Next Level Executives http://www.nextlevelexecutives.com/blog Successful Business People Sat, 26 Jul 2008 01:19:49 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5 en Episode 5: The Next Level of Personal Branding - John “The Job-Guy” Bates http://www.nextlevelexecutives.com/blog/episode-5-the-next-level-of-personal-branding-john-the-job-guy-bates/ http://www.nextlevelexecutives.com/blog/episode-5-the-next-level-of-personal-branding-john-the-job-guy-bates/#comments Fri, 25 Jul 2008 14:34:29 +0000 Mike Langford http://www.nextlevelexecutives.com/blog/?p=70 ShareThis

]]> It is always fun when a guest speaker exceeds your expectations. John “The Job-Guy” Bates blew my expectations out of the water when he spoke at our recent “Next Level of Personal Branding” event.

I had spent some time on the phone with him and reviewed his website. I figured he would be pretty good and offer a nice balance to Dan Schawbel’s youth and social media heavy presentation. But, John blew my socks off. First, because he was unflappable in the face of Power Point meltdown. Second, because his content and delivery were very powerful and timeless.

I think when you watch this video, complete with his slides, you will be as impressed as I am with John. For a little comic relief you can imagine me as the human remote control every time he clicks the remote and gives a nod because I was.

Please let John know what you think by adding your comments below and on Twitter and let others know what you think using the hashtag #NLT1. As with all our videos the Twitter search feed is listed below.

Enjoy the show.



#NLT1 - Twitter Search:

]]> http://www.nextlevelexecutives.com/blog/episode-5-the-next-level-of-personal-branding-john-the-job-guy-bates/feed/ Episode 4: The Next Level of Personal Branding - Dan Schawbel http://www.nextlevelexecutives.com/blog/episode-4-the-next-level-of-personal-branding-dan-schawbel/ http://www.nextlevelexecutives.com/blog/episode-4-the-next-level-of-personal-branding-dan-schawbel/#comments Fri, 25 Jul 2008 03:10:36 +0000 Mike Langford http://www.nextlevelexecutives.com/blog/?p=69 ShareThis

]]> Sorry it took so long but here it is, Dan Schawbel’s video from our “Next Level of Pesonal Branding” event. Whether you missed the event or had the pleasure of being there in person the video is definitely worth watching.

Before you watch the video I’d like to take a quick moment to express my tremendous gratitude to Catie Foertsch of OurTown Productions in Westborough, MA. She made this possible and without her, Dan, John Bates (his video is coming soon) and Next Level Executives would not have such superior quality videos to use to share with you. If you are considering capturing your event on video hire Catie and the OurTown team, she will make you shine.

Also, be sure to share your comments below and/or head on over to Twitter and let others know what you think using the hashtag #NLT1. As with all our videos a the Twitter search feed is listed below.

Enjoy the show.



#NLT1 - Twitter Search:

]]> http://www.nextlevelexecutives.com/blog/episode-4-the-next-level-of-personal-branding-dan-schawbel/feed/ Episode 3: PodCamp Boston Video: Integrating Online and Offline Networking http://www.nextlevelexecutives.com/blog/episode-3-podcamp-boston-video-integrating-online-and-offline-networking/ http://www.nextlevelexecutives.com/blog/episode-3-podcamp-boston-video-integrating-online-and-offline-networking/#comments Tue, 22 Jul 2008 20:47:20 +0000 Mike Langford http://www.nextlevelexecutives.com/blog/?p=66 ShareThis

]]> PodCamp Boston 3 (PCB3) was amazing. It was an honor to have the opportunity to lead a session. Below is a video of my presentation and the conversations that it generated.

Join the Conversation

As with all episodes of our video series you are encouraged to participate by leaving comments here on this post and/or on Twitter. For Twitter comments please use the hashtags #NextLevel2 and #pcb3 in your Tweet so we can capture it below in our Twitter Search feed and so those who were interested in PodCamp Boston can see that the conversation is ongoing.



nextlevel2 - Twitter Search:

]]> http://www.nextlevelexecutives.com/blog/episode-3-podcamp-boston-video-integrating-online-and-offline-networking/feed/ Joiner. Is that even a word? http://www.nextlevelexecutives.com/blog/joiner-is-that-even-a-word/ http://www.nextlevelexecutives.com/blog/joiner-is-that-even-a-word/#comments Fri, 18 Jul 2008 15:23:58 +0000 DaniTifft http://www.nextlevelexecutives.com/blog/?p=55 ShareThis

]]> Think about the groups and business organizations that you currently belong to. Do you have goals set forth for how they will positively enhance your business? Becoming a “Joiner” should be goal and results driven like any other business or marketing strategy you put in place in your business.

Many students fresh out of college will graffiti their resume with listings of activities they were involved in and sports that they played for a whole semester. While, I never wrote that I was the worst player on my intramural whiffle-ball team which lasted for a total of 6 weeks, I certainly gave more due than was worth to a number of clubs that I participated in on my entry level resume. “Participated in” is really going too far, passively sat through about 50% of the time is a more appropriate definition. I watched as other students made it to the top of the heap and devoted their whole lives to Student Activities Boards and Student Council, and just couldn’t bring myself to muster up the energy needed to be the president of anything.

I often thought that I wasn’t the go-getter that I needed to be to get the great job and be the excellent student. But the truth was, I was an excellent student and I loved being one. After all wasn’t that why I was going to college in the first place? I wasn’t studying Politics (like the Student Council President) or seeking out a career in events planning (like the Student Activities Board President). I realized (maybe a little too late) that they knew something I didn’t. They were joining the groups and organizations that mirrored their interests in the “Real World” and could help them most in providing experience in their field. They were embarking on a journey of personal branding while I, on the other hand, enjoyed painting big signs and getting free t-shirts.

Now, with a couple years of working with membership organizations under my belt, I have come to find that there are many business people that do the same thing when it comes to joining networking organizations and business groups. They join without first assessing the ways in which they can leverage their membership to better enhance their business goals. Sure, there are not as many big posters to paint or free t-shirts but there are plenty of other reasons that one might join a networking organization that is destined to make you disinterested within the first six months.

So how does one go from merely being a “joiner” to someone who uses their membership with a business organization as a strategic component within their business plan?

They Ask The Right Questions Before Joining

Questions for you and your business:

  • Am I looking for a business organization that helps me to cast a wide net or cater to niche market?
  • Am I looking only to gain new referrals or would I like to be part of an organization that also develops my business through other means, like collaborative strategic planning?
  • Am I looking for opportunities to build my business on the web ?
  • Am I looking for opportunities for Professional Development through my business organization?

After deciding which of these things are important to your business it is much easier to assess which business organizations can best fulfill your needs. For some folks a group like Next Level would not be a good fit because what they would like to get out of a business organization and what the group offers do not match up. For example, if you are an employee without profit and loss responsibilities your interests in a business organization would not necessarily include collaborative strategic planning and you might not be interested in professional development opportunities that are specifically designed for the business owner. On the other hand, a small business owner who is looking for a collaborative environment where they can gather advice from other business owners, build their web presence and participate in professional development opportunities specifically for them, might find Next Level to be a viable option.

They Set Goals For Themselves and The Organization

Some examples of goals:

  • I will attend 6 events or meetings the next three months
  • I expect to meet at least 20 new business folk through my affiliation.
  • I will make a specific change to my business that I can accomplish through the tools and network of the organization.
  • I will improve my web presence by being the the first page of listings when someone googles my name.


They  Reassess their Membership and Involvement on a Scheduled Basis

At three or six months you should take the time to assess what the organization has provided for your business and what efforts you have put in. You take a look at your marketing strategies to see if they are working, right?

Some Questions to Ask:

  • Did you meet your goals?
  • Did you live up to the participation standard that you set forth?
  • Were there enough opportunities available to you to live up to the participation standard you set forth?
  • Where do you think the organization could have been more effective?
  • Did you pick the right goals?
  • Did you pick the right group?

Being clear about what you want out of an organization will help you better determine whether or not your money is being well spent.

]]> http://www.nextlevelexecutives.com/blog/joiner-is-that-even-a-word/feed/ The Next Level of Personal Branding Event Recap http://www.nextlevelexecutives.com/blog/the-next-level-of-personal-branding-event-recap/ http://www.nextlevelexecutives.com/blog/the-next-level-of-personal-branding-event-recap/#comments Fri, 11 Jul 2008 19:23:36 +0000 Mike Langford http://www.nextlevelexecutives.com/blog/?p=54 ShareThis

]]> Tuesday evening’s “Personal Branding” event was absolutely amazing. Dani Tifft, Next Level’s Membership Master, tells me that we had 40 people in the house. For an event held right after the 4th of July, I think that is pretty darn cool.

I thought I would use this week’s post to create networking connections as that is what we do here at Next Level Executives.

First, please follow me, Dani, and NextLevelTweets on Twitter so you can be kept in the loop on the day to day happenings of NLE life. See my recent post on why Twitter is a powerful personal branding tool to get the full scoop on why you need to be tweeting.

Second, you should give serious consideration to forming or joining a networking group if you are not already participating in one. Of course I am a little biased toward Next Level Executives but whether you choose NLE, BNI or some other networking organization is not the point. The value of meeting with other business people on a regular and consistent basis is key to your reaping the rewards of deep business relationships.

Third, register today to attend PodCamp Boston. Whether you left Tuesday’s event with your head spinning or you think you have this stuff down, you need to go to PodCamp. There will be a healthy mix of social media experts and newbies alike. Trust me on this. Go.

Okay, enough of the hard sell. Let’s connect you with some of the other attendees.

I’d be remiss if I did not begin with our tremendous guest speakers:

  • John “The Job-Guy” Bates will forever be remembered as an unflappable presenter as he handled the PowerPoint craziness with incredible grace and style. The big takeaway for me from John’s presentation is that the market doesn’t care what you think you are good at or what you want to sell. Find out what the market wants to buy and what it is will to pay and position yourself there. Connect to John on LinkedIn.
  • Dan Schawbel rocked the room with both his tremendous accomplishments for someone of such a young age and his comprehensive Web 2.0 personal branding content. To paraphrase Dan’s overall message, “look social media and Web 2.0 are here to stay and you ignore it at your own peril.” The good thing according to Dan is that engaging with this new medium is not overly difficult and it can be a lot of fun so “just get started.” Connect to Dan on Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook.

And now for the most important connections…YOU. Without you the event would have been quite lame. While you may have come for the excellent content, I suspect you also came to meet some new and exciting people. One quick look at the list of attendees below lends me to believe you found just such a group.

Notice the following things about this list:

  1. Most of the attendees are business owners or control people
  2. Clicking a name or a business name performs the Google search that gave us the numbers we provided at the door. Note: We did an exact search on the names provided via the registration page. Chances are this is NOT how people would search for you or your business.
  3. Some people have websites and blogs next to their names. Give these links a click and explore. If there is no website or blog next to a name it means one was not provided during the registration process.
  4. We failed to capture social media contact info during the registration process. While I have it for most people I thought it would be fun to use this blog post to engage you. If you would like to connect to the people on this list please leave a comment with your contact points. Examples: NLE Community, Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, your blog page and so on.

I am also very interested to hear your thoughts on the event. How did it go? Was it a success or did we drop the ball? Do you feel the event was valuable to you and your business? Are you sorry you missed it if you were unable to attend?

Lastly, don’t forget to Tweet about the event over on Twitter. Below are some of the Tweets so far:


NLT1, OR NextLevel since:2008-07-08 - Twitter Search:

]]> http://www.nextlevelexecutives.com/blog/the-next-level-of-personal-branding-event-recap/feed/ Twitter is Actually a Powerful Personal Branding Tool http://www.nextlevelexecutives.com/blog/twitter-is-actually-a-powerful-personal-branding-tool/ http://www.nextlevelexecutives.com/blog/twitter-is-actually-a-powerful-personal-branding-tool/#comments Tue, 17 Jun 2008 19:34:25 +0000 Mike Langford http://www.nextlevelexecutives.com/blog/?p=12 ShareThis

]]> What do Guy Kawasaki, Seth Godin, and Barack Obama have in common with MC Hammer?

Okay, I know the title of the post gave it away. Yes, they all use Twitter. The real question I guess is, why do they use Twitter?

What does Twitter, this ridiculous mico-blogging tool that limits posts to 140 characters have to offer these guys? At first glance it seems insane that anyone who takes himself seriously, or even the Hammer, would consider joining the fray where the question “What are you doing?” is often answered with total honesty. And like almost every Twitter user on the planet that is what I thought until I started using the tool and watching how others use it.

I signed up for Twitter back in October 2007 during PodCamp Boston but it was useless to me. I was following one person and had one follower, Aaron Strout of Mzinga. I already had Aaron’s email address, his IM screen name and his phone number, there was simply no reason to use Twitter just to talk to Aaron. I left it alone until a few months ago when I noticed Aaron had added his Twitter handle to his email signature and I decided to take a second look. Then I Googled Aaron Strout and noticed that not only does his name fill page one but his Twitter page ranks number three.

Why is Twitter Useful For Me?

Once I saw Aaron’s rankings I was sold because despite owning two companies, Course Pilot Financial and Next Level Executives, with separate and distinct brand identities I knew that my own name was associated very closely with each. A quick Google search for Mike Langford made me realize I needed to take some action. There apparently is some famous photographer with the same name along with a few others. If I wanted to be found through this noise maybe tweeting could help.

Guess what? It worked. I am all over page one on Google now. But the story doesn’t stop there.

I realized in the process that Twitter is actually an amazing Personal Branding tool. When I noticed Guy, Seth, Barack and yes you too Hammer, were on Twitter I had to wonder why. Why would two prominent business thought leaders, a potential leader of the free world, and a guy who used to wear big poofy pants while dancing side to side like a hermit crab be on Twitter? Then it dawned on me.

The First Rule of Branding: Awareness

All four of these men depend heavily on the strength of their personal brands as a key component of their continued success. And in the world of branding, awareness rules.

For my money, and Guy Kawasaki and I agree that we would pay to use it, Twitter is by far the most effective tool in existence for generating and maintaining brand awareness. When Guy responded to my tweet about a future business model for Twitter over 13,000 people saw my name. As a result a few of them decided to follow me. The same thing happened when Chris Brogan took the time to say “nice to meet you” after a Tweetup.

Remember, people on Twitter are not just random eyeballs, these people made a decision to follow certain people.

Aware of What Exactly?

Now there’s the rub. Name recognition alone is not brand awareness. Your brand starts to come through when people develop an expectation for what you are about. I know Seth Godin is out to help business people become better marketers. When he tweets there is a consistency with this expectation and his personal brand is reinforced.

So, where does this leave me. I am using Twitter to extend my personal brand to new territory. As a financial advisor I am known quantity, Mike Langford stands for honesty, integrity and a commitment to excellence. In taking on the leadership of Next Level Executives I find myself needing to add new features to the @MikeLangford brand. If you follow me you will quickly see that I am working hard to associate with and learn from some of the leaders in the social media scene. You will also notice that I frequently promoting others and brokering connections between successful business people.

Of course you will also see the occasional plea for a venti iced coffee here and there as well. Let’s just say it is all part of the master plan.

What Are Your Thoughts?

  • Do you have a personal branding strategy? Does it involve Twitter?
  • Do you have any examples of great personal branding campaigns that involve Twitter?
  • Did I miss anything?
]]> http://www.nextlevelexecutives.com/blog/twitter-is-actually-a-powerful-personal-branding-tool/feed/ The Five Fundamentals of Networking for Business http://www.nextlevelexecutives.com/blog/the-five-fundamentals-of-networking-for-business/ http://www.nextlevelexecutives.com/blog/the-five-fundamentals-of-networking-for-business/#comments Mon, 02 Jun 2008 03:21:38 +0000 Mike Langford http://www.nextlevelexecutives.com/blog/?p=10 ShareThis

]]> I recently developed a presentation titled “Integrating Your Offline and Online Networking Efforts” in which I outline the benefits of having your face to face and face in screen networking work in concert with one another. One of the key elements of the talk focuses on the “who” part of networking for business.

The people in your network are perhaps the most important part of the equation. If networking is all about word of mouth marketing then the mouth must be considered of supreme importance. In order to help you evaluate your networking team I developed the following list of five fundamentals for you and your networking partners:

1. Likability - It seems simple and logical but I am amazed at how many people fail the first test of getting into my network. If I don’t like you then I am certainly not going to open my contact list for you. So be likable. Not fake and annoyingly perky but rather someone who others enjoy being around. Below are a couple of dos and don’ts.

  • Do: Smile, be friendly, and be interested in the other person. It also helps to be open and generous with your network. Remember he or she just may introduce you to a big client some day.
  • Don’t: Complaining about your job, your spouse, your kids, or the economy and so on is no fun for your networking partner. Try not to dump on people. If you are having trouble with what is unlikable behavior read “The No Asshole Rule” by Robert Sutton and you’ll get the gist.

2. Familiarity - Have you ever had to give a referral with a qualification that sounds a little like this, “He seems like a nice guy. I met him at some event.”? The problem is that even though you like the person, you just don’t know him well enough to add much value to the connection. This is where familiarity comes in. You need to interact with your networking partners frequently enough to develop a level of comfort and to some extent business intimacy. Below is a short list of things you can do that will enhance your familiarity with your networking partners:

  • Join or form a networking team that meets locally. Seeing people in person on a regular basis is the fastest way to develop a real relationship.
  • Encourage your networking partners to participate with you in a common online social network. The more active each of you are the more familiar with each other (and your respective businesses) you’ll become. If you are looking for a free place to start head on over to the Next Level community site and set up your profile. We’ll get you up and running with some great people.
  • Start using Twitter and invite your networking partners to do the same. Twitter’s fast moving and easy to use style makes it the perfect tool to keep up to date with your network partners for business and for fun. Tony Hsieh, CEO of Zappos.com wrote a great primer on getting started with Twitter. Once you have set up your Twitter account be sure to follow me and I’ll follow you back. Note: As a side benefit your tweets can add some punch to your search engine rankings.

3. Trust - You’ve heard the saying that “it’s not who you know but who knows you.” I recently amended this statement to “it’s not who knows you but who trusts you” because when it comes to doing business it is all based on trust. Liking you and knowing you quickly become irrelevant if you prove yourself untrustworthy. And while many people say that trust is earned I actually believe that trust is assumed until violated. So be a good guy and act responsibly. This being said there are a few things you can do to enhance your trust metric within your network:

  • Ask your LinkedIn connections for recommendations. Testimonials from customers and recommendations from colleagues here offer very public stamps of approval of you and your business.
  • Get your link love on. Be sure to ad links to your networking partners’ websites and blogs. Links to and from your site are interpreted as an indicator of trust. Essentially links from other sites are an indication that others have validated your content and view your site as relevant and trustworthy.
  • Take the hot seat. Open yourself up to the advice and input of your networking team. At Next Level Executives our members engage in mastermind sessions where they tap the collective intellect of their team to tackle a particular business challenge. You can also leverage online communities, Twitter, and LinkedIn to ask and answer questions of your network. Asking for advice demonstrates you trust others.

4. Competence - Greatness attracts greatness. When I network I look for people who are not only good at what they do but for those who are… well…reaching for their next level. Your network wants to know that you are good at what you do. But how can you demonstrate your competence to large numbers of people, many of whom may not be your customers?

  • Start blogging. Laura Fitton of Pistachio Consulting said it best when she referred to her blog as a database of her ideas and expertise. When she talks to a prospective client or networking partner she can point to her blog site as evidence of her competency. Writers are considered experts so start writing. If you are unsure where to begin, start reading and commenting on other blogs in your field or related areas. Before you know it you’ll go from joining the conversation to leading the conversation.
  • Speak! I call it presentation magic. Nothing turns a person into an expert faster than a speaking engagement. When you share your expertise with a group you become more than competent, you become a thought leader. And if you do a good job of getting the word out about your speaking gig via the tools I’ve mentioned in this post you’ll find it will pay dividends far into the future.

5. Relevance - Originally the list of four fundamentals above was it. The fifth one, networking relevance, came to me in one of those in the shower “ah ha!” moments as I was going through my mental notes for this post. The truth is that even if I know you, like you, trust you and think you are amazing at what you do you still may not be a good networking fit for my team.

A guy who owns a local lawn care business is unlikely a good networking fit for a room full of Fortune 500 C Suite execs. While the lawn care business may benefit by scooping up some good clients the executives may receive little networking value in return. This works the other way as well.

So how do you assess the relevance of a networking contact?

  • Similar Business Size. As the example above illustrates, business size can be a big determinate of your networking relevance. This is certainly not a hard and fast rule as there are plenty of solopreneurs whose primary target market is the Fortune 500 crowd. What you are really looking for is a mutually beneficial networking relationship. Can you help each other?
  • Geography - Where do you do business? Where do you want to do business? Seek out partners who have similar target markets.
  • Customers - One of the top reasons people network is to get new business. Look for networking partners who have access to your target customer base. Be sure to keep in mind however that referrals often come from places you wouldn’t naturally anticipate so don’t discount a potentially solid person just because he or she isn’t in our target demographic.

Did I Miss Anything?

I am scheduled to give the full presentation of how to integrate your offline and online networking efforts at PodCamp Boston 3 in July so I would love your feedback. Are there any other networking fundamentals that I should include? Do you have any suggestions for social media tools or offline activities that can help people maximize any of the fundamentals discussed here?

]]> http://www.nextlevelexecutives.com/blog/the-five-fundamentals-of-networking-for-business/feed/ Are you selling what you have to sell or what your customers want to buy? http://www.nextlevelexecutives.com/blog/are-you-selling-what-you-have-to-sell-or-what-your-customers-want-to-buy/ http://www.nextlevelexecutives.com/blog/are-you-selling-what-you-have-to-sell-or-what-your-customers-want-to-buy/#comments Thu, 22 May 2008 17:53:45 +0000 Mike Langford http://www.nextlevelexecutives.com/blog/?p=8 ShareThis

]]> I finally picked up Seth Godin’s book “Meatball Sundae” yesterday after listening to Mitch Joel pimp it (albeit gently) on Six Pixels several times over the last few months. As of this morning I am about half-way through the book and I find myself compelled to get a conversation going on the book’s thesis.

Old Marketing (mass marketing) is dying or at least shrinking in relevance and New Marketing (permission based marketing) is the future.

The good news for business, small businesses in particular, is that new marketing is much more cost effective and has an exponentially higher response rate. One example Seth uses in the book is a comparison of response rates for direct mail versus permission based (opt in) email marketing. The typical direct mail campaign costs $1 per recipient and has an expected response rate of one percent. Compare this to a permission based email campaign where the recipients have asked to receive information about your products and services. The cost of crafting the email is most likely the same as the cost of designing the mailer in the direct mail scenario but there is virtually no cost of distribution. Sending an email to one person or one hundred thousand costs the same. Here’s the rub, according to Seth the response rate for email is often 20 to 30 times higher than snail mail.

The cost component in the above scenario, while significant, is not the point. The point is the response rate and what it means to your marketing strategy. In today’s world, people can choose to not be interrupted. Think about it:

  • Radio - People have iPhones, podcasts of radio broadcasts and XM satellite radio.
  • TV - TiVo, iTunes and other on-demand delivery systems make sitting through ads unnecessary.
  • Telemarketing - The “do not call list” makes dinner interruptions a thing of the past.
  • Spam - Unwanted email marketing (no permission given) is swept up via spam filters.

New Marketing, as Seth suggests, eschews yelling in the faces of people who would rather not hear what you have to say in favor of engaging people who have a problem you can solve. It’s the old “fish where the fish are” axiom taken to the next level.

Fish where the fish are but be sure to have the bait the fish like to eat.

My father and I took my son Jackson fishing for the first time recently. The first stop we made was the local bait shop where I asked the guy behind the counter for the best place to catch trout. Then we bought our worms and headed to the pond he suggested. We knew where the fish were.

When we got to the pond, set up and baited our hooks with several options. In addition to the worms we had brought other options such as PowerBait and salmon eggs. Sure enough the fish started biting but only the hooks baited with worms. Nothing else was drawing even the slightest nibble. But we had all that other bait. What to do?

We could have developed an aggressive marketing strategy to push the PowerBait as an attractive alternative to worms. And salmon eggs are so European and chic, they are like caviare. I mean come on, we had all that inventory. Certainly if we yelled loud enough the fish would try our other products.

But wait, there was a guy with his son fishing right near us and they were using worms. Just what the fish wanted. Hmm…maybe we should position ourselves as the best place for trout to fill their worm needs.

And this is the most important part of the “Meatball Sundae” message. New Marketing, is not about selling what you have or what you want sell to people through new marketing tools. It is about identifying what people want to buy, finding out where these people are and structuring your marketing and business strategy to maximize the engagement of these customers.

So, have you read “Meatball Sundae”? I would love to hear your thoughts.

]]> http://www.nextlevelexecutives.com/blog/are-you-selling-what-you-have-to-sell-or-what-your-customers-want-to-buy/feed/ The Mastermind Session: Cloud Computing for Your Small Business http://www.nextlevelexecutives.com/blog/the-mastermind-session-cloud-computing-for-your-small-business/ http://www.nextlevelexecutives.com/blog/the-mastermind-session-cloud-computing-for-your-small-business/#comments Fri, 16 May 2008 19:40:58 +0000 Mike Langford http://www.nextlevelexecutives.com/blog/?p=7 ShareThis

]]> Are you using all available brainpower to solve your business challenges? If you haven’t taken the hot seat in a mastermind session the answer is “NO”. And your business may be suffering for it.

Scientists and mathematicians long ago discovered that more brains are better than one brain when it comes to solving complex calculations. In recent decades more brains began to include more computers. And more computers has evolved into cloud computing which essentially represents a supercomputer comprised of thousands of individual machines working together in concert to solve virtually any calculation.

“But I’m a small business owner (or solo-preneur) and I don’t even like math. How is cloud computing going to help me?” Say you.

Well your small business is more like a complex math problem than you may realize. Think of the four main business processes that every business has, new product development, order acquisition, order fulfillment, and post sales service. Change what you do in one process and it impacts the result in another, which in the end creates a different value for your business.

Things get even more complex when we include the variables of business functions such as marketing, finance, HR and so on. Like the calculations facing scientists and mathematicians, some variables carry more weight than others. Identifying these weighty variables and engaging all available brainpower to solve your problem not only saves time but also tends to lead to results that your one brain would have overlooked.

So what do you say? Are you willing to take the hot seat?

To get a glimpse of the power of the mastermind session take a quick read of Heidi Brooks’s comments and my own personal experience this Wednesday.

]]> http://www.nextlevelexecutives.com/blog/the-mastermind-session-cloud-computing-for-your-small-business/feed/ Network Like You Mean It http://www.nextlevelexecutives.com/blog/network-like-you-mean-it/ http://www.nextlevelexecutives.com/blog/network-like-you-mean-it/#comments Fri, 09 May 2008 19:36:57 +0000 Mike Langford http://www.nextlevelexecutives.com/blog/?p=6 ShareThis

]]> Networking events are social but they are not birthday parties. You should have fun and enjoy the event but remember you are there for a reason.

Laura Fitton (aka Pistachio), of Pistachio Consulting, wrote a blog post this week titled “Make Conferences Rock More” that I think is a must read. She really got me thinking about how I approach my preparation for attending events.

While Pistachio’s post focuses on using social media tools to prepare for an event she more broadly hits on a challenge many people unwittingly face when they make a decision to attend an event for business.

The typical process goes a little something like this:

  1. RSVP
  2. Put the event on your calendar
  3. Tell a couple of friends you are going. Ask if they are going?
  4. Pick out an outfit
  5. Do you have everything? Business Cards, cash for drinks at the bar, iPhone, breath mints….
  6. Okay good to go!

With this kind of preparation, what are the chances of meaningful business resulting from the event?

Here are a few suggestions for making your next event a winner:

  1. Decide why you are attending the event. Are you there to meet prospective clients or cement existing relationships? Maybe you are going to learn something new or take existing skills to the next level. It can’t hurt to remind yourself of the reason you are investing time in this event.
  2. As Pistachio mentions early on in her post, take a look at the list of planned attendees. For each Next Level Executives event we post a list of who is coming on the registration page.
  3. Make a note of who you want to meet.
  4. See if you can let the person know of your desire to meet ahead of time. That way you can ensure you connect.
  5. Promote the event to people who may benefit from attending. Note: this is not the same as asking your buddies if they are going. Take a look at your contacts with an eye out for people who should go either because they will make the event better or because they will get a lot out of the event. In short, do your part to raise the event’s profile.
  6. Frank Damelio of Target Intellect says that most people frivolously waste their investment of time by not being prepared with a memorable introduction. Is there a chance that you will be asked to introduce yourself at this event? Do you know what you will say? Will people remember meeting you?
  7. Have a post event plan. Rick Roberge of David Kurlan & Associates is a big fan of setting aside time after a networking event to follow up with the new contacts he met. If you have no plan to follow up with the people you meet then why bother to go in the first place?

Did I miss anything? How do you prepare for events? Feel free to leave a comment.

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