Google+ for Business – Book Review

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A few weeks ago, I was on Google+, and came across an update referencing Chris Brogan’s “Google+ for Business: How Google’s Social Network Changes Everything“. Within seconds, I was checking out from BN.com, thankful for my membership which offers expedited shipping (yes, I still like real, printed books!).

Do we really need another social network?
Simply put, Google+ will be a game changer. For starters, it’s owned by Google, and there are already more than 90 million users. Additionally, your +1 links may rank higher, and sites on Google+ get indexed quicker.

The intuitive circles for organizing your following, hangouts to formally or informally chat with others, and the ability to create a page for your business make Google+ a sure winner.

The book is broken down into 14 chapters, including:

  • The Opportunity of Google+
  • A Day in the Life
  • First Moves with Google+
  • Circles
  • Posting
  • Growing an Audience
  • Sharing

And more. My favorite chapter was “A Day in the Life”, where he cleverly detailed daily suggestions for seven different types of occupations. This chapter also features interviews, including Problogger Darren Rowse and Scott Monty from Ford Motor Co.

I also liked Chris’ explanation of how he set up his circles. It wasn’t a how to, as much as it was a here’s how I did it, and why.

Clearly, the opportunity on Google+ is authorship, focusing on the person, rather than the company. The book is easy to read, and  makes the case why you and your business must get on Google+ sooner, rather then later.

Don’t forget to circle me up on Google+ !

How to add a Google+ badge to your website

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Anyone with a Google+ profile can now include one of two types of badges linking to their account. Follow these simple steps to get yours.

First, visit your Google+ page, and copy your account number (it’s the long string of numbers at the end of the URL). To see your account number, just click on your profile picture. Doing this will populate the numeric values associated with your Google+ account.

Open a new tab or window, and visit the Google Developers site to build your profile badge.

Once you pop in your account number, you’ll have two choices: a simple icon linking to your Google+ profile, or a more interactive badge, which also includes your name and the ability for a user to “Add to circles” right from your website.

Then, simply grab the two pieces of code (one piece shows authorship and the second displays the badge or icon) and add to your website or blog.

Once you’ve done this, verify your markup by putting in your URL on Google’s Rich Snippets Testing Tool. Don’t forget to circle me up on Google+!

Our newest social sellers

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The view from my 30th floor room

Today, I held a workshop at the Hilton Times Square with 3 sales representatives, each of whom wanted to become a more social seller.

Two of them launched websites today:

David Wodnicki, who’s met more than 1,500 lawyers in NYC (and plans to meet another 6,987!). David plans to blog about his daily escapades, as well as providing helpful marketing information to his clients.

Leo Franchi, who plans to “take the marketing out of law firms”. Leo will blog about marketing and social media to help his attorney clientele use the Internet for client development.

And the third, Greg Richards, is soon to launch (pending domain name selection). Greg’s our resident Mac expert, who plans to blog about Internet marketing.

How to win skeptical clients

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Follow these tips to win over skeptical clients

Thanks to our long recession, once wary clients are now borderline paranoid when it comes to engaging sales consultants or other service providers. Our job of convincing them they need our services has become increasingly difficult over the past few months.

Here are a few ideas to win over more skeptics.

First, acknowledge your clients’ fears. If your pricing is high, then it’s OK to admit it. But you better be able to back it up with lots of data, and make an “apples-to-oranges” comparison with your competition. So instead of quoting a fee, quote in terms your clients understand — number of new customers, number of new inbound leads, etc.

Second, you’ve got to ask your questions without the conversation sounding like a cross-examination. Rookie sales consultants think they can go right to the pitch, but successful veterans do the business interview first. Asking questions around revenues, number of customers, earnings per customer, lifecycles of customer, etc. will set you apart from other sellers. Don’t forget, clients rarely believe anything you say, but they always believe what they say. So getting your business questions answered early on builds a foundation of trust.

Third, you can no longer pass off new business to your implementers or installers and move on. When you discuss the implementation schedule, find out how your client would like to stay in touch — by phone, email or face-to-face meetings. Promise to stay involved and make sure you keep that commitment.

Finally, give up the idea that you need to “win”. You can’t be successful in sales until you make your clients successful. So emphasize the value of working together, but don’t be so up front about it (especially since every other vendor on the planet is selling “value”). Build trust to stand out – be honest and don’t oversell your services.

Remember, if you show genuine interest, solve their problems, and most importantly, help them achieve their goals, you’ll not only please your clients, you’ll astonish them!

Photo credit by brainloc.