Author Archives: Les Adkins

About Les Adkins

Les Adkins is the founder and CEO of Orange SMS, an organization that helps companies and organizations transition from doing business in the traditional way to the new way of business. Creating Whole Brain Thinking Executives and Sales forces.

Social Media – The Big Three???

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So lately I have been hearing a lot about the Big Three in Social Media. Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. So I started looking around to see who was out there hyping these three and training and teaching companies how to make these work for businesses. There are a lot of companies out there touting their skills on the Big Three.

So I wanted to take a moment to weigh in  and let you know that although these are considered the Big 3 they may not be your Big 3 or 4 or 5 or 2. The number is arbitrary because it depends on your Social Business Strategy.

Let me show you a little guide that is put out by RLTM (Real Time Report) that was posted on April 13, 2012.

Facebook:       over 845 million active users            Facebook
Twitter:            over 500 million users                      Twopcharts
Qzone:            500 million active users                   China Internet Watch
Sina Weibo:    over 300 million users                      Bloomberg Businessweek
Renren:           over 170 million users                      iResearch iUser Tracker
LinkedIn:          150 million members                       LinkedIn
Google Plus:    100 million active users                  Google
Tumblr:             51.5 million blogs                           Tumblr
Instagram:        40 million users                              TechCrunch
Tagged             20 million unique mthly users         Tagged
Foursquare      nearly 20 million users                    Business Insider
Pinterest          11.7 million unique mthly users      TechCrunch
Posterous        3.9 million members                       SF Gate

The last Google Search I did on “Social Media Sites” came up with 147.000.000 results. Just to let you see how different measurements tell us the Top sites here is another site that gives you the Top 15 from ebiz/MBA.

As you can see there are several Social Media sites that have large numbers based on members, unique monthly visitors and their Alexa Global Traffic Ranking.

So as a business, just keep in mind that unless your audience is using these sites and you can engage them you might be wasting time and resources on the Big Three! It’s always better to create a strategy around your social media efforts than to put things out on the Big Three and hope they produce results.

Les Adkins is the CEO of  Orange SMS Consulting and an International Social Business Strategist, speaker, consultant and author. Bringing strategy and whole brain thinking to creative campaigns and social media through his work. Please follow @mysylbert and connect on LinkedIn Join us on FB and Google + as well.

Create Awesome Content!!!

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Got your attention? Well this is a very quick, down and dirty blog. Lately I have been inundated with offers claiming to have that magic pill to help me with my Social Media Presence, Strategy, Posts, Content, Marketing and the list goes on. They entice you with headlines like the one for this blog, sorry about that.  Now I could be a real Jerk and name some of the companies and people I am getting offers from, but… I won’t. I learned a long time ago that the only way to win is to be better than the other guy or company who is telling everyone why your company is so bad and how they don’t really have the best of ______________ (fill in the blank).

So What Do You Do? With all these offers and guarantees?

How do you get through all the noise and find the right thing to do to get ahead in whatever business or endeavor you are doing without shelling out a lot of money to the wrong people, companies or offers? Yes I am talking to myself as well. I have paid for bad information, technology and other stuff along the way.

I heard a great line the other day in a movie. “If you want to make a lot of money; Work your Ass Off!” Friends with Benefits As in life so as is in business, there are no short cuts! A friend of mine posted this about someone trying to help businesses out with Social Media. “Liar” by Doug Grady. 

The point is simple; work hard, build trust, and be a real person in order to add value to your community. (This Goes For Businesses Too) And yes come back and continue reading these posts and I will help you with all of the above. For just the time it takes you to read this post and if along the way you find value please share this with others.

It is a new world and for all the good, bad and ugly the new currency is TRUST!

Yes folks I have been away but I am back. Hope you tag along on the second part of my continuous journey.

Les Adkins is the CEO of  Orange SMS Consulting and an International Social Media Strategist, speaker, consultant and author. Bringing strategy and whole brain thinking to creative campaigns and social media through his work. Please follow @mysylbert and connect on LinkedIn Join us on FB as well.

It’s Been Too Long! How is your New Year Starting Socially?

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Life is a wonderful teacher….Unfortunately she has a habit of killing all of her students!

So how is everyone doing? I know it has been awhile since the last time I have blogged. I hope you are following me on Twitter or are connected to me another way; Google +, LinkedIn, FB page. I hope that in some way we are connected. If not what are you waiting for?

Well it’s been a crazy beginning to the new year and a lot has happened. Those of you who went with me on my 30 day journey I hope that it added value to your lives and gave you real help in improving your business and reaching your personal goals.

I have been absent in blogging for way too long. Two months. This is one time that it is worth repeating “Do as I say, not as I do!” In order to keep your branding out there you need to continue reaching out to your audience and continue building up trust.

In the next several months I am going to be completing my book and I am asking for your help in keeping me on the right track. I will be putting exerts of the upcoming book on here and I really would like to hear your comments. I will also be adding some valuable advice on social (media) and where it is going and also sharing some thoughts from colleagues and friends about how things are changing with Social and Mobile Engagement.

So for those of you who only follow my blog, my sincere apologies. Please keep connecting with me in other ways as I am more apt to stay in touch with quick posts on a regular basis.

Here’s to living the Life you Were Born To Live! This is my own personal mantra for 2012.

Les Adkins is the CEO of  Orange SMS Consulting and an International Social Media Strategist, speaker, consultant and author. Bringing strategy and whole brain thinking to creative campaigns and social media through his work. Please follow @mysylbert and connect on LinkedIn

Join us on FB as well.

Day 30: Review, Review, Review and LIve, Live, Live!

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Congratulations on Making it through the 30 day journey to Live Life Outside the Comfort Zone. Here is a song just for you. If you haven’t made it yet keep moving forward.

So what do you do now? Well as the song says “Live Like You Were Dying”! And your saying OK, OK but really what do I do now. Well here is a few things to remember: First go back to the list of the past 30 days:

  1. Day 1: Organization
  2. Day 2: Goals
  3. Day 3: Make 10 to 20 Contacts Per Day
  4. Day 4: Follow Up
  5. Day 5: Motivation
  6. Day 6: Stop Worrying and Start Living
  7. Review, Review, Review 
  8. Day 8 & 9: Prioritize for the Next Week
  9. Day 8 & 9: Prioritize for the Next Week (not a typo; just matching days with #’s)
  10. Day 10: Develop 30 second commercial
  11. Day 11: Visualization 
  12. Day 12: Live To Learn
  13. Day 13: Get Out There
  14. Day 14: Blog, Blog, Blog
  15. Day 15: Volunteer
  16. Day 16: Rest
  17. Day 17: Focus
  18. Day 18: Branding Yourself and Your Business
  19. Day 19: Productive Meetings
  20. Day 20: Go Against the Norm
  21. Day 21: The Power of One
  22. Day 22: Don’t Give Up
  23. Day 23: Break That TV Addiction, NOW
  24. Day 24: Whole Brain Approach
  25. Day 25: What Did I Do Wrong
  26. Day 26: Woulda, Shoulda, Coulda…
  27. Day 27: Getting Back To My Roots – Digital Presence
  28. Day 28: Specifically, What Are You Trying to Do
  29. Day 29: Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes
  30. Day 30: Review, Review, Review and Live, Live, Live

Then see what has changed and what is the same. And don’t worry if you have not achieved every single thing that is on the list. Take them in groups or even one at a time. Remember it takes 21 to 30 days to create a habit!

For me my life has gotten more fulfilling and busier in a very good way. As my friend Denise O’Brien said in one of her Facebook posts;

“I love my life”

My next goal is to accomplish living a life with the principles behind the 4-hour work week. Don’t worry I will share.

So thank you for joining this adventure with me. And remember that the adventure is never over as you continue to “Live a Life Outside the Comfort Zone”.

Les Adkins is the CEO of  Orange SMS Consulting and an International Social Media Strategist, speaker, consultant and author. Bringing strategy and whole brain thinking to creative campaigns and social media through his work. Please follow @mysylbert and connect on LinkedIn Join us on FB as well.

 

Day 29: Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes

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So on Day 29 I went up to my parents house to help them with some basic technical issues. I always tell them I am not tech support, but for them I make an exception. It was doing things like downloading pictures from a camera to a computer, posting a few pics on FB and figuring out how to make one of those electronic picture frames work.

On the drive up I started thinking about the 30 day journey that I was on and what had initiated the journey and where I was at this point. The word that kept coming up was “Change”. If you have not read the book “Who Moved My Cheese” I highly recommend it. Without going into too much detail there are 4 characters, two mice Sniff and Scurry and two little people Hem and Haw.

“Cheese” is a metaphor for what you want to have in life…And the “Maze” is where you look for what you want…In the story the characters are faced with unexpected change. Eventually one of them deals with it successfully, and writes what he has learned from his experience on the maze walls. When you come to see ‘The Hand-writing on the Wall,’ you can discover for yourself how to deal with change… Spencer Johnson, M.D.

That should give you a good idea of the book. I highly recommend the read whether you are on this journey or if you feel you need to begin a journey of your own.

On the way home from my parents this song came on the

Still don’t know what I was waiting for

Time was running wild

A million dead-end streets

Every time I thought I’d got it made

It seemed the taste was not so sweet

So I turned myself to face me

But I never caught a glimpse

Of how the others must see the faker

I’m much to fast to take that test

 

Ch-ch-ch-ch Changes

(Turn and face the strain)

Ch-ch Changes

Don’t want to have to  be a richer man

Ch-ch-ch-ch Changes

(Turn and face the strain)

Ch-ch Changes

I just wanted to be a better man

Time may change me

But I can’t trace time…David Bowie -Ziggy Stardust

So as we come to the next to last day of the 30 day journey remember that time is moving on whether you change or not. Change is difficult and sometimes a struggle but in the end it is worth it to “Live Outside the Comfort Zone”

Les Adkins is the CEO of  Orange SMS Consulting and an International Social Media Strategist, speaker, consultant and author. Bringing strategy and whole brain thinking to creative campaigns and social media through his work. Please follow @mysylbert and connect on LinkedIn

 

Join us on FB as well.

 

 

 

Day 28: Specifically What Are You Trying To Do

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So I woke up on Day 28 with this question in my head, “What am I trying to do, specifically?”

I started this 30 day journey on October 1, 2011 and I am now on day 28. I’ve talked about and implemented Organization, Goals, Making more contacts per day, Follow up, Motivation, Failure, Success, How to Not Worry, How to Push on, Developing a 30 second commercial, Review, Review, Review.

So why today did I have the question in my head “What am I trying to do”? My business is improving, my life is getting better and more fulfilled. But I realized that even though I have my goals and Life is Moving Outside the Comfort Zone for me, what, actually am I trying to do?

Then all of a sudden this video came across my computer. It’s a little long but worth watching.

So did you hear him?

Disney, CNN, MTV, Hyatt, Burger King, FedEx, Microsoft, Apple, Texas Instruments, 20th Century Fox, Gillette, AT&T, IBM, Merck, Hershey’s, Eli Lilly, Coors, Bristol-Myers, Sun, Amgen, Autodesk, Adobe, BMC, EA (Electronic Arts), Fortune Magazine, GE and HP (Hewlett Packard)

Perspective – Crisis Can Be Good

With some of my colleagues and the people I have networked with over the last three years there seems to be two things that are happening.

One: though they started a business, they are now going back to work for someone else or are focused on looking for a “job”.

Two: They are struggling or they have gone the other way and are wildly successful but either way they are pushing on.

There is a Third Party; they are the one’s blaming the economy for why they are not doing well in either looking for work or with their business.

So where are you? I am not judging anyone here, you might have had to go back to work because you just can’t seem to get ahead or you are lucky enough to have the support and finances to continue moving forward with your business. Either way you have answered the question of “What Are You Trying to Do?”.

So that’s the key, you need to decide on what it is you are trying to do. As the list above shows success comes from crisis. To get to success you have to fail a lot in order to reinvent yourself. So keep reinventing yourself.

WIN LIKE YOU ARE USED TO IT

LOSE LIKE YOU ENJOY IT

Les Adkins is the CEO of  Orange SMS Consulting and an International Social Media Strategist, speaker, consultant and author. Bringing strategy and whole brain thinking to creative campaigns and social media through his work. Please follow @mysylbert and connect on LinkedIn

Join us on FB as well.

Day 27: Getting Back To My Roots – Digital Presence

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So I  train others on how to create an online presence. So why do I only have 237 likes on FB, 329 followers on Twitter and  468 Connections on LinkedIn. Well there are several excuses I could give. The best one is; that I believe in engaging your audience and yes, I truly believe that Size Does Not Matter.

But building an online presence takes work and time. So I am not a big fan of excuses so I’ll just admit that I have not put the time and work into building my online presence.

So part of this 30 day journey is realizing where you need work and what you need to work on. So here are 9 quick tips for Branding yourself or company online fromBob Baker.

  1. Define your brand up front.
  2. Lead with what you do, not who you are.
  3. Use a real person as a figure-head.
  4. Develop a fan-club mentality.
  5. Make good use of words.
  6. Make sure visual elements reinforce your identity.
  7. Become a one-stop destination.
  8. Publish an e-mail newsletter.
  9. Be visible through online forums.
Go to 9 Ways to Create a Rock-Solid Brand Identity Online to go into more detail regarding the above tips.
I still believe that engaging your followers or connections is far more important than having a large following. But there is a lot of noise out there claiming that a “Social Media Consultant” should have a large following. Although I completely disagree with this philosophy and believe engagement and strategy out weigh the size of your following I need to be able to silence the voices from a position of strength.
So if you can help me out by doing one of four things:
  1. Like my FB page
  2. Follow me on twitter @mysylbert
  3. Connect with me on LinkedIn
  4. And if you are on Google + add me to your circles.
If you could help me out I would really appreciate it. After my 30 day journey I will be spending more time on building my own online presence.
So whatever industry or field you are in, go back to your roots and see what you need to work on.
Les Adkins is the CEO of  Orange SMS Consulting and an International Social Media Strategist, speaker, consultant and author. Bringing strategy and whole brain thinking to creative campaigns and social media through his work.
Watch my website grow and get better as I work  on my digital presence.

Day 26: Woulda, Shoulda, Coulda…

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You ever have those days or moments when you look back and wish you had done something different? Moved in a different direction? Or gone through a different door?

And if you had, how would your life, career or relationships  be different? If you had made that investment in Microsoft when they looked like hippies you would be a millionaire now. If you had just married that girl/guy whose family had money, you wouldn’t be struggling now.

I’m sure each one of you can think of something that you wish you Woulda, Shoulda or Coulda done to change your life or circumstances. Too many times in life we dwell on the What IF’s, how it could have been if only….

You may even have someone in your life who constantly reminds you of the things you should have done.  This reminds me of a great song:

….Regrets, I’ve had a few, but then again too few to mention. I did what I had to do, I saw it through without exemption…. Ol’Blue Eyes

So what does all this mean?

I’M HERE TO TELL YOU, YOU CAN’T GO BACK! SO DON’T TRY!

Have you ever heard the statement: “…if I don’t tell you who will? I’m only pointing this out because I care about you”

They may mean well, but it doesn’t help you move forward. You can’t go back and change it. So why listen to it?

Dale Carnegie tells about the great philosopher Marcus Aurelius, who ruled the Roman Empire and summed up life in eight words-

Our Life Is What Our Thoughts Make It

If someone in your life keeps pointing out your mistakes and reminding you of them you need to find a way to move beyond that person. If they are family do it in a loving way.

So get rid of your Woulda, Shoulda, Coulda’s and Live Your Life Outside the Comfort Zone!

Les Adkins is the CEO of  Orange SMS Consulting and an International Social Media Strategist, speaker, consultant and author. Bringing strategy and whole brain thinking to creative campaigns and social media through his work. Please follow @mysylbert and connect on LinkedIn

 

Join us on FB as well.

 

 

Day 25: What Did I Do Wrong?

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So I hope everyone had a great weekend! Now getting back to our 30 day journey. If you started your daily journey when I did (October 1, 2011) you have completed your journey and have a focused outlook and more definition around:

Living Life Outside the Comfort Zone

But if you just joined us or started your journey somewhere in the middle you are still on your journey and following these Monday through Friday daily blogs.

So it is now Day 25, What did I do Wrong? As an international sales trainer and speaker  I focus on several things when speaking to audiences. But when discussing Sales I focus on two big things when you are in a meeting with a prospect.

#1. Executives and business people are too busy to meet with you just for the heck of it. So if you set a meeting there is something your company offers that they are interested in.

#2 If you don’t close the prospect (get the sale) one of three things has happened.

  • You did not show the value of what you were offering to their business.
  • Your service or solution did not meet their needs.
  • And the BIG One – They did not trust you or felt that you could not implement the services or solution that you were offering.

So I recently had a big presentation. I did the discovery meeting (the initial meeting where you discover what their needs are), and I did a ton of research on their industry, their competitors, and even talked with local store managers.

But- Guess What? They did not buy!

So what did I do wrong? That’s what I need to figure out for myself.

Did I not build the trust?

Did I understand the individual needs?

Did I not show the value?

Whatever it was I was asked to come back in a year. So as you can guess I was pretty bummed. But when I told one of my colleagues about what happened they made the statement:

Well at least you were able to present to them.

I thought about that and realized he was right. At least I got the chance to present to them and maybe down the road they will move toward needing or wanting the services I have available.  One of the main things is I got in front of them, many companies and sales people don’t even get the chance.

So what did I learn? I may not win every single company that I present to, but at least I was given the chance. And who knows what happens down the road.

As in life, and as in business you need to enjoy and learn from the journey. It makes you better, stronger and allows you to improve. If you won every one, you would never take a hard look at yourself and your company and ask.

HOW CAN I MAKE IT BETTER!

So you must always continue the journey! And always ask the question. “What Did I Do Wrong?” and then turn right around and ask “What Can I Do Better the Next Time?”!

Les Adkins is the CEO of  Orange SMS Consulting and an International Social Media Strategist, speaker, consultant and author. Bringing strategy and whole brain thinking to creative campaigns and social media through his work. Please follow @mysylbert and connect on LinkedIn

 

Join us on FB as well.

 

 

Day 24: Whole Brain Approach

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So I am behind on my blog  due to computer issues. You gotta love Technology. (Well I actually do love technology) But as I always say there is only one constant that is guaranteed with technology.

It will eventually go down

OK enough with the whining. Day 24: Whole Brain Approach! What does that actually mean? I mean we all know about the Left Brain Right Brain.

This was Einstein’s take on the left brain right brain phenomena. Left brain is the serious side and right brain the wild and crazy side. But there is sooooo much more. A gentleman by the name of Ned Herrmann worked for a little company called GE where he used one of the GE inventions to create the Herrmann Brain Dominance Instrument, HBDI. Which I personally use, or try to use, in every presentation and discussion. Why should you care?

Well Ann Herrmann, who is Ned Herrmann’s Daughter and now CEO of Herrmann International (and a good friend of mine) and I have had several conversations lately about the next steps for the Whole Brain Approach. It was used in creating the game Kinect Adventures for Xbox 360.

Again why should you care? Because it allows you to reach your entire audience when you are trying to be persuasive.

Now what makes this different from DISC or Myer Briggs or the many other personality tests that are out there? It is not a personality test. It actually measures your “Thinking Preferences”. With the other tests you can take them and a month later take them again and get different results. With HBDI you take the assessment and if you take it 10 years from now you will have a very close if not exactly similar result. Unless you have a major traumatic experience in your life, i.e. divorce, death of a loved one, or have a child….

So that’s the history. I have been in sales and leadership for over 25 years and after discovering the “Whole Brain Approach” I use it almost every day. It allows me to reach my entire audience whether I’m giving a presentation or keynote speech, talking to a group of people, trying to persuade them to buy my services or become a partner, and even in casual conversations.

I know my own “Thinking Preference” and if I just spoke or addressed others in the way I think, I would not reach a third of my audience. You probably never thought about the way you think and how it affects what you say and do and how you relate to others. But if you take the time to think about it you realize that not everyone thinks like you, and no they are not STUPID, they just have a different thinking preference than you!

So now that you know. You might start seeing the world differently. Realizing that your spouse may have a different thinking preference, your employees, and the most important one: Your Audience for your product or services.

The next time you come across someone who thinks differently than you do, don’t try to persuade them with more information on how you would be persuaded but present the subject in a “Whole Brain Approach”.

If you would like to know what your thinking preference is or want more information on this subject please email me @ les.adkins@mysylbert.com or call 770.656.0399

Have a very Whole Brain Day!

Les Adkins is the CEO of  Orange SMS Consulting and an International Social Media Strategist, speaker, consultant and author. Bringing strategy and whole brain thinking to creative campaigns and social media through his work. Please follow @mysylbert and connect on LinkedIn

 

 

 

Join us on FB as well.