Musings…

If you read today’s business books and blogs you might get the wrong impression about how easy it is to throw something together, some product or idea, and THE INTERNET will take you to financial heaven.   You might even sit in on meetings where the major topic is  basically HOW DO WE GET THE INTERNET and the social media to do all the really hard work for us?

I am thinking that this “internet” discussion is really about how do we get the 256 people who talk to one another about good it can be, to acknowledge our product.  Somehow we think that these 256 people have a magical influence on zillions of others.  Nope, they don’t.  They are just better at Twitter and blogging.  Want proof?  Four words:  Danny Bonaduce, Ashton Kutcher.  Until you can show me where Warren Buffett and Steve Jobs are dedicating THEIR time to it, I am not holding my breath here for easy sales the Ashton way.

Some examples.  Soon I am going to be helping advise a class of university students on doing startups. ( Hey I wrote a book on it, why not?)  The U offers a class that is very popular where the students come up  with new company ideas.  Then they vote and pick the best two, split the class up into two teams, and each team assigns roles–You be CEO, You be Head of Marketing, etc—and then spend the rest of the term, developing the business idea and marketing it.  The U even funds it to a degree.  The idea, of course, is to let the students learn about starting their own business, and the U  will even let them ‘buy’ the business after the terms ends.

I was selected to help out for next term  because the head guy…THE professor, but a guy with true start up experience himself (unusual, I know)…thought they needed someone for next term with some in depth sales experience.  I guess that be me.  Anyway, I got to observe the final presentation of this term’s class.

The winning team had a terrific idea, especially for Minnesotans.  They came up with an idea that solves a big problem for hockey players and their families.  They invented an odor-eating hockey and big gym bag!  With magical carbon inserts (they even got a USA exclusive on this carbon!), the foul smelling bags will smell all sweet and pretty like your prom date.  They did a lot of work, got a website together, attended hockey games and tournaments, exhibited at the state tournament, had all kinds of positive testamonials and on and on.  They wrote about it, tweeted it even.  The bags were priced right, just slightly more costly than any normal bag.  And, they would even customize with the team’s logo.  So guess how many they sold?

47.

So,next time you think something is going to sell ezy-pezy, remember this story.  These were exceptionally bright, modern kids.  Selling anything is hard work, and nothing can take the place of a good sales effort and program.  Too often, those in leadership positions forget about sales, thinking sales will just happen, somehow.  Yeah, right.  The kids in this class now have a better appreciation for sales.

What should you do instead?  Is there an easy way to get your product noticed and bought.  Ummm, no.

Take LinkUp.com for example.  LinkUp is by far, the best job search engine out there.  Career experts like Jacqui Barrett-Poindexter, JT O’Donnell, and Nick Corcodilos say so.  Alison Doyle who writes about job searching for ABOUT, says it is one of her most favorite recommendations.  Job seekers love it and why shouldn’t they, we have about 450,000 jobs up right now, nearly 70% of them are never advertised elsewhere.  The jobs are open, current, and it is all free.  Anyway, we are growing and growing, each month we have more site visitors than the month before.  We are proud of the work our team has done to make it the best possible place to look for a job.  And it is not only industry insiders that recommend us.  US News and World Report wrote about us in their May 10 JOBS issue.  Everyone in the industry knows about it.  I am trumpeting it every place I can.  Which makes it especially frustrating when a RELATIVE of mine, who recently lost her job, asked me what “our job site was again?”  If a relative cannot remember….grrrrrrrr.  Which should simply point out the fact that it is not her fault, nor mine even.  It is just hard to get the word out about a new thing, no matter how good it is or helpful.

So for you and  your new company, or product, or service, what does this mean for you?

It means that contrary to what you read, there are no easy shortcuts, even with the internets, the IPads, the know-it-all gurus out there, shouting information and ideas to every twitter follower on the planet, like some carnival barker.  Just because the medium is sexier, doesn’t mean it works in every case.

Nothing works better than staying focused on serving a real customer need or problem.  And just get better at doing that, a little more and a little better each day.  Incremental improvements will win the day.  If you think you are pushing a rock up the hill some days, with your nose, just realize this is the way that most of us work.  You can read about the others, and their easy ways, but don’t change your own work habits.  At the end of the day, the persistently focused performers will win.

Time to re-read Peter Drucker.

by JT O’Donnell of Careerealism, special for WWDS

I was trading e-mails with a colleague, Thomas Parry, founder of a very innovative new local networking program in Greenville, SC called Linking the Upstate. We were discussing new trends in networking and he said, “It’s not who you know.it’s who knows YOU,” which suddenly made me want to explain what that really means.

Once upon a time.
There was a job seeker who was accomplished, smart and very professional. He had so much to offer. He had a wonderful personality, had been very involved in various activities, and thus, knew lots of people. Yet, he could not find a job. Why? Because nobody knew him.
I’m sure you are thinking: “What is she talking about? She said he knew lots of people.”
Ahh, but there is a difference between the two. You can know thousands of people, and yet, if you aren’t connecting with them and making sure they are aware of your unique career identity, then the hard truth is they don’t know you and can’t help you find a job.

Why does this matter?
Well, if you are job seeking right now, then you’ve surely heard the industry statistic that says currently 80% of all jobs are being landed via referral. That means, someone you know most likely knows about a job that would be a fit for you. BUT, they may not know you well enough to connect the two.
If you want to find a job, you need to market your ‘company-of-one.’ And every good marketer knows, when times are tough and sales are down, you must do the following:
. Get real clear on who your target audience is.
. Build a strong, positive message they won’t forget.
. Get out there and spread the message as much as you can.
Most job seekers have #1 and #2 covered. Their resume is polished, their cover letters are well-written and they even have their Facebook and LinkedIn accounts up and running. But, it’s #3 where the majority of job seekers grind to a halt. This is where the excuses come in: “I can’t call employers,” and “I’ll feel stupid asking my friends for help. Besides, they know I’m looking for a job.” And my all-time favorite, “I don’t want to seem desperate.”
If this is how you feel, then it sends a strong message about how little you actually value the professional services you provide. I’m not asking you to be pushy and overly confident. In fact, there are many people who are overdoing it in that department right now. All I am asking is for you to be proud of your skills enough to want to effectively spread the word about them.
I realize your mind is racing right now. The idea of putting yourself in the position to be judged by others has the appeal of eating worms. But trust me, like anything in life, the more you do it, the easier it gets. Besides, for you those of you that watch Man vs. Wild, you know when food is scarce, you eat what will sustain you. (Actually, that guy has eaten some crazy stuff!)

And here’s some good news:
Unlike the marketing of most products and services, there are two things in this situation that work in your favor:
. The people you are contacting recognize they could be in the same position as you one day.
. Helping a person find a job is a great feeling and doesn’t require much more than a recommendation by e-mail or phone. You are still going to have to make it through the interview and get the job on your own.

So, here’s what you need to do:
Logistically, job seekers need to be connecting and promoting their career identity to at least 10 people per day. Otherwise, they can expect their job search process to be drawn out. If you are having trouble reaching that number on a daily basis, then besides the traditional forms of networking, here are two additional ways:
. Build your personal brand on Twitter. (You can sign up to receive step-by-step instructions on how to do this.)
. Create an Interview Bucket List. (Watch video that explains this concept.)

In Summary
Finding your next job is going to boil down to making a good, lasting impression on as many people as you can. It’s the best way to ensure they think of you when they hear about an opportunity that might match your skills and experience. At the end of your next job search day, the only thing that should be assessed is the quality of the connections you’ve made.
So, I ask you. How many people know YOU as a result of what you did today?

Ed.Note: J.T. O’Donnell is a nationally syndicated career strategist and founder of the career news and perspective site, CAREEREALISM, where free tools and resources for the savvy professional are made available daily. O’Donnell can be reached via Twitter at twitter.com/jtodonnell and by e-mail at info@careerealism.com.

My friend J.T. O’Donnell is a recognized career coach, nationally syndicated career columnist and genuine thought leader in the career coaching space. The kicker text or slogan to her blog Careerealism is genius. Hers: Because every job is temporary. JobDig’s: Because Everyone Should Dig Their Job. Both are lots better than Monster’s slogan: We Will Overwhelm You With Un-Qualified Resumes. That is another story.

She had an interesting post the other day about escapism at work. Her point is that escapism is alive and well as evidenced by our fascination with all things reality on TV and the rise our unique ability to mind-escape our often tedious and thankless jobs. An excerpt:

The definition even goes on to attribute escapism with the creation of a whole host of industries including, fiction literature, music, sports, films, television, role-playing games, pornography, religion, recreational drugs, the internet and computer games. Yep, escapism is alive and well in America, just look at this article by the satirical genius over at The Onion, or the fact that Dancing With the Stars got the highest ratings last week with a whopping 21M+ viewers. (FYI – I was one of them.) It’s a fact: escapism is on the rise.

I guess the good news (and potentially a strategic bit career advice) is that jobs in escapism industries will be in good shape. So, if you are looking for a career with growth potential, I suggest targeting one of the fields above.

I have never thought of my own mindless wanderings as being something close to escapism, but now I have a better name than A-D-D for it. Instead of not being able to focus, I am using this “skill” to figure out new creative solutions to as-yet ill-defined problems.

Since we all do this…tell me YOU don’t daydream at work!!…JT is asking us for our best escapism career choice. In other words, if you could, what would you do? She is holding a contest here and is soliciting ideas. (I smell another book, JT) The winner gets $1,000 worth of JT’s coaching.