Jan, 2012

January 15, 2011

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

The latest Vistage International CEO Confidence Index shows that business owners are much more positive about the coming year. And the Beaulieu brothers over at the Institute for Trend Research are saying that 2012 should be a good year, 2013 flat to down, 2014 down and 2015, 16 and 17 should be growth years. All in all,this is one of the best Januarys for positive thinking in quite a few years. I'm ready for it!

To kick things off in this first newsletter of 2012, I have put together some thoughts on changes we may be seeing in the coming year or so. I'm not particularly good at forecasting, so there's no particular reason to believe what I share as anything other than my thoughts based on what I see, read and experience. The lead article is based on some thoughts about Corporate Social Responsibility - a trend I see continuing in the coming year.

Entrepreneurship has been on my mind this past several months. It seems that the news around Occupy Wall Street, a recent posting on LinkedIn and interaction with colleagues has all been pointing to trying to figure out how we will manage to keep the innovation and growth going in our own brand of capitalism. So in this second article, I share some opinions about Entrepreneurship with you.

And I suspect that a small piece of that puzzle will be our continued use of Networking to get our ideas out in front of people, help others nourish their own ideas, as well as spark the ideas for new enterprises in our own fertile minds. So I share this post from the founder of Linked Orange County.

Nullius in verba: I was surprised and honored to see that one of my posts was picked up and Tweeted by friends over at Impact Hiring Solutions. It was a post (over a year old now, but still relevant) actually responding to their question "Why is it so difficult to hire great salespeople." Great salespeople are those who stay with your company (loyal), meet the mutually agreed upon goals, understands and fits in with your culture and is creative in establishing and maintaining customer relationships. Here's where I think there's a challenge; the market has changed, your business model has/should have changed, and salespeople you hire must also have different skills in order to be successful. So unless you have redefined the sales skill set your team will need based on the new business model you have developed, then you are setting your team and yourself up for failure.

Enjoy, and best wishes for 2012!

Dave Kinnear

CEO, dbkAssociates, Inc.
Executive Leader Coach

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Does CSR matter to your company?

Isn't it enough to keep people employed and earn a profit?

The short answer is yes CSR matters and no it isn't enough to just employ people and earn a profit; and it never really has been otherwise. The truth is that now there is more transparency (like it or not) around what companies and business owners are doing. And there is obviously much discontent over the widening gap between the "haves" and the "have nots" or, if you will, between the 1% and the 99% to use the now quite ubiquitous rallying cry of the Occupy Wall Street Crowd.

Read entire post . . .

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Entrepreneurship

What is an entrepreneur?

Harvard Business School defined entrepreneur this way:

"Entrepreneurship is the pursuit of opportunity without regard to resources currently controlled."- Howard Stevenson

I was reminded of this several times this past month. First, over on LinkedIn, one of the groups I frequent posted this great article from Inc. Magazine. It's an interesting read.

Entrepreneurship is creating something our of nothing. And of course there has to be a fair amount of leadership quality in the entrepreneur, at least in the beginning. Besides this article, I was reminded of the "entrepreneurship puzzle" as I worked with a colleague on his business idea presentation for his peer advisory board. That, in turn reminded me of the success gained by one of my UCI mentees in starting his own business. These two gentlemen are very different in personalities and background. Yet they both have the desire and the drive to build their own businesses - "without regard to resources currently controlled."

Read entire post . . .

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6 Reasons NOT to procrastinate Networking

A recent posting by the founder of the LinkedIn Orange County group

6 Reasons Not to Procrastinate Networking:

1. Get In the Game:
Pro hockey legend Wayne Gretzky is famous for saying, "You miss 100% of the shots you never take." If you're only watching from the sidelines how do expect anything good to happen? Step 1. Get in the game. Step 2. Take shots.

2. Get Noticed:
Start networking to get noticed but remember that (at first) no one cares about you. It's a harsh reality but I'm willing to bet that aside from your family or significant other, no one--not your boss, colleagues or friends--are staying up late thinking, "I wonder how I can help Julie make more money, find new customers, grow her biz…"

If you want it, you have to make it happen. No one is going to hand it to you. No one cares about your brilliant idea or how great your services are as much as you, UNLESS it directly benefits THEM. Start networking to build relationships and get noticed.

3. You Get What You Give:
I would rather be at the DMV instead of at some of these "traditional" networking events and mixers I've attended. But there's something different happening at Linked Orange County. Most of our events have a technology, digital or social business thread. We're not a bunch of 20-something's, we're a diverse cross section of OC that wants to stay ahead of the curve. But don't show up expecting to get without giving. The events are great when you help them to be great. Does that make sense?

Help keep this group special [LinkedIn Orange County California]. Don't be "that guy." Some people at events look like they are going to explode unless they unload their awesome idea on you. They are dancing around with excitement and and won't shut up for 20 minutes. Be respectful of others' time. Remember what Steven Covey said in the classic book, 7 Habits of Highly Successful People, "Seek to understand before you are understood. Don't dominate the conversation. Ask about the other person first. Listen. Then talk and build friendships. If you pitch, do it in 60 seconds. Then wait for a response. If you get asked more about it, then exchange ideas and keep asking about the other person.

4. Keep Your Connections Warm:
How do you feel about the friend who only shows up when he needs to borrow something or help moving furniture? My friend Chris Brogan said, "No one likes desperation in relationships, no one likes it in business either." Keep your connections warm, don't let them get cold.

If it's been 6 months and your first contact with me is a desperation call because you need help, that's not cool. Don't be a fair-weather friend. Keep your connections warm so that when you need help or you can help others you have a strong support system.

5. The Person Who Can Help Most is the Person You Least Expect:
Sometimes you might not want to show up to an event because you don't think the "right people" are there. In my experience the famous, notable, popular, wealthy--whatever people can't help you or don't care about helping. Don't judge a book by its cover, you never know what someone can do for you or who they know that might make all the difference.

6. Pull Your Weight:
If you are a member of this group, you have a responsibility. Remember the Little Red Hen? In the story of the Little Red Hen the Hen decides to make some delicious bread. All of her friends want to eat it but are not willing to help. There's a lot of work to be done and moral of the story is about pulling your weight, not being selfish and earning rewards.

One of my favorite quotes and the #1 principle upon which Linked Orange County is founded is, "Be the change you want to see in the world." If we really want to create something special, we all need to participate. What can we do when we do it together? The possibilities are endless...

Have a great week! -

Bryan Elliott
Founder, Linked OC

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Nullius in verba

It's hard to find good salespeople these days . . .

My friends at Impact Hiring Solutions posted an article on their blog answering a question I hear a lot: “Why is it so hard to find great salespeople?” They are right it is hard, and I think we should listen to their solid understanding of how to properly hire a sales person. However, there is a trap waiting for you. It’s a pretty significant trap; and it’s this . . . .

Do you know what it takes to be successful in sales in THIS market or are you going to build your success factors based on past experience. Now, I’m not talking about setting the measurable goals part of this process. You know how to determine what the top line, bottom line and profit margins need to be. I’m talking about what makes a salesperson successful in the present economy. And if you follow the Impact Hiring Solutions guidelines, how will a person demonstrate that they have achieved the success factors in other companies and in this market?

Read full post . . .

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