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LinkedIn Sales Funnel Workshop at Cranberry Chamber

Bring your laptop and learn how to finally leverage LinkedIn as a sales funnel.

Most business people have a LinkedIn profile, but scratch their head and wonder what it accomplishes.  The LinkedIn Sales Funnel – Hands-On Workshop teaches attendees how to transform that passive channel into a robust, proactive lead-generator.

PR Works, a full-service public relations and advertising firm based in Plymouth Center, will host a LinkedIn Sales Funnel at the Cranberry Country Chamber of Commerce, 9 Clayton Road, Middleboro, MA on Tuesday, April 25, 8 – 11 a.m. Cost is $149 per person.

The session will be led by Steve Dubin of PR Works, licensed by Linked University and owner of PR Works and My Pinnacle Network, a company that hosts six B2B networking groups across central and eastern Massachusetts.

The session will include: a review of your LinkedIn profile and how to maximize it to be found and convert visitors; how to use LinkedIn’s advance search to create a prospect profile and segmented target audience by Industry, Title, Geography, etc.; how to develop a drip campaign and ask for five connection requests per day; the essence of a messaging system – including five messages to develop a know, like, trust relationship with the recipient; when to allow prospects to “marinate” and wait for a response;  when to ask for a telephone or coffee meeting; how to harness discussion group to showcase your expertise; how to leverage LinkedIn’s Pulse publishing to expand credibility; when to add profile updates and use the gentle prod; and how to export LinkedIn contacts to a spreadsheet and utilize that e-mail data for a monthly e-newsletter.

To reserve a seat, please contact Steve Dubin, PR Works, (781) 582-1061, email – SDubin@PRWorkzone.com. To register directly online to https://goo.gl/q6IBea.

LinkedIn Sales Funnel Workshop at Cranberry ChamberRead More

My Pinnacle Network recognizes region’s best connectors with  Networking Ninja Award winners.

 

 

My Pinnacle Network, the business to business networking group with monthly meetings in Bourne, Braintree, Mansfield, Marshfield, Newton, and Westborough, MA, recently announced the winners of its third annual Networking Ninja Awards. The Networking Ninja Awards were created to recognize the region’s best networkers in four separate categories: Best Connector (helping bring people together); Most Ubiquitous (appears to be at every networking event); Most Altruistic (does most for others); and Brightest Beacon (adds energy to networking events).

Jim Hickox, owner of Apple Corps Cleaning Service of Weymouth took home the honors as Best Connector. He is a member of My Pinnacle Network-Braintree Third Thursday.

Michelle Resendes of Cape Cod Broadcasting Media in Hyannis won the Most Ubiquitous Networking Ninja Award. She is a member of My Pinnacle Network-Bourne.

David Allen, owner of Balance Wealth Advisors in Wellesley won the Most Altruistic Networking Ninja Award. He is a member of My Pinnacle Network-Westborough and My Pinnacle Network-Newton.

David DeBlasio of DeBlasio New Media Marketing in Dedham won the Brightest Beacon honors for the second consecutive year. He is a member of My Pinnacle Network-Mansfield.

“We had a number of networkers nominated for these awards and these individuals stood out as the cream of the crop in our region,” said Steve Dubin, founder of My Pinnacle Network. “Each of these winners has proven themselves to be first-rate connectors who are givers first, which is how they ultimately receive referrals for their respective businesses.”

Voting for the Networking Ninja Awards took place from January 1 through February 28 on the My Pinnacle Network website, www.mypinnaclenetwork.com. Others nominated for awards include: George Rolfing of Brookline Transportation; Itamar Chalif of Rockland Trust; Robert Viamari of Cape & Plymouth Business Magazine; Roy Pacitto of Bryley Systems; Steve Wilson of Office Furniture Consulting; Dave Flaherty of Aflac; Sheldon Prenovitz of ABResources; Bill Tkowski of FMC Partners; Matthew Mensch of Law Office of Matthew Mensch; Lois Drukman of Walter May Insurance; Neil Policow of Leaderboard-Boston; Nicole Connolly of PhotoFabulousYou.com; Pam Snell of ACTSmart; Will Shain of TAB; Michael Mills of Business Coaches and Associates; and Murray Vetstein of Source4.

Awards were distributed to the winners at a joint networking event hosted by the South Shore Professional Networking Group and My Pinnacle Network on March 22 at the Cask & Flagon in Marshfield. The event was held during South Shore Professional Networking Group’s regular meeting night, the third Tuesday of the month.

“We can’t thank Lois Drukman, Mark Roos and the rest of the South Shore Professional Networking Group for sharing their meeting night for our awards ceremony,” noted Dubin. “Networking really starts with giving and the SSPNG team exemplifies that philosophy.”

My Pinnacle Network hosts business-to-business networking groups in the towns of Bourne, Braintree, Mansfield, Marshfield, Newton and Westborough. For information about My Pinnacle Network, please visit www.MyPinnacleNetwork.com, or contact Steven V. Dubin at SDubin@MyPinnacleNetwork.com or 781-582-1061.

My Pinnacle Network recognizes region’s best connectors with  Networking Ninja Award winners.Read More

G-r-r-r! LinkedIn arbitrarily changes format. Now what?

Ahhh!  Perhaps you were just getting a handle on LinkedIn – they drastically transformed not only its design, but functionality.

I was delighted to be included in the GetApp.com article addressing the LinkedIn revolution.

Here it is for your reading pleasure.

Ready to leverage LinkedIn? Let us teach you how to use the LinkedIn Sales Funnel, or we can manage it for you.  For more information contact Steve Dubin, office – (781) 582-1061, email –SDubin@PRWorkzone.com.

G-r-r-r! LinkedIn arbitrarily changes format. Now what?Read More

Duck. Don’t hide. Clear writing runs afoul.

When did we stop calling a duck a duck?

Reminds me of when our dating service client wanted to refer to themselves as a “relationship” consultants.  Again, I’m lost. Are you therapists?  Ancestry.com?

Call a duck a duck. Not “Waterfowl family Anatidae”.

Our attention span and interest levels are nanoseconds. Don’t make me work too hard to determine what the heck you are talking about.

Example. I received this response from a prospect the other day.

“We provide consulting and research to companies to help them offer better overall experiences to their customers – a combination of product, service, marketing, and ops. We usually work with relationship based products like software, banking, medical devices, telephones, and so on. Products and services that require consistent performance overtime in all parts of the relationship. If you know of anyone who needs management consulting or research please think of us. We offer custom projects, retainer based support, and training. ”

What?

You had my eyes glazing over BEFORE the end of the first sentence.

Need help keeping it simple. Give a holler.  Or jot a very brief note.

For more information contact Steve Dubin, office – (781) 582-1061, email –SDubin@PRWorkzone.com.

Duck. Don’t hide. Clear writing runs afoul.Read More

Charles Manson or high school cheerleader? If your LinkedIn photo looks like either of these…

It’s true. I got tired of hearing that my LinkedIn headshot was a bit out of date. What gave it away? The dark hair? Hair at all? The optimistic smile?

I’m here to save you from the same fate. If your headshot looks more like your oldest child or a still shot from a bank video tracking a robber, you might want to reconsider.

Seriously, if your headshot is more than five years old, you should have it updated. Maybe your current photo includes your dog, mom, spouse or favorite sports equipment. Or, perhaps the background of your current photo is cluttered or distracting – that includes odd patterns or random words.  Or worse, you’ve Photoshopped out everything but the unidentified hand on your shoulder. Another telltale signs of the need for a new photo is significant fashion shift – from wild hairdo to trending eyeglasses.

Your LinkedIn photo should be you on your best day!

So, you are smiling and approachable. Your hair and makeup look great. Your attire is professional. Your attractive head fills the space – from the top of the head to just below the shoulders.

Care to stand out a bit?  Go black and white.

Want to make sure you make the right impression. Hire a professional photographer who can use professional lighting and offer a bit of coaching.

Now for full disclosure, I recently went outside the box and had Abraham, my talented son and proud graduate of Massachusetts College of Art, create a Super Hero illustration of me to replace my LinkedIn headshot. (See my image on this E-Newsletter.)

Perhaps it makes my headshot timeless. I’m sure you will let me know.

For more information on how to optimize LinkedIn to fill your sales funnel, please check out our upcoming workshop–The LinkedIn Sales Funnel – Hands-On Workshop. We’re hosting two workshops:

For complete information, click here.

 

Charles Manson or high school cheerleader? If your LinkedIn photo looks like either of these…Read More

LinkedIn Sales Funnel – Hands-On, Three-Hour Workshops scheduled for Plymouth and Pembroke, MA.

 

 

 

 

Most business people have a LinkedIn profile, but scratch their head and wonder what it accomplishes.  The LinkedIn Sales Funnel – Hands-On Workshop teaches attendees how to transform that passive channel into a robust, proactive lead-generator.

PR Works, a full-service public relations and advertising firm based in Plymouth Center, will host two LinkedIn Sales Funnel seminars in February.  The first date is co-sponsored by the South Shore Women’s Business Network and set for Wednesday, February 8, 8 – 11 a.m. At ACTSmart, Inc (Training Room), 70 Corporate Park Drive, #1225, Pembroke, MA 02359. The second session is scheduled for Wednesday, February 22, 8 – 11 a.m. at Plymouth Chamber of Commerce, 134 Court Street, Plymouth, MA  02360. Cost is $149 per person.

The session will be led by Steve Dubin of PR Works, certified by Linked University and owner of PR Works and My Pinnacle Network, a company that hosts six B2B networking groups across central and eastern Massachusetts.

The session will include: a review of your LinkedIn profile and how to maximize it to be found and convert visitors; how to use LinkedIn’s advance search to create a prospect profile and segmented target audience by Industry, Title, Geography, etc.; how to develop a drip campaign and ask for five connection requests per day; the essence of a messaging system – including five messages to develop a know, like, trust relationship with the recipient; when to allow prospects to “marinate” and wait for a response;  when to ask for a telephone or coffee meeting; how to harness discussion group to showcase your expertise; how to leverage LinkedIn’s Pulse publishing to expand credibility; when to add profile updates and use the gentle prod; and how to export LinkedIn contacts to a spreadsheet and utilize that e-mail data for a monthly e–newsletter.

To reserve a seat for either workshop, please contact Steve Dubin, PR Works, (781) 582-1061, email – SDubin@PRWorkzone.com. To register directly online, go to https://goo.gl/igaEU2 for Pembroke and for Plymouth, go to https://goo.gl/GxHYJ0.

LinkedIn Sales Funnel – Hands-On, Three-Hour Workshops scheduled for Plymouth and Pembroke, MA.Read More

Content Marketing and PR Opportunities in Commercial Construction

Perhaps no other business offers more marketing and PR opportunities than commercial developments. Yet surprisingly, many companies don’t take advantage of the myriad of media and marketing opportunities the natural course of doing business presents. PR Works has worked with one company that certainly fell into that category.

A Massachusetts-based general contractor, the company had a well-earned niche in rehabs and new construction for assisted living and nursing homes, as well as in educational, institutional and hospitality. Better yet, the majority of customers were repeat business. The owner wanted to take the company to the next level but wasn’t exactly sure how. PR got the ball rolling.

Part of the strategy was taking advantage of the built-in PR opportunities every commercial construction project offers:

  • Winning a project
  • Starting construction
  • Significant project milestones
  • Project completion
  • Growth and additional personnel

Each of these happenings presented an opportunity to issue a release, with photos, to the local media and trade publications. These releases were easily repurposed into content for company website, social media sites and e-newsletter. Coverage from press releases also was repurposed into content for the latter.

This approach translated into coverage in major regional newspapers and magazines—Providence Journal, Boston Magazine—and trade publications—High Profile Monthly, New England Real Estate Journal.

This coverage was often featured in the monthly e-newsletter with a message from the owner about goings on with the company. With this kind of content and a 20 percent open rate (4,000 are on the e-mail list), the e-newsletter developed a following. In fact, it was not uncommon for the e-newsletter to generate requests for proposals from former clients and prospects.

The company’s good work remains its best marketing. Yet letting their mailing list know what’s going on with the company played a role in their growth and success:

“Over the past 10 years, over 87 percent of our revenue (a time in which we grew from over 1,000%) has been derived from clients we have worked with in the past, ”noted the client.

Are you ready to make headlines and process the warm leads generated by them?

Content Marketing and PR Opportunities in Commercial ConstructionRead More

LinkedIn’s Treasure Trove for Small Business Owners

(This Huffington Post article included quotes from Steven V. Dubin.)

 Tavis Bucklin Author/Journalist, Huffington Post

For me 2016 has been a year of invaluable connections. The professionals I’ve connected with, and the people I’ve collaborated with through LinkedIn, have brought me closer to reaching some of my goals much faster than I had anticipated. That said, a LinkedIn resource I have yet to use to it’s full potential is LinkedIn groups.

I have received advice and have found great content in various group in the past, but, I couldn’t help but wonder what would be possible with an active group of entrepreneurs dedicated to helping one another with advice, and in solving problems when they needed it?

I decided to ask other entrepreneurs about their experiences and I quickly realized how powerful LinkedIn groups can be and decided to start ENTREPRENEUR Life Line.

To prime your enthusiasm for 2017, and to align your thoughts with how you can use LinkedIn groups, I have some great ideas from some amazing entrepreneurs.

Support

“I am part of a private LinkedIn community of change makers who are all women.

Within the group are Fortune 500 execs, authors, and even speakers from The Makers. It is a community of support, inspiration and change making.

When I joined the group, I had about 60 clients and $15k in revenue. In less than 6 months with the support of my group we have connected with thousands of women, are on track to hit $200k, increased my pricing of my coaching by 300% and am now on a college speaking tour to 25 Universities.

The group shared press contacts with me, taught me how to market to parents (because many are fabulous moms), urged and helped me apply to be a Ted Speaker, offered input on my pricing structure etc. It has been life changing and has allowed me to change the lives of hundreds of other girls.” -Rachael Bozsik, CEO and Founder of The Brand Girls

Insight

Audience insight. Join groups tailored to your target audience and get a glimpse into their interests, needs, and common questions.

“The biggest benefit I have experienced from being a LinkedIn group member as an entrepreneur is feedback from other like-minded entrepreneurs and successful business owners. As most entrepreneurs know, a lot of times you are on your own. This includes getting feedback on ideas and projects you’re looking to launch. Being a member of various LinkedIn groups, I’ve found that being in a group setting with other like-minded individuals has helped me to solve problems faster and move my business forward. At the same time, I’ve found that it is very empowering to be able to also give back and help answer questions other members might have as well.” -Christian Karasiewicz, CEO and Founder of Social Chefs

“The biggest benefit I have experienced being a member of these industry LinkedIn groups is the great input I receive from group members when I am considering new features or capabilities to add to our software. We do ask our customers for feedback, but extending beyond our customer base for input is vital so that we are expanding our product to meet the growing needs of all event professionals and not just our customer base, which is a small sampling compared to the number of events professionals on LinkedIn.” -Jeff Kear, Planning Pod

Advice

This is where the power comes in. Getting advice from professionals that can help when you need it.

“The advice I get from being in a LinkedIn group, has been amazing. This weekend another member asked the group for advice on ways to obtain new clients. I read all 35 responses and implemented them today, and by lunch time I had an appointment to meet with a possible new client.” -GinaRiley Clearview Bookkeeping, Inc.

Collaboration

“In my experience, the best value of working in a LinkedIn group is the collaboration in brainstorming. As a start-up, I look for many ways to grow my company into new fields, and the LinkedIn groups are great inspirations.” -AJ Saleem, Academic Director, Suprex Tutors Houston

Peers

Learn from your experienced peers. Group members share insights, and you can learn a lot by reading through fellow members’ posts.

“Our company, Scorely has learned about creative marketing tactics from participating in Linkedin group discussions. There was a post about using a feature on Facebook that we weren’t previously using that helped our conversion rate triple. The groups on Linkedin have helped us grow much faster.” -Shawn Porat, Co-CEO of Scorely

Validation

“I follow comments on groups avidly as it gives me an indication of whether what I am doing is right or if I need to change things. Additionally as many people of groups share my interest areas I get more honesty than from closer connections.” -Armin Hierstetter, CEO of bodalgo

Extend your network

One of the great benefits of getting involved in Groups is the extended networking opportunities you are exposed to beyond just your inner circle of current colleagues and friends. By actively participating in discussions – sharing your thoughts on a new development in the industry, or about a new way you have managed to solve a particular problem – you’ll build yourself a reputation within that particular industry.

“LinkedIn has allowed me to quickly establish connections in areas, both geographical and corporate, I could never have before. Thanks to LinkedIn groups, I could connect and meet with influential people across multiple continents in specific industries. Something like this would have been impossible just 10 years ago.” -Ron Ben-Zeev, entrepreneur, professor, and founder of World Housing Solution

“LinkedIn groups are invaluable, especially alumni groups for companies and organizations. That’s how I’ve managed to establish a roster of talent at my company.” – Mark Organ, CEO, Influitive

“A reporter, Jessica Silver-Greenberg with the Wall Street Journal found my LinkedIn profile. She was researching a piece on the role Native American Indian tribes play in the payday loan space by employing their sovereign nation status.

The result? A portion of my comments made to Jessica resulted in a quotation attributed to me and my consulting company. Following this, Allen Parker, a tribal consultant who read the Wall Street Journal front page article, reached out to me in order to collaborate on a tribal lending online company. I made tens of thousands of dollars in referral fees.

More? A lender received a letter of termination from their bank. Basically, they had 15 days to find a new bank willing to service their $150M online loan portfolio. Via LinkedIn, the lender found me, reached out and I secured a new bank for them. My fee? $40K; took less than an hour of my time! 2 phone calls.” -Jer Trihouse, Trihouse Consulting

Establish yourself as an industry leader

By regularly posting insights and great content, you’ll be seen by your peers as an industry leader. If that is a little far off from now, you will at least boost exposure for your profile: according to LinkedIn, Group participants who comment on a discussion get four times the number of profile views.

“I belong to a number of small and mid-market business groups. As I’ve established an authoritative and objective voice (posting “how to” articles and trend pieces) about advertising and marketing for this niche, I have become that guy who know his stuff and understands our challenges. More importantly this had lead to new clients!” – StevenDubin, PR Works

Reach

Reach new audiences. Posting in groups can spread your company’s name and content to an audience who otherwise may be unfamiliar with you.

“Content marketing is a big part of SEO these days and getting your content in front of the right audience is key. LinkedIn groups provides an avenue to do that and also to see what others in your niche are writing and talking about.” – Matt Herrera CEO –Fiolpy

Networking

With professional groups, you’ll be exposed to a wide range of professionals you otherwise might not come into contact with. When they interact with your post, you can send them a friendly message to connect and discuss the topic further. It’s a more personable way to acquire new connections across cyberspace.

“Recently a LinkedIn group membership helped me obtain a speaking gig at last year’s Global Big Data Conference in the Silicon Valley. It turns out that the conference organizers were browsing through various data science groups on LinkedIn looking for group members with impressive credentials in the local area who would be willing to speak.” -Matt Bentley, Founder, CanIRank

“LinkedIn Groups have been extremely beneficial to me for networking purposes. For example, I’m a member of a group called Copywriters International, where I have both found writers to work on my sites, and found freelance writing jobs for myself.” -Eric Brantner, founder of Scribblrs.com

If you are ready to maximize the groups you are part of, be active, bring value to the group, help those that ask for it when you can.

Remember -in the land of the blind, the one eyed man is king. One small piece of advice that may seem trivial to you may help others in a BIG WAY. On the other side of the coin, you will have a support when you need it most.

Let’s DOMINATE 2017!

LinkedIn’s Treasure Trove for Small Business Owners

 

Get more LinkedIn and PR/Marketing insights –

Steven V. Dubin, 18 Main Street Extension, Suite 409, Plymouth, MA  02360

office – (781) 582-1061,email – SDubin@PRWorkzone.com

Connect on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevenvdubin

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Lead generation. Finding the next franchisee.

Warm Zee prospects are the Holy Grail for franchisors.  But how do you find them, court them and onboard them?

Many lead generation sources have disappointed and underperformed. From online franchise portals to overly optimistic franchise brokers to informational seminars, lead generation often seems like a fleeting target.

But what if you were seen as “the authority”?

What if you were “editor” approved and receiving third-party credibility from achieve press coverage?

“Public relations gets new prospects to raise their hands for more details.  They are already enthusiastic about our story and business model,” noted Kevin Dubois of Lapels Dry Cleaning.

Between Rounds Bagel Café’s Jerry Puiia asserted, “Publicity has not only generated warm leads but supports Zee relations as well.”

How do you create news?

In a nutshell, news and coverage is about –

  • Taking a bow for community outreach
  • Rolling out a new product, service or way of doing business
  • Touting a new key staffer
  • Celebrating a new location (and coaxing interest from prospects from concentric regions)
  • Announcing capital raised
  • Alerting of milestones  (Examples – #s served, # lifestyles transformed, # Dreams attained)
  • Industry tips (Seasonal and more)

The challenge is to identify and develop newsworthy opportunities that can be merchandised to the press in the form of news releases, preferably on a twice-monthly or more frequent basis to keep your name in front of your various audiences.

News releases are often the catalyst to more expansive feature coverage.

In addition to sharing your news releases with both the traditional press and online media, this original content should be repurposed to social media, your website’s newsroom and/or blog.

Ready for headlines?  Ready for leads?

Lead generation. Finding the next franchisee.Read More