In an Uncertain Environment, Being Irrelevant is Death!

This morning two things happened that illuminate an important truth - being irrelevant in an uncertain environment is death to a brand.

1. After acknowledging they had lost contact with their client base several weeks ago, Sears, announced they are accelerating store closures in favor of a new focus on Ecommerce. Analysts are dissing Sears as a 'too little, too late' brand manager and there is growing evidence the brand may already be out of business.

2. My personal reading took me to check-in on Reid Hoffman, the co-founder of LinkedIn. An internet search located a presentation to graduates earlier this year. This presentation is really worth the investment of time to view:

http://www.businessinsider.com/career-advice-from-linkedin-founder-reid-hoffman-2014-12#

The highlights for me:

1. His worldview of relentless change and uncertainty and the need to be comfortable in this environment;
2. His extrapolation of feelings to the 'real' questions in life; and,
3. The three things successful people eventually figure out - Competition, Networks and Risk.

LinkedIn began in December 2002. I joined LinkedIn in the fall of 2006 upon the advice of Andrew Seto a colleague and investor at PetLynx Corporation. This network has become the source of great value to me with 11 million professionals around the world. According to industry reports, LinkedIn is now valued at more than 20 Billion dollars. Much of that value accumulated after the first decade in business. 

If you are in a service business, there are lessons to be learned from reviewing the LinkedIn path to success. However, I want you to focus on three things:

• Uncertainty is the common denominator of present experience.
• Irrelevancy is a disease no brand can survive. 
• Maintaining contact with the user/client base of your brand is the essential element to finding certainty and relevance.

Enjoy and Employ this wisdom in your career and in your brand management. 

Branducation:

1. How can you create a competitive advantage from the uncertainties you face?
2. What are you doing to maintain contact with your professional network, your brand users/clients and your personal network of supporters and mentors?
3. What risks are you incorporating into your activities and which risks are you avoiding?

Ben always looked for differences

Larry's LinkedIn Metrics

Here is my LinkedIn network report. Thank you to those who have joined the conversation! 

YOUR LINKEDIN NETWORK (2013July31):

993  Connections link you to 8,816,892+ professionals

38,440 New people in your Network since July 27

Get Connected

Larry's LinkedIn Metrics

Here is the LinkedIn network report for my account this morning. Thank you to those who have joined the conversation! 

YOUR LINKEDIN NETWORK

768Connections link you to 8,371,751+ professionals

24,430New people in your Network since June 29

LinkedIn Metrics for Larry - 2013 May 27

Getting more invitations than I can process right now so I'm being very picky. They say it's good for someone in brand development and marketing to be popular! I'm still deciding.

653Connections link you to 7,847,371+ professionals

45,891New people in your Network since May 22

LinkedIn Says Thank You!

This morning, I was in receipt of an email thanking me for my participation on the tenth anniversary of the creation of LinkedIn. It came with a video which I have supplied here below.

I joined LinkedIn on the advice of a colleague in 2008.  I now have more than 7.3 million people in my professional network. It has been very useful for me and the work I do. It has been a powerful way to stay in contact with my clients.

YOUR LINKEDIN NETWORK

605Connections link you to 7,332,053+ professionals

10,730New people in your Network since May 8

Recognition is always a powerful way to enhance client relationships. I feel good, but more important I feel appreciated by the people who debit my charge card for $30 each month. I also feel like I have helped to build something useful for my colleagues in industry and my clients around the world.

Here's the video

Branducation:

1. Are you building an organization or starting a 'movement'?
2. What is the role of 'imagination' in your vision?
3. Imagine your future for a moment - then identify three elements that will show you have succeeded (add a time-frame so you can measure progress).

Percheron mares and foal