Posts in Category: Personal Brand
Increase Profit Margins: Tips From 30 Small Business Experts – Published on Direct Capital
Jasmeet Sawhney is a serial entrepreneur who has been in digital marketing and social technologies for over 10 years. He has helped both startups and large corporations in their branding, product marketing, and lead generation efforts.
I think the single best way for small business owners to increase their profit margins is…
A 30-20 rate increase.
Every year, we analyze revenue generated from each distinct solution area. The objective is to identify offerings where we can increase our rates by 20 percent without losing the customer. We then select accounts that generate 30 percent of our total revenue across these identified solution offerings. Sometimes, this means that one of our clients may get the same service at a lower cost than the one we identify for rate increase. We have not lost a single customer because of this strategy.
via Increase Profit Margins: Tips From 30 Small Business Experts | Direct Capital | Blog.
How to get better ROI out of your social media sharing? – Published on LinkedIn
We all share content on one or more social networks. In fact, social sharing has become one of the most common activities on the web. There are some who get a kick out of sharing everything in their life (“I just took a shower with chilling cold water!”); some feel connected when they share; some want to stay relevant within their circles; some want to build their credibility; and there are others who do it for various vague and valid reasons. But, very few understand how effective their sharing is, and how can they improve.
sharing comes with an expectation – that your connections and followers will react. If there are no reactions, incentives of sharing are diminished, which leads to decreased sharing.
No matter what you do for living, I can bet you have limited time. When you are active on social networks, it can take away good chunk of your time depending on how addicted (or dedicated) you are to building your presence. But, it is not hard to see that everyone’s social content does not get equal engagement. And, that is fine for most people. If all you want is to share your personal pictures with friends and family, you don’t really need to count likes and comments. But, even then, sharing comes with an expectation – that your connections and followers will react. If there are no reactions, incentives of sharing are diminished, which leads to decreased sharing.
via How to get better ROI out of your social media sharing? | Jasmeet Sawhney | LinkedIn.
Santa & America’s Schizophrenia – Published on SikhChic
On my way back home, as I pondered over our interaction, I thought of another recent incident. But, before I get into that (and, you must be wondering, why Santa?), here is what I look like [Top photo on the right].
The only difference: I was wearing a red turban and shirt on that day. As you can see, I still have a black beard. So, I don’t think I really look like Santa! But, at least, the kid thought so.
Going back to the other incident. Here is what recently happened with a fellow Sikh-American. Cartoonist Vishavjit Singh was featured in a Facebook Tips video that showed up randomly in people’s feeds. It immediately attracted a barrage of ignorant comments from bigots and racists who didn’t care about the content of the video or what Vishavjit was saying. These trolls instead chose to attack him based on what he looked like!
That is, because of his turban and beard.
Now, compare the above treatment with my being called a ‘Santa’ – a legendary, saintly and fatherly figure that represents Christmas in many ways and forms!
Isn’t that good? Hell, yeah!
via sikhchic.com | The Art and Culture of the Diaspora | Santa & America’s Schizophrenia.
SANTA FOR A DAY – ISIS FOR THE REST?
Photo credit – littlesikhs.com
Christmas! What a wonderful time – isn’t it? Holidays, Family, Food, Gifts – enough reasons to love it! Even though I don’t celebrate Christmas, or get gifts, who doesn’t like festivities?
Yesterday, I went to my daughter’s school and a cute little kid told me – “You look like Santa!” “Is that good or bad?” I asked. “I don’t know”, he said in all his innocence. On my way back home, I pondered about our interaction and a recent incident came to light. But, before I get into that (and, you must be wondering why Santa?), here is what I look like.
The only difference, I was wearing a Red turban and shirt today. As you can see, I still have black beard. So, I don’t think I really look like Santa! But, at least, the kid thought so.
Going back to the incident. Here is what recently happened with a fellow Sikh who was featured in a Facebook Ad. Vishvajit Singh was featured in a Facebook Tips video that showed up randomly in people’s feeds. You can watch the video at the end of this article. Below is a sample of comments he got from bigots who didn’t care about content of the video or what he was saying. These trolls rather chose to attack him based on what he looks like!
Now, compare the above treatment with being called a ‘Santa’ – a legendary, saintly and fatherly figure that represents Christmas in many ways and forms! Isn’t that good? Hell, yeah!
What happened to Vishvajit Singh is nothing new. Sikhs have been targets of hatred and bigotry not just in US but also in their home country (India). This has happened not only once or recently, but throughout our 500+ years of history. But, the point I want to make is not about unwarranted hatred against Sikhs and other communities. We have all read and listened to it many times and it will sound like another rhetoric.
Rather, I simply want to put forward something that I believe is quite strange. Come Christmas time, every parent is ready to hand over their kids to a stranger dressed up as Santa – overly sized costume complete with long beard, moustache and headgear. Well, often, these costumes are smelly, hands are dirty, and conditions are not really the most hygienic. Add to it the fact that some of these Santas don’t even go through background checks!
Now, how many other occasions can you recall where parents would willfully hand over their kids to a stranger, or to emphasize, a ‘person’ with above description sans Santa costume? Yes, that stranger could be me, who this cute little kid called Santa! And, like me, many others who don’t look like so called “Typical American”, the way bigots and hate mongers describe it – White, European, and so on… And, us Santas, exist all year around. We don’t do it for money, though. It is part of our daily life – it is our faith!
Now, bear in mind, I do not intend to spoil the holiday mood or mean to say that anyone should stop posing with Santa! I take my kids to mall to pose with Santa. They actually took pictures yesterday with local Santa on the fire truck. I also do not intend to discount one of the biggest virtues of America – acceptance of all faiths, cultures and races, which most Americans embrace.
I just want to point out double standards of bigots (like the ones who posted comments on Vishvajit’s Ad), who in no way represent the spirit of America! Most racists and bigots don’t have the courage to say such things face-to-face, so they use the Internet. Nevertheless, they feel the same way and would never allow “Year-Around Santas” to even come close to their kids. The funny thing, though, they are out there today clicking pictures of their kids with someone, whom on another day, they might call ISIS or Taliban!
Happy Holidays & Happy New Year!
Here’s Vishvajit Singh’s Facebook Tips Video
Also, published on Medium – https://medium.com/@jasmeetio/santa-for-a-day-isis-for-the-rest-c7e9a4f501ab
12 Hiring Tips For Your Early Stage Startup
Startups live or die based on their ability to attract talent. All other factors that can affect startup success are secondary. This is even more pronounced when you are an early stage startup (read ‘resource constrained to the extreme’) as you have little or no room for bad hiring decisions. Having said that, everyone makes hiring mistakes and it is a process that you hope to get better at with experience. If you are like me and most other entrepreneurs, you would dump conventional wisdom and techniques, and build your own set of hiring rules that are driven by your unique style and situation. Over the years, I have been involved in several startups and here are some of the things I have learned in hiring during early days of the startup (i.e., first 2-5 employees).
LinkedIn Groups for Sales Success: Your Secret Weapon – Comment on SmallBizTrends
Hi Margie,
Thanks for providing the tips. Totally agree with the value of LinkedIn groups. They help with leads, but also help users build credible connections and thought leadership. But, I think the LinkedIn group experience requires improvement. I would love to know how you tackle some of the issues I face:
1 – If you are a member of multiple groups, email digests feel like a spam and most people I talk to have turned them off because they simply cannot keep up with them
2 – There is a lot of promotional/spam discussions that puts people off
3 – It is extremely difficult to reach discussions that are relevant to a user – total lack of filters (part of the problem is people who just post random stuff)
4 – There is a bias towards discussions that are active even if they are old (even though there are few active discussions – they get most of the comments) – most other ‘relevant’ discussions go unnoticed
Can you please share your thoughts on how you are solving these problems today? Also, what other improvements would you like to see in LinkedIn Groups? Please share..Thanks!
- JASMEET SAWHNEY
Did you know that people who participate or engage in LinkedIn Group discussions get an average of four times as many profile views?
LinkedIn Groups allow you to connect with thousands, even hundreds of thousands of people. Many more than you could connect with via your first-level connections.
Using LinkedIn Groups for Sales Success
There are over two million groups on LinkedIn, with a focus on a variety of topics. These include:
- Corporate
- College alumni
- Nonprofit
- Trade organizations
- Conferences
- Industry-specific
- Interests – such as skiing or animals
The Light Within — A Professional Context — Published On Medium
It is the light within, hiding deep beneath our skin
It holds our destiny, shapes our lives
It strikes more often than we realize
It brings us to extremes more often than we like
It makes us low and high, losers and winners, it is the light within.
————————————————————————————-
It takes us far and beyond, below and under
It turns impossible into possible, possible into impossible
It drives us to excellence, leaves us doomed, it is the light within.
It propels us to achieve the unachievable, drowns us in mere existence
It transports us to heights of happiness, and wells of sorrow
It cultivates completeness, and shoves us to hollowness, it is the light within.
via The Light Within — A Professional Context — This Happened to Me — Medium.
3 Deadly LinkedIn Profile Mistakes To Avoid – Disqus Comment on Jeffbullas Blog
So, it seems everyone loves this article – but, I am still trying to make sense of it?!?! Are you suggesting that every single professional should turn their LinkedIn profile into sales BS?? Quite frankly, if I see this kind of a profile, I’ll think twice before connecting. It’s the same reason why you don’t pick up a sales call when you know a telemarketer is calling. And, the same reason people don’t like Car Salesman – this article seems to be suggesting that our LinkedIn profiles should sound like one as well. This is a big problem with some sales people, they think everyone else sees the world like they do. Such a profile would almost seem like a scam to normal professionals. There might be some professions where this might work – where there is quick sales/hiring without much deliberation. But, I am not going to give business to anyone who tries to shove sales pitches down my throat via their LinkedIn profile. For most practical scenarios, a LinkedIn profile is not at the bottom of the sales funnel – it is at the top. And, if you annoy anyone at the top, there aren’t going to be any leads. There is a big shift happening from this traditional sales ‘cold call’ paradigm to the new Inbound approach. But, it seems I am the only one who feels this way (at least here). Or, maybe I just didn’t get the essence of the article – my apologies if that is the case. – JASMEET SAWHNEY
The sad truth is you are probably committing 3 deadly mistakes that turn you into a leper on LinkedIn.
If it makes you feel any better, you aren’t alone—thousands of people are making these 3 LinkedIn profile mistakes, turning their social media efforts into a giant waste of time.
Now I won’t bother tell you that you need a professional profile picture or recommendations on your LinkedIn profile. Those are a given. This article will explore the science of personal branding—why most people blend into the background and are instantly forgotten on LinkedIn.
Fix these 3 mistakes and you will immediately elbow your way past the hoards of competition and make a much better first impression on LinkedIn.
via 3 Deadly LinkedIn Profile Mistakes to Avoid – Jeffbullas’s Blog.
What Type Of Information Should You Share On Social Media? – Worklife Blog
We all have social media accounts and share content on one or more social networks. In fact, social sharing has become one of the most common activities on the web. There are some who get a kick out of sharing everything in their life (“I just took shower and water was really cold!”); some feel connected when they share; some want to stay relevant within their circles; some want to build their credibility; and there are others who do it for various vague and valid reasons. But, very few understand how effective their sharing is, and how can they improve?
No matter what you do, I can bet you have limited time. When you spend time on social networks, it can take away good chunk of your time depending on how addicted (or dedicated) you are to building your presence. But, it is not hard to see that everyone’s social content does not get equal engagement. And, this is fine, if all you want is to share your personal pictures with friends and family. But, for most part, all of this sharing comes with an expectation – that your connections and followers will react. If there are no reactions, incentives of sharing are diminished, which leads to decreased sharing.
via What type of information should you share on Social Media? | Worklife.
9 Ways to Design Brand You – LinkedIn Group Discussion
You are the CEO of your own company – YOU Incorporated. In today’s fast-paced, competitive and interconnected world it is vital to have a unique powerful and personal brand in order to stand out and be memorable in the eyes of others. Think of some…
via 9 Ways to Design Brand You | LinkedIn.