Today, the terms "Social Media", "Social Networking", and "Social Marketing" are part of the business conversation. I have talked about in previous posts how I leveraged my network successfully to assist in my job search earlier this year. This could be considered the advent of "Social Recruiting" or "Social Hiring". This equates to leveraging information available through Search Engines and INgaging your network for additional resources and references.
I use same techniques daily in my role as a professional sales person and really, "Advisor" to companies looking to enhance their social footprint. The information is available online to complete a picture of who a prospective company is and who may be the players I need to access to be successful. Can I identify gaps in their social strategy which my business solutions can be accessed for mutual success? If not, why I am I bothering them, because that is what I would be is a pest! Gone are the days of Arthur Miller's famous character, Willy Lowman, knocking on doors without an understanding of the needs of the consumer behind the keyhole. Cold calling just got harder and easier at the same time...depending on your tenacity. For me, the information available today makes for more robust first conversations and solid pipeline of people looking to make the journey to being more proactive in the social marketplace.
Translate this into an overall company strategy. How is your area leveraging social channels to improve how it performs? Is your R&D department harnessing the power of crowdsourcing to assist and vet new products and service enhancements? How is your HR department using the social realm to make better, faster, and cheaper hiring choices in the global war for talent? Is your Customer Care team listening and solving the challenges your customers are laying down for you on consumer social networking channels. How does this effect the corporate brand?
Understand, not only is there solid data that companies with women on there executive team are more profitable, companies that have mastered the social conversation with their constitutes are winning on the valuation side hands down. There is an solid ROI opportunity in every business from your local mortgage company to the Fortune 100. The offerings I represent mostly translate to mid to large corporations. However, there is value there beyond them. It is my task to find the missing piece and translate into a business solution. Leveraging the social channels helps me get smarter about the companies I choose to INgage with daily.
How are you using social applications to move your career and company forward?
With the growth of my new company (INgage Networks formerly Neighborhood America), they have embraced the concept of remote workers. We have a host of new people that are working in geographic areas around the country. Some are commutable into one of our offices, some like me, are outposts. One of these new folks sent an email to the "IN Remotes" asking for advice on how to be successful. We have a lot of Atlanta natives so ... hence the Atlanta references. This is also where I truly began being a full time remote worker. Here is my answer, along with a couple of additions, from "our stellar team".
At INgage Networks, I have found a combination of Yammer and Skype to be very good at a number of different ways beyond traditional (wow think about that statement) email and phone channels to connect with coworkers. I also think that setting up a Twitter list to follow tweets coming from other coworkers is an excellent way to learn about our corporate outbound news. In addition, it also gives you a sense of who people are personally. For example, Gail (@GEMS222) is a runner. Courtney (@wileyccoyote) is a passionate follower of Dave Ramsey's financial advice. Me (@pbrannigan), well I love my dogs and B&W cookies from Juniors in NYC. I also recommend that optional team calls, brown bag lunch sessions, and other opportunities to connect with the corporate office are not optional unless there is a valid business reason to miss them like a client call, outage, or planned travel. It shows you are a team player and you will pick up stuff you can't at the water cooler in your own kitchen.
If any of you are new to being a remote worker period, I have some additional advice:
1) www.workshifting.com is a blog and community for people that don’t report to an office every day. It has a variety of postings for both the remote worker and the road warrior. (This is run by Justin Levy that works with Chris Brogan)
2) Get yourself a schedule. Don’t allow yourself to work in your PJ’s for at least the first 6 months until you have a schedule down. Shower and dress everyday in at least casual office attire. If you looked under my desk during an important conference call, I am in my power heels. a) Schedule… start time, lunch( take one regularly away from your desk), and understand when to shut the computer down on a typical day. b) Create a work area; preferably a separate room with a door you can shut. This is really important with children that are home at some point during your work day. c) If you are using your home line as a work number, call your provider and ask for a different number that can be a distinctive ring. When that rings, others in the house will know it is your business call. d) LISTS: Maintain a to do list. Write it every night for the next day or create it in a CRM system.
3) Leave the house at least once a day: Gym, coffee, lunch with a friend, go for a walk. It can get lonely. When, I first started working from home I lived in Kennesaw, GA. I would get ready for work just like when I commuted to Roswell. I would drive to Starbucks and get a coffee. I would then go home to start work. The action of driving around the corner helped put me in a work frame of mine. It was either than or the caffeine. Luckily, I lived in a neighborhood where about ½ of us worked remotely. We did social activities like others do in the office. It also helped when your internet provider was down but your neighbors was working. This brings me to #...
4) Find a go source for emergency internet, again… SBX, Atlanta Bread, a library, even your gym or best yet… a neighbor that also works from home.
5) Forget the household to do list. Push back on others in your life that think you can fit in errands because you work from home… YOU ARE WORKING. It will happen. My worst experience was after I started working at home and my parents decided to come to Atlanta for a week. My mom expected to camp out in my office all day. I printed off a list of tourist stuff for them to do and told them I would be happy to see them for dinner. "Out you go to Cyclorama, World of Coke, the Carter Library.. I don’t care but you have to leave the second floor." They now realize at 8:30 AM on Monday, Pauline is working. Schedule around it.
As a result, they had a much better experience. I even introduced them to another retired couple in our sub-division. They had a blast going to lunch and doing stuff together. This point was made in a number of ways from a host of “IN Remoters”
6) Find a remote worker mentor. They can help with ideas and your moments of truth. Better to find someone in your field but anyone with 3-5 years of experience is a worth tapping for advice.
7) When contacting people at corporate, be respectful and state your real urgency. If it can wait, tell them. Remember, regardless of your effort you are at home, they are not. The traffic you faced in the morning was tripping over the dog on the way to your desk.
8) Speaking of dogs, even the most well behaved dog will bark at the most inopportune time. Address it, and move on. Interruptions happen in offices with noisy birthday parties. I used to have a problem with a dog that has since passed away. He would bark his head off when my husband came home from work about 4:45-5PM. I was often on a client call with people on the West Coast. I would address it prior to it happening. Clients understand with the massive amount of companies with people working remotely all the time or part time. Yes, I miss having to make this apology.
9) Contact your tax professional to understand what receipts you should be saving and how you can take advantage of a home office deduction. You would be surprised at the stuff you can now at least partially deduct! Be rabid about itemizing receipts. The downside is the home office deduction puts a bull's eye on your back from the IRS. If you need a CPA in the Atlanta area, I am happy to give you my tax guy’s information. He still does our taxes even though we left Georgia 3 years ago.
10) Children are both a blessing and a challenge in the home office environment. Working from home will allow you to be around with your young ones more than traditional working parents. It is does present a challenge on the cohabitation of work and child play. My colleague, Michael Medina (@FCMedina), has an excellent set of rules for his young ones: a) My office hours are from X to X b) When my office door is shut, do not come in or knock unless it is a TRUE EMERGENCY c) If you need me, slip a note under the door (or text me) d) My office is my office. Don't touch anything on my desk. It is not a resource for craft projects. e) The BEST RULE: Take a break every day when the kids come home from school to discuss their day. Invite them into the office to sit on your lap and talk.
11) "Keep away from the kitchen or your favorite pair of jeans won't be". This one is from Courtney Wiley. Boy, do I agree with that one! This goes back to getting dressed. Make sure it is with a fixed waist band so that you realize that suit will be tight if you are grazing too much.
12) Overly communicative with any time you need to be away from the home office with your primary contact in the office and/or your boss. The first time you go out to lunch or run to Staples for toner, will be the time something needs immediate action. After one too many of these times, I invested in my first blackberry. The next time I had to read an email immediately, I could. So if you don't have a smart phone.... get one. Welcome to the new millennium.
Finally, Enjoy it. It is a skill to be successful at being self motivated. You will be amazed at the amount of work that you can get done.
Here is a link to our career page: http://ingagenetworks.com/careers Remote worker since August 2004. With 3 different companies and I have moved 3 times!
Today, the terms "Social Media", "Social Networking", and "Social Marketing" are part of the business conversation. I have talked about in previous posts how I leveraged my network successfully to assist in my job search earlier this year. This could be considered the advent of "Social Recruiting" or "Social Hiring". This equates to leveraging information available through Search Engines and INgaging your network for additional resources and references.
