Quote for Today 05/07/2012

“ Write it on your heart that
every day is the best
day in the year. ”

Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882) 
American writer and activist 

The perils of being anti-social By Harvey Mackay

The perils of being anti-social

By Harvey Mackay
   
“Is social media a fad or is it the biggest shift since the Industrial Revolution?” asks Erik Qualman, author of Socialnomics.  Consider these statistics he presents, and my analysis of them, and then decide how connected you should be.  Hint:  Your company website alone is no longer enough!

As of 2010, Generation Y — those born between 1980 and 2000 — outnumbers baby boomers.  And 96 percent of them have joined a social network!  There was no initiation, no dues, no recommendations.  Just a few taps on the keyboard and voila!  Instant connection to friends and family, immediate information sharing, finding the kid who sat next to you in kindergarten story-time.

As technology improves and changes, it also changes the way we live.  It took radio 38 years to reach 50 million users.  It took TV 13 years, the internet four years and iPod just three years.

Perhaps the star of the social media show is Facebook, which added 100 million users in just nine months and now has over 500 million users.  Not bad for a company that began in a dorm room.  If Facebook were a country, it would have the third largest population behind only China and India.  The fastest growing segment of Facebook is women ages 55-65.  (The jury is still out on how many of those women’s children have accepted a “friend” request from their mothers.)

We no longer search for the news; the news finds us.  More than 1.5 million pieces of content (web links, news stories, blog posts, notes, photos, etc.) are shared on Facebook daily.  In the near future we will no longer search for products and services.  They will find us via social media.

One out of eight couples married in the United States last year met via social media.

Generation Y and Z — the youngest techies, born after 1995 — consider e-mail passé.  In 2009, Boston College stopped distributing email addresses to incoming freshmen.

For those who prefer their communications in 140 characters or less, a Twitter account is a must.  Ashton Kutcher and Ellen DeGeneres have more Twitter followers than the entire populations of Ireland, Norway and Panama.  Approximately 80 percent of Twitter usage is on mobile devices people update anywhere and anytime.  The apps for Black Friday sales changed the way shoppers planned their retail strategy.  On the downside, imagine what an unfavorable tweet means for bad customer experiences.

As a business person, I often wonder how we functioned before LinkedIn.  One of the most remarkable employment statistics I discovered while researching my last book, Use Your Head To Get Your Foot in the Door, is that 80 percent of companies are using LinkedIn as their primary tool to find employees.

Remember the advertising slogan “What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas?”  That’s a little misleading, because it also stays on Twitter, Flickr, Facebook, My Space, YouTube or any other social media you use.

YouTube is the second largest search engine in the world.  It contains 100 million videos and receives two billion viewers each day.  Wikipedia has over 13 million articles.  A whopping 70 percent of 18 to 34-year-olds have watched TV on the web, while only 33 percent have ever viewed a show on DVR or TiVo.  And 25 percent have watched a video on their phones in the last month.  With a growing number of e-readers, 35 percent of book sales on amazon are for the Kindle.  Some publishers estimate that eBook sales will reach 50 percent in the next five years.

There are over 200 million blogs, and 54 percent of bloggers post content or tweet daily.  Without knowing who or what organization is actually behind the blog, here are some facts to consider:    34 percent of bloggers post opinions about products or brands. 
78 percent of consumers trust peer recommendations. 
Only 14 percent trust advertising.
Perhaps the most astonishing fact of all is that social media have overtaken porn as the number one activity on the web.

Successful companies in social media have learned the importance of listening first and selling second.  Qualman says, “They act more like party planners, aggregators, and content providers than traditional advertisers.”

Social media represent a fundamental shift in the way we communicate.  To stay current — and competitive — in business, don’t be a “twit.”  Put on your best “face” and “link” into these tremendous opportunities.

Mackay’s Moral:  If you want to have the world at your fingertips, brush up on your “social” skills.

This email was sent to wilsonbrian13@gmail.com by alerts@harveymackay.com.

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The ABCs of networking – Harvey Mackay

The ABCs of networking

By Harvey Mackay
   
If  I had to name the single characteristic shared by all the truly  successful people I’ve met over a lifetime, I’d say it is the ability to  create and nurture a network of contacts.  I could lose all my money  and all my factories, but leave me my contacts and I’ll be back as  strong as ever in three to five years.  Networking is that important.

The  alphabet is a great place to start as you build your network –  organize your contacts from A to Z.  I’ve written two other ABC columns  — the ABCs of selling and the ABCs of teamwork.  Now it’s time for the  ABCs of networking:
A is for antennae, which should be up every waking moment.  Never pass up an opportunity to meet new people.
B is for birthdays.  It’s always advantageous to know the birthdays of  your contacts.  You wouldn’t believe how much business our sales reps  write up when they call on their customers’ birthdays.
C is for contact management system.  Have your data organized so that you  can cross reference entries and find the information you need quickly.
D is for Dig Your Well Before You’re Thirsty, my networking book.  
E is for exchange and expand.  When two people exchange dollar bills,  each still has only one dollar.  But when two people exchange networks,  they each have access to two networks.
F is for Facebook and all other social media.  These sites open unlimited possibilities for networking.  Use them wisely. 
G is for gatekeeper.  There usually is a trusted assistant trained to  block or grant your access. Don’t waste their time, and make sure you  acknowledge their significant role in reaching the boss.
H is for hearing.  Make note of news you hear affecting someone in your network so you can reference it at the appropriate time.
I is for information.  You can’t (and shouldn’t) talk about business all  the time.  Learn everything you can about your contacts’ families, pets,  hobbies and interests.  Humanize your approach.
J is for job security, which you will always have if you develop a good network.
K is for keeping in touch.  If your network is going to work, you have to stay plugged in and keep the wires humming.
L is for lessons.  The first real networking school I signed up for after  I graduated from college was Toastmasters.  Dale Carnegie schools are  designed to achieve similar goals.
M is for mentors.  In the best of all possible worlds, your role models  can become your mentors, helping you, advising you, guiding you, even  lending you their network as you build your own.
N is for a network of contacts.  A network can enrich your life.
O is for outgoing.  Be the first to introduce yourself, lend a hand, or send congratulations for a job well done.       
P is for people.  You have to love people to be a good networker.
Q is for quality.  A large network is worthless unless the people in it can be counted on to answer in an emergency at 2 a.m.
R is for Reciprocity.  You give; you get.  You no give; you no get.  If  you only do business with people you know and like, you won’t be in  business very long.
S is for six degrees of separation, the thought that there is a chain of  no more than six people that link every person.   Someone you know knows  someone who knows someone you want to know.
T is for telephone.  Landline, cell, internet — this is a critical tool for staying in touch with your network.
U is for urgency.  Don’t be slow to answer the call, even if you never expect to have your effort repaid.
V is for visibility.  You’ve got to get involved in organizations and  groups to get connected, but don’t confuse visibility with credibility. You have to give in order to get.
W is not only for whom you know, but also for who knows you?
X is for the extra mile. Your network contacts will go the extra mile for you, and you must be willing to do the same for them.
Y is for yearly check-in. Find a way, even if it’s just a holiday card, to stay in touch. 
Z is for zip code — do you have plenty represented in your network?

Mackay’s Moral:  You don’t have to know everything as long as you know the people who do.

This email was sent to wilsonbrian13@gmail.com by alerts@harveymackay.com.

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