For a while now there has been some debate over how to use LinkedIn. Some suggest connecting with only people you know and work with, while others encourage inviting people to your network. The same way you would with Twitter, in other words, adding anyone and everyone. It doesn’t matter if I am delivering a key-note, conducting a workshop or presenting a webinar, a question that seems to always be asked is: “When building my LinkedIn network, is quality better than quantity?” But first lets look at some LinkedIn facts that show the quantity piece. Some cool Linkedin facts. The LinkedIn facts The global web produces some big numbers and the Linkedin facts are hard to ignore. Here is a snapshot of an infographic created by Linkedprofilewriter.org, that reveals some of those Linkedin stats. Over 300 million people are on LinkedIn.  In fact at the time of publishing this post there…

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We need our mojo–our magic, our very best energy–to run our business, to lead our teams, to talk to our clients, and to be the best leader we know we can be. Our mojo is our source of confidence–the thing that lets us know we can be successful. When we question ourselves, when we doubt ourselves, it helps us do the things we need to do to achieve, succeed and have impact. But a setback or crisis can leave your mojo shattered just when you need it the most. So how can you go about restoring it? Here are six simple options: 1. Start with one small win. When you let yourself think you’ll never be able to win again, you’re setting yourself up for the very failure you fear. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed when you’re trying to reverse your mindset, so try focusing on doing small things well.…

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Sales is a people business, but that doesn’t mean that tools can’t help you work more efficiently. Data, automation and integrations can make your work easier, your customers happier and your business more profitable. If you haven’t already embraced the flood of great software in the sales market, it’s time to start. Here are some of the best tools out there for modern sales reps. Clearbit Connect Clearbit’s Gmail extension is already used by more than 40,000 people. It sits on top of your Gmail to enrich each of your contacts with contextual information about where they work, their role, the company size, fundraising updates and much more. That alone is worth the free install, but there’s more to it. You can use Connect to find email addresses from people within a company and search for people by job title. This is the easiest tool we’ve ever used to find…

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There are habits that make us successful and there are habits that sabotage our success. PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images When the success we want remains out of reach, it’s natural human nature to want toblame something. The opportunity wasn’t right. The timing was bad. Someone or something got in the way. It was an unlucky day. More often than not, though, we hinder our own success. That statement is not meant to be victim-blaming or judgmental, but a simple statement that you can improve the odds of your success by looking at your own actions and asking yourself whether they undermine you or give you confidence. Here are the three particularly bad habits that others aren’t even able to see, that will hinder or even prevent your success if left unchecked. 1. Not believing in yourself. Every successful person–man, woman, or child–is a big dreamer. They’re constantly imagining what their…

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By lollydaskal When you think of leadership, you want a wise leader who is quick on their feet and sharp in their vision and intelligent in their decisions. But there is something that triumphs intelligence when it comes to leadership. Because even for the quickest, smartest, best leader, if they don’t have integrity all the intelligence is for naught. As we have learned in history and in current events, high intelligence is no guarantee of good judgment, and good judgment is closer to wisdom than high intelligence is. When we lead with integrity, our leadership is asking us to meet reality with the core of who we are—and frankly that takes courage. Integrity trumps intelligence when the leader knows … Brains are good but character is better. Our work environments are designed for us to be nimble and smart, but intelligence doesn’t get people to connect with you or follow…

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by John Rampton Having a website as a small business owner is just sort of a given and a known fact. What isn’t as common is the fact that small business owners seem to know little if anything about the actual mechanics behind the website that ensures a website is available 24/7/365. Besides knowing generally how small business website hosting works, it’s important to determine if the website hosting you are currently using is the best option for your business and future growth plans. What small business website hosting companies do Web hosting companies host your website on their servers and make sure that it is available for your traffic and customers at all times, as well as make it available to you or your developer to update on a regular basis. It is the hosting company’s job to handle all the technical aspects that go into running a website, including…

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By Gordon Tredgold Previously I have mentioned that I think planning is one of the dying arts, especially within IT, and that we should invest much more time in training planners and  planning projects. However, there is one thing that I actually think is worse than not planning, and thats to spend time and energy planning and then not actually following the plan. Many times I have seen this happen, people get ahead of schedule they think everything is on track, and then they stop to review their progress against their plan. More often than not, this results in failure, either delays or costly budget over runs as they look to get back on track. I am a strong believer in the saying Plan, Plan and Follow the Plan. If we are going to go to the bother of creating  detailed plan, then the least we can do is follow…

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About two years ago, Didit examined a topic that’s still much on the minds of digital marketers today: are blogs still important? Do these trusty, time-tested publishing vehicles matter in an era in which corporate blogging appears to be declining, social media traffic is rising, and more commercial enterprises – especially “Mom & Pop” businesses – seem to be considering a “social media only” approach to digital marketing? While certainly a lot has changed in digital marketing in the past two years, no developments in the industry have dissuaded us from our original conclusion: business blogs matter. And, as we put it two years ago, “the idea that a transient social media outpost can substitute for a website is very dangerous.” In other words, if you intend to make any headway in digital marketing, you must resist the siren call of a “social only” strategy and do the hard work of maintaining an excellent, attractive blog operating on your own domain.…

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We hear it all the time–procrastination is a terrible habit. It interferes with productivity and kills momentum, and if you want to accomplish anything ever youbetter never ever procrastinate. As with so many things, the truth is more complicated. There are times when procrastination doesn’t hurt–and there are times it can even be helpful. Here are seven examples of the up side to procrastination. 1. It calms the impulse to act in haste. Taking swift steps isn’t always the smartest move. Sometimes it really is best to take a time out and gain the perspective that only distance can give. Even a short delay can lead to a big payoff in clarity. Once a little time has passed, you might look at the issue and see a different solution or even discover that the best path forward is to do nothing. Procrastination gives you an opportunity to evaluate and think…

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