5 Lead Generation Ideas to Help You Increase Your Website’s Conversion Rates
If you want to increase conversions on your website, you need to get smart and creative with your lead generation tactics. Here are 5 lead generation ideas for B2B and B2C marketers to try out today. Read the full article at: moz.com
The Watson Bakery
Learn the Cognitive Bakery’s recipe for success. Get a taste for how it uses cognitive analytics to increase sales based on customer behaviors and reduce waste with the best product mix based on the weather. Whether it’s answering your business questions, discovering new and unexpected insights, or monitoring KPIs, running a cognitive business has never been so delicious.
If you think that the U.S.’s Black Friday and Cyber Monday rake in heavy sales,
The Antidote to the Success Paradox is to Realize that Ego is the Enemy http://ift.tt/2fT131p
Stripe’s Valuation Nearly Doubles to $9.2 Billion
Stripe, whose software is used by businesses to accept and track digital payments, will be valued at $9.2 billion in a new funding round that is being completed, the company said. Sourced through Scoop.it from: www.wsj.com
Our quote of the day is from Martha Washington
Our quote of the day is from American politician and showman P. T. Barnum
If you think that the U.S.’s Black Friday and Cyber Monday rake in heavy sales,
The internet of things: a way small firms can use it
INEX Advisors is bringing innovative applications to businesses in Massachusetts – troubleshooting IoT in the dirt, diesel, and seawater of the real world. Sourced through Scoop.it from: www.csmonitor.com
An Introduction to Machine Learning Theory and Its Applications: A Visual Tutorial with Examples
Curious about machine learning and its many applications? Learn the ins and outs of supervised and unsupervised machine learning in this tutorial. Read the full article at: www.toptal.com
Curious about machine learning and its many applications? Learn the ins and outs of supervised and unsupervised machine learning in this tutorial.
I am leading a Myers-Briggs workshop on how personality type can be used to successfully navigate conflict.
Tuesday August 12, 6pm at ICA in Uptown.
Sign up here:
The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) is a tool commonly used to determine one’s own personality type and to understand the various strengths and pitfalls of communication across the 16 different types. The tool provides a common language to describe differences, which allows for productive conflict resolution rather than frustrating meltdowns.
Combined with the following asks:
- Do you have any tips on being a better leader? Especially of unmotivated people who have no interest in helping and get easily distracted?
- Thank you so much for this blog. I’m an INTJ who is majoring in directing for film and TV, but I’ve found that I can be a rather inconsistent leader – for some projects, I’m at the top of my game, but for others, I overthink everything and all self-confidence seems to flee. Do you have any tips or suggestions about how to succeed as a leader, particularly for introverts?
- I’m an intj high school student planning to organize/oversee a fairly large-scale fundraising event next year, and am wondering if you have any tips for managing people effectively. As this will be a pretty demanding project, any advice is welcome!
Related answers:
- What do you think is required for a person to succeed?
- Do you think that introverts can succeed in the financial/business field? […] What’s your experience with introverts at work and what kind of positions do they typically thrive in?
Characteristics of a great leader (my 4 Cs):
1. Competence. A great leader is skillful at something. He should be organized, intelligent, timely, and accessible. I roll all these traits under competence because not having your shit together is the epitome of incompetence.
2. Confidence. A great leader needs to speak up, make tough decisions, stand by those decisions, and follow through. A great leader can act quickly and execute but also knows when he’s wrong and has to reconsider his decisions to choose another route. Balancing those two traits is crucial because too much of the former creates a battering ram boss (a xxTJ and xxFJ stereotype) and too much of the latter creates a scattered and ineffective leader (a xxTP and xxFP stereotype).
3. Communication. A great leader needs to provide the team with direction and clarity. If your team doesn’t know what’s going on, they won’t know what to do and if they don’t know what to do then they’ll either do it wrong or they won’t do it at all. Communication mobilizes the troops, sets expectations, clarifies confusion, helps catch issues before they become harmful, and above all, builds relationships and trust.
4. Compassion. A great leader inspires loyalty and devotion which translates into stronger relationships, happier teams, higher performance, and greater output. Now why is that? Why do likable people make better leaders? Because no one wants to work hard for a person they hate and no one wants to struggle and suffer to make a person they dislike shine. Why the hell would I put in 80 hours a week so you can get a raise?
Compassion is a huge part of charisma. It shouldn’t be fake and insincere but it also shouldn’t be accommodating to the point you’re letting sloppy and unacceptable behavior slide. Compassion is summarized by this statement: “I may not know exactly how you feel or what you’re going through but I’m here and I’m listening because you and your needs are important to me.”
Laws of leadership
1. Lead from the front, not the back. This means you need to be present, engaged, and setting the example for your peers and subordinates. Don’t stroll into work in the middle of the afternoon while everyone else clocks in at 5 am. They might not say anything but your team will resent you. You need to be the first one in and last one out. This will build respect.
2. Never ask someone to do something you wouldn’t do yourself. For example, asking someone to work on a Sunday night on their birthday or asking someone to miss their wedding anniversary to finish a deliverable. Your team will hate you if not outright quit. Also, even if you ask someone to do something that you would do yourself take a second to consider their personality, circumstances, and limits. I can work a 19 hour day because I have no wife or kids at home, but is it reasonable for me to ask someone else to do the same? It’s not. Make the right call. This will build trust.
3. Always explain why, even if they don’t ask. Always provide a justification for your actions even if your team doesn’t ask. This will provide context, clear up miscommunication and assumptions, and build trust. For example: “I’m sorry but we need to put in extra hours just for today because our project deadline moved up by client request and our budget is running low.“ Your team won’t be happy but they’ll at least understand. This will build communication.
4. Protect your people. This is important. This means if a client request is unreasonable, you need to push back. I’ve had situations where the client wanted to schedule 2 AM calls because they were on the East Coast and we were on the West Coast after our team worked an 18 hour day. I told the client to either reschedule the call or that I would be the only one attending the meeting because I was sending my team back to the hotel to sleep. The client wasn’t happy, but they understood.
Also, in the event your team makes a mistake and gets ripped a new one, you need to step up and receive the brunt of the beating. I’ve been on calls where our team was screamed at – cussed out– because something didn’t turn out correctly. Don’t throw anyone under the bus even if you can pinpoint who made the mistake, take the discussion offline, and shield your team from the abuse. This will build loyalty.
My teams would go to war with me, they’d follow me to the end of the world and back.
Motivating unmotivated people
I’m glad you asked this question because you will rarely, if ever, have a perfect team with perfect synergy and perfect circumstances to perfectly deliver a project. Learning how to manage and motivate unmotivated people is a huge chunk of being a great leader and why leaders get paid the big bucks (and also why introverts avoid leadership positions).
I use the carrot and stick method which means I try to fix the problem nicely first and if it doesn’t resolve itself I bring out the ENTJ hammer and bring it down. I never micromanage. I know NTJs get a bad rep for doing this but it’s an absolute last resort, a huge energy drain, and an awful option because if I have to do your job then I can’t effectively do mine.
The Carrot
1. Set expectations early and communicate them clearly. Example: "Our team needs 2 reports from you by Friday next week at 5 PM. I’d like to help you so let me know how you want to tackle this project and what you need to succeed.” This does two things:
- You’ve preemptively removed the two most common excuses for failure: “I didn’t have enough help/direction/support” and “I didn’t know what I was supposed to do.”
- This person feels supported and encouraged to start. He or she will feel comfortable reaching out to you throughout the process.
2. Conduct touchpoint meetings with the entire team to get regular updates and enforce accountability. Keep this person and their progress visible in front of the entire team. "Agenda item 3: getting an update on our reports. Hey John, where are we with that? How’s it coming along and do you need any help?” This does two things:
- It keeps the person on track without embarrassing or antagonizing them because everyone on the call is treated equally and expected to provide a status update.
- It allows you to catch issues early.
3. Provide frequent feedback. The rule of thumb is that praise should be given publicly and correction should be given privately. This does two things:
- It corrects issues before they become huge problems.
- Compliments build momentum, positive feedback inspires and encourages.
The Stick
If that fails and the person has a pattern of behavior then I remove them from the team. If you follow steps 1, 2, and 3 it shouldn’t surprise your team or the problematic person why you’re doing what you’re doing and how you came to that conclusion.
Airbnb wants to do more than rent you a room. At the company’s host-centric Airbnb Open conference in Los Angeles on Thursday, CEO Brian Chesky took to the stage to announce a slew of new features designed to expand Airbnb’s offerings into virtually every aspect of a trip.
5 Behaviours Entrepreneur Should Avoid
Adolescents and young adults in the USA appear to have higher rates of alcohol use and binge drinking onset associated with higher exposure to alcohol advertisements using a partying theme, independently of exposure to alcohol advertisements with non-party themes. Sourced through Scoop.it from: addiction.dns-systems.net
Modernizing Marketing: How To Update Your SWOT Analysis For Your Small Business
The unique demands of the 21st century marketplace require that small business owners integrate newer systems into their analytics. Read the full article at: linkis.com
How to Make Social Advocacy Part of Your Employees’ Daily Routine
Create new advocates and amplify your marketing efforts by making advocacy a simple part of your employees’ morning rituals. Read the full article at: www.convinceandconvert.com
Running out of ways to beat the Facebook algorithm? Learn how to use Facebook Insights to improve your social media marketing and get better results.
How to Use Facebook Insights to Improve Your Social Media Marketing
Running out of ways to beat the Facebook algorithm? Learn how to use Facebook Insights to improve your social media marketing and get better results. Read the full article at: www.postplanner.com
Why Shameless Content Marketing Is the Only Marketing That Works
There’s no shame in selling overtly when you have great content. Learn how four brands perfected the art of “shameless” content marketing. Read the full article at: www.convinceandconvert.com
Effective win/loss analysis helps organizations stay current on changing market conditions, and helps salespeople stay fresh and at the top of their game.
Universities Make Positive Changes Through Data Collection
By using analytics, colleges can save money and improve student outcomes. Read the full article at: www.edtechmagazine.com
Starting a YouTube Channel: How to Achieve YouTube Growth : Social Media Examiner
Social Media Marketing Podcast 214. In this episode Tim Schmoyer explores what you need to know to get started with building a successful YouTube channel. Read the full article at: www.socialmediaexaminer.com
How to Use Facebook Live From Your Desktop Without Costly Software : Social Media Examiner
Have you considered using Facebook Live to host an on-screen walkthrough? Learn how to broadcast with Facebook Live using free open-source software. Read the full article at: www.socialmediaexaminer.com
Google AdWords Ad Rank Impacts PPC Success
Bidding the most money per click for a keyword on Google AdWords won’t guarantee your ad will appear at the top of the search results page. Rather, AdWords assigns eac Read the full article at: www.practicalecommerce.com
JotForm creates online forms for use on websites—no coding skills required. It has helped magicians book events, bakeries accept custom orders, and even Facebook collect questions to ask President Obama during a Town Hall event.
Aytekin Tank has guided the 10-year-old company through rocky waters (i.e. a Secret Service shutdown). Now at two million users, annual revenue has grown 50% yearly over the past five years.
We’ve done a short Q&A with Tank, who will also be featured in a panel at the upcoming #E360 event in Long Beach, CA.
Q: What do you spend the most of your workday doing?
A: 50% of my day is devoted to the hiring process. When I interview someone, I take them to lunch to make sure they are the right personal and cultural fit for our company. I also ask myself, “Do I want to work with this person for the next two years?” Q: In 2012, the Secret Service shut down @JotForm. How did you respond?A: A user with bad intentions began using JotForm to make phishing forms, asking for people’s passwords and banking information. Because one of the Secret Service’s jobs is to protect currency, they shut us down for a few days, and some of our users began to have problems. We were very quick to react—we sent an email to all users within hours, explaining what happened and how to keep their forms online. We were transparent. And the openness resulted in an incredible outpouring of support—first in our blog, then in the tech media that covered the news, and in comments on social news sites. That convinced the Secret Service that they did something wrong, and they asked GoDaddy to enable our domain.
Learn more about Tank via the article link in our bio, and be sure to get your tickets to the Entrepreneur 360 Conference happening on Nov. 16 through the links in the article. Swap in code SOCIAL_FLASH for an exclusive, deep discount of over $200. via Instagram https://www.instagram.com/p/BMmd48zBdtD/
Get the Marketing Budget You Need in 2 Steps
It’s November 10th and my Christmas lights are up. To be honest, I hung them November 1st, but don’t tell anyone. The end of the fiscal year is fast approa Sourced through Scoop.it from: www.toprankblog.com
@Regrann_App from @lorrainefrancesanderson - All In the planning
#plantowin #plan #will #prepare
#entrepreneurs #entrepreneurship #entrepreneurslife #determinationiskey #goals #opportunity #chance #determination #goals😍 #pink #amazing #planning #owner #ownit #ownboss #bossgirls #bossbabe #followme #hustle #hustlehard #female #hustlemode #hustler
Facebook tells travel marketers to show some emotion in online marketing
Travel companies are putting significant investment into offline promotions but failing to translate to online marketing efforts Read the full article at: www.tnooz.com
