LinkedIn Profile 100%

August 27, 2010

More than 70 million people are on LinkedIn. How many of them have a 100% profile? Right! Not enough! Why is this important? Let me answer that with a question: What do people find when they google your name online? For most people, it is their LinkedIn profile. So, if you want to make a professional impression (your personal brand!), you’d better fill out your profile to the fullest, right?

What can you do to have a 100% profile? Watch this YouTube clip and implement it.

Oh, one more thing. You are the only one who can actually see how high your percentage is. Don’t worry, people won’t know, but they might notice. How? Well, if you don’t fill out your profile with your education, your recent position(s) or you don’t even have a photo, how would you look? Exactly, not interesting enough! Whatever opportunity may have come your way will not happen…for a reason.

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Posted by bertverdonck

Feel your soul

August 23, 2010

I’m old enough to see behind me
But young enough to feel my soul

-Lenny Kravitz-

Wise words indeed, from Lenny’s song “Can’t Get You off of my Mind”. What I particularly would like to ask is, how do you feel your soul? When do you know you are feeling your soul?

Interesting, right? Let me know if you have found the answer…

We sometimes do things that really fulfill us or are so in line with who we are. Does this mean we are feeling our soul?

I told you the Banana Man Kevin‘s story already. When he watched the BBC documentary, was his soul touched? Was that the reason he would spend all his savings on feeding starving children. The drive to do that was much higher than himself. He told me he could not think of anything else. It was impossible to do something else…Does this mean he was feeling his soul?

What about that indescribable feeling you get when you meet your soulmate? By the way, what is a soulmate? Wikipedia tells us: “A soulmate or soul mate is a person with whom one has a feeling of deep and natural affinity, love, intimacy, sexuality, spirituality, and/orcompatibility. A related concept is that of the twin flame or twin soul – which is thought to be the ultimate soulmate, the one and only other half of one’s soul, for which all souls are driven to find and join.”

So, are we now talking about our own soul or that of our soulmate too? Are we 1 soul? Can we touch it? How?

I am doing research on this. If you have any answers, I invite you to share them. We might get a feeling for it :-)

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Posted by bertverdonck

HootSuite.com

August 18, 2010

You are desperately looking for a tool that helps you manage multiple Twitter accounts? Or you want to add another layer on Ping.fm? Or you want to follow up the feed of your friends or colleagues? Or you might be interested in following certain keywords or hashtags on Twitter?

Then, HootSuite is the perfect Twitter tool for you! I’ve using this tool now for more than 1 year and I can honestly say : Wow! Hootsuite rocks! Of course, we all know Tweetdeck and the like, but I tell you, HootSuite has some particular additional assets that might suit you as well!

Like what?

  1. Handling multiple Twitter accounts. I personally am using 4.
  2. Direct integration with Facebook, Facebook Page, MySpace, LinkedIn, Foursquare and WordPress!
  3. Integration with Ping.fm (therefor with a wide variety of social media . Read more about Ping.fm!)
  4. URLshortener ow.ly : Instead of posting your long web addresses, it provides you a build in URL shortener.
  5. Easy to track the number of clicks and get statistical overviews of how people are using your Twitter-account
  6. Ability to schedule tweets. I stopped using Tweetlater/Socialoomph.
  7. Link up to 5 RSS feeds to your HootSuite account
  8. You can have multiple people managing your HootSuite accounts. Very interesting for business accounts! Oh, assigning tasks included!
  9. There’s an iPhone and Android version available too
  10. Did I mention it is a FREE tool? Of course, I invite you be generous and donate to the developers.

You see, 10 great reasons for using HootSuite. Even if only 1 or 2 fit your situation, it’s probably more effective than your current way of working (if you are doing everything manually!).

So, after Ping.fm and now this HootSuite, there are no more excuses left for not updating your status on any Social Media! And keep me posted too :-)

Have fun, always,

Bert

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Posted by bertverdonck

Not Afraid

August 13, 2010

I‘m not afraid to take a stand
Everybody come take my hand
We’ll walk this road together, through the storm
Whatever weather, cold or warm
Just let you know that, you’re not alone
Holla if you feel that you’ve been down the same road

- Eminem, Not Afraid -

We all have our fears. Some more than others. What are you afraid of? Me, I used to be afraid to stand up and talk before an audience. Not any more. Not even before unknown audiences or in other countries. Not even if something goes wrong, like a computer crash, no internet, heat, cold, no  mic…A couple of months ago I even took over a session of a friend, who got sick on stage. I stood up, walked up and continued his session. I had no clue what he had prepared, so I had to improvise and managed it very well. Without fear or nerves.

What happened? Like many keynote speakers I learned to get rid of my fear. How did I do this? Instead of running away from my fears, which is what most people do, I decided to face my fears! Every opportunity I got, I stood up, first hesitating, of course, then with more and more confidence.

Why? I tricked myself…Of course, I started with telling (practical) jokes to friends (small audiences), asking questions during seminars or trainings I attended as a participant. It takes courage to stand up and ask your question. And it better be a good question, right? So, I started with small exercises, then moved on to introduce speakers on stage. And at one point in time I was asked to give a session to a professional audience. I was an undercover student (clients didn’t know I was still a student) and there I suddenly had to give someone else’s presentation. Nervous at first, I surprisingly felt rather comfortable, because I knew the topic very well (As an expert, it doesn’t matter which questions they ask…bring it on!). And then I used a trick: I told myself I was playing a game. How well can you pretend to be a good speaker? Would anyone notice that I am just a student? So, I played this game and WON! No one ever knew! So, if you are uncertain, see if this trick could also work for you…You got game? :-)

By the way, if you are prepared well, you also know who will be in your audience. Did you adapt your speech to them? Are you using examples they understand? How well will you interact with them or fulfill their expectations? Interesting to know these answers before you get on stage! Did you ask?

Also, learning from peers helps tremendously too. As Eminem sings…you are not alone. Every speaker, trainer or coach went through it as well ( or still is!), so by exchanging experiences you can help each other. Focus on the positive things first. What is he/she doing right? Might be hard at first, but even the worst keynotes still have value to learn from. Can you discover what it is? Share your thoughts. If you receive feedback from others, first take it in, before your defense goes up. Don’t take yourself so seriously! Listen to what others are saying. Reflect on it. Are they right? Why (not)? Then decide if you change . Just postpone your judgement and act later…

One final thing. Be kind to yourself! Remember: Everyone has to learn. Every time you faced your fears and overcome them, reward yourself. It can be as simple as taking in the applause the audience gives you. It can be enjoying the compliments some people give you. It can be you, giving yourself a high five or big smile. You just won the game : You – Fear : 1 – 0!  :-)

So, wrapping up, here are a couple of tips if you are afraid of public speaking:

  1. know your subject (you are the expert because you are on stage, not them)
  2. know your audience (who is there? what do they expect?)
  3. be prepared and show up early
  4. take any opportunity to speak, even if it is by asking questions from the audience first
  5. ask feedback, from the audience, but also from peers
  6. go to other keynote speakers and learn from them
  7. Trust yourself and reward yourself everytime by enjoying the applause. You earned it!

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Posted by bertverdonck

Ping.fm

August 2, 2010

Are you spending too much time on updating all your Social Media? Are you also finding it really ridiculous to update your Facebook, Twitter, Plaxo, MySpace and LinkedIn status one at a time?

There must be a shortcut, right? Ping.fm is the Genius Shortcut you are looking for! Ping.fm is active in the social network aggregation space and lets you update your status on several sites at once.

I sometimes get remarks from friends that I am so active on Facebook while it has been nearly 2 weeks since I went there…but because my status is updated regularly, most people think I am present and following up in (nearly) realtime. So, now you know that I am using tools on top of those platforms to stay up-to-date and of course I an saving heaps of time!

So, how does Ping.fm actually work? Easy, let me explain in 3 steps:

1. Go to Ping.fm and sing up for an account.

2. Login and add the various Social Media or platforms you want your status to be updated. This is also called “syndication” of your status. You can actually choose from more than 30 sites, including WordPress, Blogger, Typepad, Yammer, Posterous, Flickr and Delicious!

3. Start broadcasting your updates!

Of course, I need to give you a disadvantage as well : Ping.fm was created with the idea that people want to get their updates out. It is not a tool to follow up on the conversation that happens afterwards. There are other tools perfectly suitable for that (one of the next blogs :-) )!

I am aware that several tools are providing similar services as Ping.fm. Hellotxt.com and AOL Lifestream to name a few.

So, what are you waiting for to update all your Social Networks at once?

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Posted by bertverdonck

Elevator Pitch

July 28, 2010

Since I won the PSA Holland “Elevator Pitch” contest, I am receiving a lot of questions about tips for a great Elevator Pitch. Some called it an Elevator Story, Sticky Story or Pushy Pitch.

So, here are some tips of how I sometimes start the conversation:

1. When people ask me where I am from:

I am from the land of Chocolate and I live in the city of Diamonds.

Then I wait a couple of seconds while they are thinking. Most people get it right and start smiling, especially women :-)

Oh, for those who don’t know : Antwerp, Belgium

OK, I admit, sometimes they say Switzerland as well, but the diamonds are pretty convincing…

Anyway, what I am saying is : start with something different, original or funny. If you can make people smile and/or teasing them with the first thing(s) you say, you are already halfway!

When I was in New Zealand, I often told people I am from “Old Zealand”. Then I saw them thinking again and so I grabbed their attention…

So, what can you do with your location? Have fun!

2. When people ask me what I do:

I make people happy!

The first thing people do is either smile, show interest and ask me how, because they could use some happiness…or they just want to know more details. Their attention becomes interest! That’s exactly where I want them to be.

I am hacking away frustrations in people’s lives…I am a lifehacker

When I use this sentence, I also make a gesture of really hacking away stuff from their shoulders or backs. Some people are rather visually oriented and it helps them. Most people have never heard of the word “lifehacker” and find it ‘creative’ or ‘refreshing’. Of course, some think about negative stuff when they hear ‘hacker’ and they do ask. So the next bit positions it well:

Most people are looking for the easy way or the shortcuts, right? That’s exactly what I do : Genius Shortcuts! Examples are learning people how to write a 100 mails in 1 hour or if you are looking for a perfect picture in your presentation : how to scan 200 images in less than 20 seconds? You see, challenging stuff at first, but by using Genius Shortcuts you’ll see how easy it really is.

I share my Genius Shortcuts through keynotes, workshops and coaching.

Now it is time to really explain what it is that I do. I start with bringing in my own flavour of lifehacking (and for those negative people moving away from that negative feeling): Genius Shortcuts. Since I already gave them several pieces of info that might be new to them I share examples immediately after. It makes it more tangible. Now they get a clear understanding what it is that I do. Of course, I adapt the examples to their context!

I also advise you to give at least 2 examples, just in case 1 is not relevant for them (exceptions do exist :-) ).

Finally, I tell them how I add value and how I share it…through keynotes, etc. Now they know how they can hire me, right?

So, what exactly is it that you do?

3. Satisfy their needs

Isn’t it frustrating for a xyz (fill in their occupation) like you to loose so much time on abc (an activity they find frustrating)?

Think about one of your big frustrations that consumes a lot of your energy. Now, how would you feel if you got rid of it?

Imagine how it would feel if you have 2 hours extra every day?

These are just example sentences, which I am using depending on how well I already know the other person(s). Now, I get them thinking and feeling how it would be when they hire me. Definitely fueling their desire and showing them that I can deliver (or really hack away their frustrations). Yes, one of my signature workshops guarantees that I save people 2 hours/day! Yes, I do have references :-)

Which needs do you satisfy? Use them in your Elevator Pitch!

4. Call to action

Hold on to that feeling and …

any sales person can tell you that this is important. Ever wondered why you have to sit in a car when they sell it to you? Or why they give you the product in your hand while they sell it? Exactly, so you can experience how it really feels…how real it all is. I do the same. If people feel how it would be without this particular frustration, how their lives would look like, they will get in a good (great?) mood. that’s exactly where I want them, right?

come and talk to me afterwards and I’ll share some free Genius Shortcuts with you, so you can actually be happier!

when I am on stage giving my Elevator Pitch. People who got triggered come and see me afterwards. Sometimes the response is a bit overwhelming :-)

enroll for my free ecourse at my website and start enjoying some free Genius Shortcuts, so you can actually be happier!

If it is in a 1-to-1 conversation, I am handing out my businesscard and show them where my website is. By giving away added value to them, I am already solving some of their frustrations. And a lot of people actually sign up for this free ecourse…

If there is more time I could invite them to read my blog, where I have written a number of articles on lifehacks and Genius Shortcuts. Or I even tell them about open workshops. Occasionally ( I am not a hardseller) I might ask them if they would be interested in an inhouse training or keynote and what the next steps would look like.

You probably get it by now. My Elevator Pitch has different moments where the other person can/will be triggered and will ask for more details. The more they ask, the more I can give. I am convinced it is also paramount to give them some added value right away. This means that in most cases I will share one (or more) of my Genius Shortcuts on the spot (or when they come and see me afterwards).

Note: Most (marketing/sales)people are familiar with the AIDA-model (no, not the Opera :-) ) and will have recognized it. In step 1 I aroused Attention. In step 2 I really got their Interest. During step 3 I give enough info to go to their Desire and finally in step 4, if they really want a taste of Genius Shortcuts, they are called for Action. Needless to say that it often works like a charm. I invite you to develop your own story! And share it with us…

Final tip: Avoid too many technical terms! People will not understand you or it might take you too much time to explain it. Search for easy-to-understand synonyms.

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Posted by bertverdonck

Promote Your Blog on LinkedIn

July 26, 2010


How to promote your blog on LinkedIn?

There are multiple ways to do it. Here are 5 toptips that you can implement immediately:

1. Add your blog in your profile, under Websites. Most people have standard links to their website : My Website, My Company or My Blog. Change”Your Blog” into the actual title of your blog (or keywords). How? Choose ‘edit’ at websites, add a field ‘Other’. Here you can add a title and a URL.

2. Add Application. Here you can also insert your blog if you are blogging with WordPress or TypePad. Go to ‘More’ in the menu and click on ‘Application Directory’. Click the blog of your choice and install the application. From now on, your new blogs will appear automatically on your LinkedIn profile.

3. Update your status. When you write a new blog article, you can let your network know by updating your status. Add the link to your blog in the update. Of course, you can repeat this step everytime you are publishing an update on your blog.

4. Participate in Discussions in your favorite groups. Go to your groups and participate in the ongoing discussions. See where your blog has an answer to one of these discussions. Mention it while you answer them.

5. Answers. It is a great place to get more visibility and get more ‘expert’ status. Go to ‘More’ in the menu and click on ‘Answers’. Look for questions people are asking. Answer them by referring also to your blog. Or turn it around: write a blog article where you answer questions and put the link in the answers. It will create additional traffic to your blog as well!

Of course, these tips will only work if you have a blog :-) I am using WordPress and I recommend it to anyone.

Bert Verdonck is an extraordinary life coach and an inventive lifehacker. Bert is also one of the official Certified LinkedIn Trainers worldwide. Next to pragmatic trainings and personal coaching, he is an international keynote speaker to inspire and help professionals with their efficiency. As a published author and the founder of ‘Genius Shortcuts’ he already saved thousands of people at least 2 hours per day!

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Posted by bertverdonck

Tell Your Story

May 3, 2010

Another quick tip about LinkedIn is to Tell Your Story through your job history on LinkedIn. Of course, the great people at LinkedIn created another short video about this:

I add a couple extra tips:

  1. When you write your summary, structure it in 3 parts: about you as professional, about the organisation that you work for and a personal note. Remember: People do business with other people, so you might as well add something personal too!
  2. Only use difficult words in the Specialties, not in the Summary! “I am an MBA, CISSP, CISA, ITIL expert with a specialization in cloud computing.” Say what? Exactly! How many people will read on?
  3. Write abbreviations and the full names of your technical terms in the Specialties, e.g. WDMP, Wealth Dynamics Master Practitioner

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Posted by bertverdonck

Inch by Inch

May 2, 2010

I am a big fan of Al Pacino. To me, he is one of the greatest actors alive! Next to inspiring quotes, he also creates memorable scenes in movies like the Godfather, Scarface, Scent of a Woman, Heat, the Devil’s Advocate and the Insider. Another movie that gave me goosebumps is the speech that Tony D’Amato (Pacino’s character) gives to his football team in Any Given Sunday. I am using this motivational speech in my coaching practice and also as a personal inspiration regularly. And yes, it still gives me goosebumps. Why? His voice, the intonation, the scenery…magic!

Pacino’s speech is about inches. Life is just a game of inches! Inches that make the difference between winning and loosing, between living and dying and if you haven’t heard this speech or seen it yet, just experience it for yourself. Contemplate on it. Whenever you feel like giving up, just think about this speech again and make a difference, inch by inch!

So, for those who want to watch it, I included the YouTube clip and below you can find the written text. Hopefully it inspires you too! Oh, by the way, this article is indeed written on Any Given Sunday :-)

Enjoy Every (Sun)Day!

“I don’t know what to say really.
Three minutes
to the biggest battle of our professional lives
all comes down to today.
Either
we heal
as a team
or we are going to crumble.
Inch by inch
play by play
till we’re finished.
We are in hell right now, gentlemen
believe me
and
we can stay here
and get the shit kicked out of us
or
we can fight our way
back into the light.
We can climb out of hell.
One inch, at a time.
Now I can’t do it for you.
I’m too old.
I look around and I see these young faces
and I think
I mean
I made every wrong choice a middle age man could make.
I uh….
I pissed away all my money
believe it or not.
I chased off
anyone who has ever loved me.
And lately,
I can’t even stand the face I see in the mirror.
You know when you get old in life
things get taken from you.
That’s, that’s part of life.
But,
you only learn that when you start losing stuff.
You find out that life is just a game of inches.
So is football.
Because in either game
life or football
the margin for error is so small.
I mean
one half step too late or to early
you don’t quite make it.
One half second too slow or too fast
and you don’t quite catch it.
The inches we need are everywhere around us.
They are in ever break of the game
every minute, every second.
On this team, we fight for that inch
On this team, we tear ourselves, and everyone around us
to pieces for that inch.
We CLAW with our finger nails for that inch.
Cause we know
when we add up all those inches
that’s going to make the fucking difference
between WINNING and LOSING
between LIVING and DYING.
I’ll tell you this
in any fight
it is the guy who is willing to die
who is going to win that inch.
And I know
if I am going to have any life anymore
it is because, I am still willing to fight, and die for that inch
because that is what LIVING is.
The six inches in front of your face.
Now I can’t make you do it.
You gotta look at the guy next to you.
Look into his eyes.
Now I think you are going to see a guy who will go that inch with you.
You are going to see a guy
who will sacrifice himself for this team
because he knows when it comes down to it,
you are gonna do the same thing for him.
That’s a team, gentlemen
and either we heal now, as a team,
or we will die as individuals.
That’s football guys.
That’s all it is.
Now, whattaya gonna do?

sources : http://ow.ly/1FUs1,  http://ow.ly/1FUES, IMDB, Wikipedia

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Posted by bertverdonck

Start Sharing on LinkedIn

April 21, 2010

Most people already know that I am a Certified LinkedIn Trainer and with Networking Coach we are really helping a lot of people with getting more results by using LinkedIn.

So, I thought, it might be a good idea to start sharing some interesting tips on LinkedIn. Now, why would I do it all by myself if LinkedIn has their own clip on YouTube clip to show it to you :-)

Happy Sharing!

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Posted by bertverdonck

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