at every step of the way!). She more than did her job. She extended her heart to me like I was her very own family.
Our IBM Brazil Team was amazing. Fabio Pinto de Britto rode with me to the airport and got me that much-needed pain killer. His brother Djlama flew in from Mexico to make sure I was okay and worked through getting my husband a visa in four hours (a record!). Isabella Costa argued on my behalf to get me an English-speaking nurse, and offered to stay with me through the night. And Flavio de Figueiredo Mendes rushed over to the hospital immediately after returning from 40 days in China. The heart of this team, their care and their compassion moved me beyond belief. They came to visit every day while I was there -- they were transparent, helpful, thoughtful ... and as I learned, truly Brazilian in their actions. I can never repay them!
Back in the States, IBM HR Executive Leader Yara Saad was also amazing. As many of you know, I was recently placed in a new role as General Manager and new HR support. But since I had bragged so much about the support Yara had provided to me in my previous role, my husband called Yara when I was injured. Despite this "not being her job," she worked my services, my flights, and my recovery as if it was her own. She is such an incredible and talented woman with so much on her plate. I was honored and deeply touched with the time and heart she spent helping me.
My husband Todd was of course his normal self. His giving personality came through and he was in Brazil within 48 hours. I could not have done any of this without him. No questions asked. He is a keeper!
My IBM Assistant Megan Mennonna has always been a blessing to me -- but on this occasion, she went above and beyond. She and Becky Michel covered the meetings, and handled the top items that we needed covered. She is such a great friend and colleague.
Also, I have to say that I already knew IBM was a great company but this experience made me realize that it is a SUPERB company that cares and shows it!
Now, combine these in-person friends that I know with my blogosphere friends. From Facebook, I received messages from Africa, Turkey, U.S., Australia, India and more. More than 10 bouquets of flowers came to my hospital room. Candies and teas from around the world were also delivered. I had hundreds of check-up posts as well as calls that crossed the social bridge from the blogosphere to the real world. These friends crossed global boundaries, and included partners, clients, IBMers and more.
It made me realize that I never could have survived without my social networks. Six degrees of separation became closer than a family. I will always remember the kindness of all my friends!
Social Selling! Tip #4 "Learning" Your Clients Through Social Networks
Happy Monday!
We are continuing our Monday series on Social Selling -- today focused on our Tip #4! I am to start the discussion on how you know your prospects and clients.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kPtyzXUblD8&feature=youtu.be]