On my Networlding site I offer three products: 1) a LinkedIn tutorial guide, 2) a checklist for companies looking at implementing a social media campaign and 3) a guide for thought leaders who want to publish books.

When someone requests one or more of the guides, I send them a note thanking them for their request and sharing that I respond personally to every request. I also offer them a no-obligation fifteen minute phone chat if they choose. My goal is to find out if they really are interested and then if they are ready, willing and able to start working with me and my team, now or at some future date.

At the very least I have taken the time to create a more personal touch. Goodwill can go a long way and I know not everyone who ventures on my site is going to become a client. But what I have seen is that this approach has shown me what people are searching most for–in my case they are interested most in publishing books and second, in developing their thought leadership through social media and online marketing initiatives.

Related articles

• The Five Tips to Accomplish Your “One Big Goal” in 2012 (networldingblog.com)
• How to Measure Social Media ROI Like the Experts (hubspot.com)
• Convertible Solutions Embraces Social Media (prweb.com)

There are thousands of examples of networkers throughout history but several exceptional people stand out. Have you ever wondered how these exceptional people networked? How did they use their skills to create mutually beneficial relationships? Who was in their network and how did they meet the influential people in their lives?

Well, join us as we present to you Great Networkers Throughout History

First in our series is Mary Cassatt.

Self-portrait

Cassatt was an American born French Impressionist. She is one of only three women in the movement and the only American. Most well known for her conservative painting of mothers with their children, however Cassatt’s own life did not resemble the quaint simplicity of her paintings.

Although she was born in Pittsburgh in 1844, Cassatt spent much of her childhood in Europe and by the time she was ten she was fluent in several languages. Her affluent family valued education and thought travel was the best way to encourage an interest in learning. After attending Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Cassatt, against her parent wishes, moved to Europe and traveled alone. She eventually settled in Paris and fell into the Bohemian lifestyle.
It was during this time that she met Edgar Degas. She was walking by a gallery window when she caught a glimpse of Degas famous ballet dancers. Cassatt later reflected on this moment by saying,” I saw art as I wanted to see it. I began to live.”

At this same time Degas saw her pieces in the Paris Salon. The two met in 1874 and began a life long friendship. Degas invited her to join the impressionist and introduced her to art legends, Claude Monet, Auguste Renoir, and Camille Pissarro.

Edgar Degas

Together they developed the impressionist movement and promoted their work, exhibiting in their own shows.

Cassatt contributed more than her artwork to Impressionism. She used her wealth to financially back the movement. She would buy her friends paints and encourage many of her affluent American friends to buy Impressionist art. In fact most of the Impressionist art in American collections is a result of her efforts.

After her tenure with the Impressionist, Cassatt continued to paint and travel. She spent time in Spain as a guest of Phillip II and worked as his painter.

In 1892 she was commissioned to paint a mural for the Women’s building at the Chicago Worlds Fair.

Later in her life Cassatt became a role model to young women and even mentored a young Lucy A. Bacon.
Forced to give up painting because she was nearly blind Cassatt turned her attention to the women suffrage movement in 1914. She used her influence and networking abilities to support her friends and draw attention to the movement.
Cassatt died on June 14, 1926 near Paris leaving only her artwork and legacy behind.
As of 2005, her paintings had sold for as much as $2.8 million

Cassatt’s most famous connection was Edgar Degas but who else was in her network? Here is a list of the influential people who were most likely in Cassatt’s primary circle at various times in her life:
• Gustave Flaubert – author of “Madame Bovary”
• Sarah Bernhardt – famous theater actor
• Gustave Eiffel – French architect
• Louisa May Alcott – American novelist
• Claude Debussy – composer
• Susan B. Anthony – activist

Related articles

• Edgar Degas: Lord of the dance (independent.co.uk)
• The Foreign and the Familiar (shoreacres.wordpress.com)

In Networlding I make it even more simple for building a network by taking that network down to ten people and referring to it as a your “Power-of-Ten” Circle. Sociologists (which I am one) refer to this circle as your “primary circle.” So to bring your Power-of-Ten Circle to life think of Oprah and her circle. Who would be in that circle or alliance network? How about:

1. Suzie Orman - financial sage and the author of nine books, including her latest, Suze Orman’s 2009 Action Plan
2. Nate Berkus – Nate Berkus is a featured design expert for The Oprah Winfrey Show and a regular contributor to the pages of O at Home.
3. Lisa Kogan – 40 something columnist for Oprah’s magazine.
4. Dr. Maya Angelou - hailed as a remarkable Renaissance woman, a beloved poet and best-selling author, Dr. Angelou has the unique ability to captivate listeners through the vigor and sheer beauty of her lyrics and words.
5. Dr. Katz – nationally renowned authority on nutrition and chronic disease prevention and columnist—is here to help you digest it all. O, The Oprah Magazine
6. Adam Glassman – the creative director of O, The Oprah Magazine tells you what your best friends won’t. Adam fields questions from readers on everything from age-appropriate clothing to how to be comfortable and still look great during a long airplane flight.
7. Martha Beck – life coach and O, The Oprah Magazine columnist Martha Beck has the blueprint to stress-free living.
8. Bob Greene - Bob Greene is an exercise physiologist and certified personal trainer specializing in fitness, metabolism and weight loss.
9. Dr. Oz - Dr. Oz is the health expert on The Oprah Winfrey Show. He is chief medical consultant to Discovery Communications and has hosted several shows, including Second Opinion with Dr. Oz and Life Line.
10. John St. Augustine - He is the author of Living an Uncommon Life: Essential Lessons from 21 Extraordinary People and a sought-after speaker on human potential and purpose. Now, John’s hosting his own show on Oprah Radio, interviewing some of the world’s most influential thinkers, leaders and experts on personal empowerment. (Networlding Note: John was connected to Oprah through someone from Networlding and that is how he made the great connection. He is one of my favorite people and the best talk show host. I met John years ago when I was on his radio show after writing Angels in the Workplace).

Of course there are others, but realistically there is still the phenomenon that exists in the science of networks called “The Law of the Few” which essentially states that it will be the few people you know that will really make the difference in your life. Gladwell refers to people as “sales people,” “mavens” and “connectors.” In Networlding I say that people can have all three abilities. When they do I call them “Networlders.” Also, note that I believe people can also learn and build these skills. Of course some people won’t be as good as others but then they can always surround themselves with a Power-of-Ten Network or Networld as Oprah has.

Playing out this real power network even further by folding into it the element of values-based networking, you don’t have to wonder too much whether the above ten people in Oprah’s network have similar and complimentary values which is what I have found is needed to leverage a successful network. From what I know of the above ten they are all true leaders and create additional value by being part of Oprah’s network and vice versa.

So now ask yourself who should be in your Power-of-Ten Circle? Want to start a circle yourself? Email us at info@networlding.com and we’ll help you get started.

“Hi Melissa. We’ve called you in because we are finding that we just are not getting the same results from our marketing initiatives that we used to get.”

I respond, “Yes. I am hearing that from a lot of company heads. What do you think is happening?”

“Well, I think that people just aren’t reading the magazines, newspapers or other publications like they used to; I think, instead they are searching online. for services like ours”

I respond, “It could be. But what other evidence do you have that they have shifted their attention to online search?”

“Because there isn’t a week that goes by that I am sent some kind of email from someone I have met somewhere that mentions things about me like ‘I know you are an avid golfer.’ or ‘In that talk you gave at The Executive Club you shared some great insights on new product devleopment.’ or ‘Congratulations on that 10K race you ran.’ They are getting this information from online sites. There is no question. People are searching online for me and our organization.”

So now that these companies are “awake in the network” what can we do to make social networking more successful? Simply, focus on mutually beneficial opportunities versus the “what’s in it for you” mindset. What would this look like? Taking the time to really get to know what unique problems your prospects and clients are experiencing. From the conversation above, I know that my prospects and clients want to know what to do to keep up or even ahead of the curve around social networking. My goal is to not just push my services but to provide solutions that address their current needs. One quick example would be the upcoming presentation I am making to heads of pubic relations for about 45 top colleges. I spent the last weekend analyzing each school’s website to see who was on Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook. I then went through each participant’s LinkedIn profile to see how developed each was or was not. I did searches on Google on each school to see what they were doing outside of their main site. I was looking for a good snapshot of the quantity and quality of their social media activites.

Now I have a much better understanding of the gaps they have created and are in need of being filled with suggestions I can offer and by doing so, ad great value. The process is the same for you and your industry. What else can you offer here? What gaps are you seeing in your industry? What solutions do you have to offer that others would benefit from receiving?

What does it look like to build trust online? Maybe showing rather than telling will be more helpful. Let me start with an actual campaign I am currently implementing.

Event: A live event in Chicago teaching social media

Target market: Lawyers

Date scheduled: Last two weeks in October

1.  I started by going through my network on LinkedIn
2. I limited my search to those in my network
3.  I discovered I had 318 lawyers in my network
4. I created what I call a two-step email–first a query to find out if there was interest, and
second, if interested, an email to present the workshop offering.

I have used this approach, again and again, to connect with people that I know as well as those I don’t. My approach is to ALWAYS be as authentic as I can be and to create a connection.

What else? I also really work on my emails to these new connections making sure I make my request simple and short. So a script might look like this:

Dear X,

I am currently in your network and wanted to reach out and ask if you might be interested in a social media workshop I will be hosting in Chicago at the end of October? I have over seven years of experience helping thousands learn to leverage social media tools like LinkedIn. Please let me know if you would like me to send more information.

Best,

Melissa Giovagnoli

—————————————————————

But, of course, each campaign you create is unique and should be as tailored as possible to create the best “first impression.” That takes some time and thoughtfulness, but, if you build a network of connections, one good first connection conversation, at a time, you will go a long way toward starting a “trust continuum” that will have a long-term payback.

I was just recently reading about a Twitter conference that served up the following set of promises that included:

1. building communities
2. providing customer service
3. changing brand perceptions
4. and increasing revenue

Now of course there could be more promises but let’s just take these and really think about all the stories you are hearing that deliver the promises set forth above. Weighing in on these promises are a lot of people who are not getting results. Why?

Could it be because they are pushing their way into communities, not delivering on customer service and plain, just not listening to the models being shared for effective social networking? Check out this great video and then come back to this question, “What can you do today to start a more effective social media campaign?”

I think that social media is a “layering” process. In my talks I share that it is like Baklava, one sweet layer after another. It keeps adding up and, as it does, the layers create a great result. So I am not going to go into great detail offering case studies that prove that social media marketing is effective. I’ll save that for future blog entries. Today, I just want to offer up a metaphor that will, hopefully, get you thinking and, if you will, just try a bite of this dessert!

Contact: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Melissa Giovagnoli
President, Networlding, Inc.
312-421-4213

March 2, 2009 (CHICAGO) – Social media and networking guru, Melissa Giovagnoli, plans to add another book to her roster of 11 published works including four best-sellers, but this time she’s looking for your help. The “Could You Be The Third Author?“ contest seeks out the best and brightest among public relations experts and speakers to join Giovagnoli and visual design expert Kerry LaCoste in co-authoring what’s sure to be another best seller.

Giovagnoli’s twelfth book, “101 Ways to Better Social Networking,” focuses on the merging of media with the internet and social networking, as well as with other technologies and fields like television, music, and entertainment. The “Could You Be The Third Author?” contest seeks social media or online public relations experts with highly successful track records, and who may have spoken publicly on the topic of social networking and social media but have yet to publish their own book.

“I truly believe in the benefits of collaboration, and working with someone else who really understands social networking will only add more value for readers,” said Melissa Giovagnoli, president of Networlding. “Plus, it’s great for the person who co-authors the book. Being a published author really makes a difference for someone’s business, not just financially, but also socially and emotionally.”

For more than a decade, Giovagnoli has coached hundreds of successful professionals and executives helping them publish and market their own books. LaCoste, a sixteen-year creative director and designer specializing in corporate communications, has experience in all aspects of graphic design and production, including annual reports, branding and positioning, promotional campaigns, and more. He founded LaCoste Design, Inc., a communications design firm, in 2005.

If you are interested in achieving author status, email info@networlding.com no more than a one-page list of reasons why you think you should be the third author for “101 Ways to Better Social Networking.” All entries must be submitted by March 20. The winner will be announced on March 30, and will receive 30% of the book’s net revenues.

About Melissa Giovagnoli

Melissa Giovagnoli is a social networking guru, keynote speaker and bestselling author, who founded Networlding in 2000, based on her seventh book on the science and practice of social networking. Networlding is a marketing and management consulting firm helping individuals and organizations achieve a “network effect” in their marketing, communications or sales initiatives.

Networlding conducts extensive research on the best strategies for utilizing social media to reduce costs and increase top-line profits. Her team of both corporate and Entrepreneurial leaders delivers world-class solutions to companies large and small, including AT&T, Disney, UBS, Motorola and Hewitt as well as hundreds of entrepreneurial organizations.

Giovagnoli has published 11 books, including best-sellers Networlding: Building Relationships and Opportunities for Success, and The Power of Two: Rethinking and Reforming Strategic Alliances; The Chicago Entrepreneurs Sourcebook, rated one of the top 10 small business books in Chicago; 75 Cage Rattling Questions that Change the Way You Work; Another one of her books was featured on The Oprah Winfrey Show. She is a frequently sought-after speaker on the topic of social media and social networking, and has appeared as a guest on WGN, CNBC, and the Today Show and was named “Outstanding Woman of the Decade Award” by The University of Chicago Women’s Business Advisory Council.

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I do call a lot of us in this country “consumptionholics.” I also found myself playing this role at times. But not today. Not this month. Not in the near future.

What would you do? If you don’t have an answer I’ll give you some of my own.  For those executive at AIG and, in fact anyone who gets a bonus this year, think of giving some to those in need. There are so many food pantries that need extra food. There are so many children who need clothing. There are so many places to volunteer.

And if for some reason the bonus monies have not left the corporate coffers yet . . . stop. Don’t give out bonuses for “retaining top talent.” As one of my colleagues said, “Why would these companies be afraid that these people will go elsewhere? Where is there to go? Who is hiring?”

So, Tom Peters. I’ve watched you over the years. I always said I would like to be more like you. I appreciate your thoughtfulness in this time and there is no question you have a great heart. Now, even though this economic bust has already occurred, please continue to use your influence next year to help people wake up and walk out on the craziness that this year has seen. Keep promoting the idea of giving and social responsibility–especially to companies that don’t seem to get that consumers CARE what goes on inside the corporate walls–between cubicles and departments and inside and outside of boardrooms. Keep promoting strategies that show companies how to “do well by doing good.”

In the end, the more people who speak out against greed like you have done the better off we will all be. Thanks Tom.

If your job depends on making business decisions based on analysis of unstructured data, you probably thought immediately of SAS, the leader in business analytics. And once you connect with this company in one way or another–by visiting their web site or blogs, talking with them by phone or reading one of the many articles written about their award-winning corporate culture, the company and its employees will stand out in your memory.

I recently had the pleasure of interviewing David B. Thomas, SAS’s new social media manager. I was connected to Dave by Steve Polilli (a cool 6 degrees story) when I put up a blog post a week or so ago on the organization. Within 3 minutes I received an email from Steve thanking me for showcasing the company’s socially responsible initiatives and asking if I would be interested in interviewing Dave. Of course I said yes and below you can find answers to several questions I had as to their online user experience. I hope you enjoy it as much as I had fun interviewing Dave.

What three things would you want people to have done to optimize their user experience on your site(s)?

First, take a look at our blogs at blogs.sas.com and see the collection of thought leaders we have writing about the big issues in healthcare, banking and risk, performance management, business intelligence and business analytics, and more.

Second, take a look at our customer success stories and videos and see how companies and organizations partner with SAS. No matter what industry or field someone is in, they will probably see a company with similar goals and challenges who has used SAS software to accomplish their goals.

Third, visit not only www.sas.com but some of our affiliated sites, like http://support.sas.com and www.sascommunity.org , a collaborative online community of SAS users worldwide. You’ll get an immediate understanding of how much our users love and value our software. They are our best brand ambassadors.

Let’s focus on the your users. What do they look like?

You’ll find SAS users and evangelists at all levels of an organization. They could be a CMO talking about how SAS software helps them meet their marketing goals, a CFO talking about how SAS helps them make money in a difficult economy or a CIO, IS or IT manager, a statistician or analyst or a programmer talking about how SAS software helps the people on their team get their jobs done faster or more efficiently.

What brought you to this position?

I’ve been in marketing communications in the technology industry for about 13 years, and a professional communicator for the past 20. I started with SAS in May 2007 in the corporate public relations group, supporting our overall corporate message and working with journalists who wanted to know more about our corporate culture and the company as a whole. If people don’t know anything else about SAS they know we are a great place to work.

We’ve been listed on Fortune’s 100 Best Companies to Work For in America since the list began. We had onsite daycare beginning in 1981, for instance. We have an onsite health care center providing primary medical care free of charge to employees and covered dependents. We also have a 66,000 square-foot recreation and fitness center, miles of walking trails, onsite massage therapy and yoga, personal trainers and more.
Jim Goodnight, our founder, started the company in 1976. He has always said that if you treat employees as though they make a difference, they will make a difference. That philosophy permeates everything we do.
How does having a great workplace translate to growing a successful business? There is a feeling of dedication to the customer I have not seen anywhere else. It is a very positive working environment. People come in and write better software and treat customers better as a result.

What’s one thing you would like to see happen going forward?

I would like to see SAS employees contributing more than they already do in the many places on the web where the people are talking about SAS. I would like our employees to get involved in the conversation and provide insight and support. Some are doing that now. I would like to see it become even more widespread. Our employees are so passionate about the company and the software, and so knowledgeable, that the more they get out and communicate the more people we can reach and assist and impress.

What are you doing to get people more involved?

We’re working on a company-wide communications plan to let people know how they can – and should – be communicating in Web 2.0 and social media channels. We’ll be sharing our guidelines and recommendations and then encouraging them to get out and communicate.
If there is one thing–the 20% that a company can do to yield an 80% return to create a great online user experience, what would that be? Make sure you have great content and make it easy for people to get. It doesn’t do you any good to have a great white paper on your web site if no one can find it. Have a presence in the places on the web where your customers and prospects are already interacting.
__________

To me, the bottom line with SAS is that because they have taken time and have accomplished developing great people they created a wealth of human and social capital and now are mobilizing that capital, encouraging further investment through online communities and dynamic conversations. Stay tuned for Dave’s new external blog.

“One company that is tackling the convergence of these workforce trends is SAS Institute, Inc, the world’s leader in business analytics software.  The company is not content with only being a leader with its customers; it also strives to be a leader in creating a unique work environment for its employees.  SAS employees enjoy a sprawling campus in Cary, North Carolina; two company-sponsored onsite childcare facilities, onsite fitness center, onsite family medical care, a subsidized onsite café, break rooms stocked with food, private offices for all, a 35-hour workweek and flexible scheduling.”

Here is a company I’ll be showcasing more in the future. You can tell a lot about a company by its commitment to its employees. SAS, facing in and facing out, is a company to watch.