Transcript Webinar: Grow your business and be more profitable

Effectively using Social
Networking to build your IT
Support business
Chris Martin
GFI MAX – MSP Consultant
Richard Tubb
Independent Consultant
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Introducing
Chris Martin
GFI MAX – MSP Consultant
Richard Tubb
Independent Consultant
Slide 3 of 37
Webinar Agenda
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The principles for using Social Networking
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The ROI of Social Networking
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Social Networking vs Social Media
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Tips for Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook
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Why Blog?
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Content Loops
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The Tools to use
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Social Networking vs traditional Business Networking
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Question and Answer
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The Principles of Social Networking
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Do not sell!
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Use to educate
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Add Value, not noise
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It’s a two-way conversation
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It’s about quality, not quantity
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The ROI of Social Networking
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Establishes you as a subject matter expert
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Begins process of building trust in you
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Gives you visibility
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Typically used as a conversation starter
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Business can be won thanks to Social Networking!
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Social Networking vs. Social Media
All about conversations
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Social Media
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Primarily about content
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There are still opportunity for conversations though!
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Content Loops
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Create a video on YouTube –link to your web-site
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Create a blog post talking about the video
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Tweet about the blog post
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Create a LinkedIn status update about the blog post
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Add photos to Flickr about how you made the video
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Your web-site has a link to your blog
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Different people consume information through different channels.
Help them to find you!
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The tools to use
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Tweetdeck
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Outlook Social Connector
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SocialOomph
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Google Alerts
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Bit.ly – Shorten and track the links you share
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Read my blog article – “The Tools I use” (link TBA)
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Tips for Twitter
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140 Characters – micro-blogging!
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What you say will be open for the world to see!
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Share links that share your viewpoint
– add your thoughts
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Follow like minded individuals, start conversations
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Use Groups to categorise those you follow – Business, Friends, Local,
Vendors, Prospects, etc.
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Getting started? Re-Tweet (RT) some articles, ask and answer questions
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Use Hash-Tags (#) to discuss specific subjects
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Tips for LinkedIn
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Solely business focus
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Offers status updates like Twitter
– but use sparingly.
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Use as part of your process for managing
business cards
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Scan the Weekly LinkedIn update e-mail for opportunities to re-connect with
people
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Use LinkedIn Groups to engage with peers and prospects
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If cross-posting to Twitter, don’t use Hash-tags (#) on LinkedIn!
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Tips for Facebook
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Facebook primarily for personal relationships,
but is used extensively for business too
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The line between personal friendships
and business friendships is blurring
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People do business with people they like
– don’t be afraid to be yourself on-line!
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Use Facebook Privacy settings to separate your friends and colleagues where
necessary
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Use @ sign to tag other people – in status updates, in photos
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Why Blog?
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Blogging is free – it doesn’t matter if anyone reads it!
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It teaches you to effectively articulate your thoughts and points – it’ll make you
a better salesmen, a better speaker, a better party guest!
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Be consistent with your message and your frequency
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If you’re good at it, people will read. If you’re no good at it, you’ll get good at it.
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Effectively builds trust in you and your brand
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Social Networking Etiquette
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When in doubt, treat like “real world” networking
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Don’t say anything you wouldn’t want to be quoted on
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But do be yourself!
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Don’t “Friend Collect” – *always* write personalised introductions within
connection requests
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Read my blog post – “Thanks for your Friend Request, but who are you?”
http://bit.ly/tubblog-friendrequest
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Social Networking vs. traditional Business Networking
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Social Networking compliments traditional networking, and visa versa!
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Putting all your energy into just one or the other will only get you so far
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Use a balanced “linked up” approach to networking both on-line and off-line –
Face-to-Face, Telephone Calls, E-Mails, Social Networking
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Always try to “Be The Connector”
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Any questions?
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Blog – www.tubblog.co.uk
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Twitter – www.twitter.com/tubblog
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LinkedIn – www.linkedin.com/in/richardtubb
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E-Mail – [email protected]
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GFI MAX Building Blocks
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How the Building Blocks can help you get started
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A series of discrete, pre-packaged services that the customer can easily grasp the
value of
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That you can sell easily
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That generate recurring profits for you
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Bind that customer to you
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Learn about their systems
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Begin changing the nature of the relationship
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And migrate them to full Managed Services
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What’s a Building Block?
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All the information, tools and collateral needed to sell and implement a set of
Managed Services
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You can use to:
»
□
Attract new customers or strengthen relationships with existing customers
□
Easily sell a profitable service
□
Ease customers from break-fix to Managed Services
With NO major changes to your company
□ And no expensive training
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Building Blocks Program – Do it your way!
Lucrative
but
complex
Server & Network
Workstation
Email
Email archiving
Server & network
management
Workstation
management
Email hosting
Delivery verification
Lower
value but
simple
Real-time server &
network monitoring
Proactive workstation
maintenance
Email Continuity
Daily Server
Health Check
Real-time workstation
monitoring
Anti-virus & anti-spam
Daily Server
Safety Check
Daily Workstation
Health Check
Email infrastructure
monitoring
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What’s contained in each Building Block?
Example: Server Blocks – all you need to price and sell
Each Building Block Contains:
4
Server & Network
Management
Information about the service, context in
which it sits in Building Blocks
3
Real-time Server &
Network Monitoring
Financials (pricing & profit) calculators
2
1
Daily Server
Health Check
Daily Server
Safety Check
Promotional material (flyers, letters,
web site text, etc.), value proposition,
marketing and sales strategy
Implementation documents
(contracts, SLAs)
Implementation considerations:
Integration, billing, scaling, etc.
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All the self-branded information and material you need
Sample flyer
Your Logo
Here
Your strap line here
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Sample website copy
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Sample sales letters and telephone scripts
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Pricing calculators, sample contracts,
statements of work...
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GFI MAX Building Blocks summary
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All the info and collateral.
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To easily sell straightforward services that the customer grasps.
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That bind the customer to you.
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That truffle hunt and brings more incidents to the surface.
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That you can make good recurring revenues and profits.
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That require no changes to your business system. No training and travel and time.
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That can be used to attract new customers with a straightforward service.
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That start the progression to full Managed Services.
GFI Max and Building Blocks are…Easy!
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Thank you
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You get the full system
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Set up in less than 10 minutes!
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No commitment
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No hard sell
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Or contact us for more information:
[email protected]
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MSP Business Management website
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Online resource to help you:
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Grow your IT support company
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Run your company more profitably
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Deliver fast IT support and increase uptime
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Minimize threats to your business
www.mspbusinessmanagement.com