Relationship Marketing on LinkedIn: Strategies with Janice Porter-Ep.217

Music, welcome to she coaches, coaches. I'm your host, Candy Motzek, and I'm going to help you find the clarity, confidence and courage to become the coach that you are meant to be, if you're a new coach, or if you've always wanted to be a life coach, then this is the place for you. We're going to talk all about mindset and strategies and how to because step by step only works when you have the clarity, courage and confidence to take action. Let's get started. You Hello everyone, and welcome to this week's episode of she coaches, coaches. I am so happy that you're here, here in Vancouver. We've got a gorgeous, sunny, hot day. So as you're thinking of me, if you're listening to this, and it's winter and it's cold where you are, just think that I am in my little she shed and it is like, I don't know, 85 degrees in here, absolutely sweltering. But that being said, I have a wonderful guest for you this week. Her name is Janice Porter. Now let me tell you a little bit about Janice. She is all about relationships. She has an innate curiosity, which she's leveraged into building business relationships, and teaches others how to do the same. Her passion is working with people who want to build their businesses through relationship marketing and networking, and she does that using online and offline strategies. LinkedIn training is a huge part of her business, and she believes that all business professionals need to have a magnetic LinkedIn profile, and that LinkedIn is the platform that you need for attracting new clients, strategic partners and referrals, staying connected and nurturing relationships comes next. And Janice shows clients how to implement a tangible touch follow up system to do just that. Janice really values the friendships and business relationships that she makes, and when she meets someone new, she's always thinking, how may I support you? Hey, Janice, so glad you're here. Welcome to the show.

Thanks so much for having me candy. I'm looking forward to it.

Yeah, so you and I met, I don't know, maybe casually, about six months ago, you were doing a presentation about LinkedIn, and I thought, Oh, wow. I really like this approach. I really like this idea about human beings talking to human beings like, that's the thing that's big, right? And I just thought it would be a great conversation for the listeners to hear more about what you do and how you do it, and give them that sort of, there's this taste of, I know that we're so much into AI these days, and there's so much automation and bots and, you know, systems and things that we can use. But when it comes down to it, as a coach, it's a relationship business. And so to build relationships, to create business, to create clients, just really speaks to my heart. And so that's what I thought would be really fun to talk about.

Well, first of all, I think we actually met before that through our connection with amplify you, because I know that we haven't. We hadn't really spoken a lot, but we're both part of that organization, and I think we've been on events previous, and I at least I knew who you were, but I hadn't really talked to you that much, so it was great when we did finally get that opportunity and and yes, you're right. I think that sometimes people get the wrong impression about a platform like LinkedIn. So many people think, Oh, it's so formal, or isn't it just about getting a job? Or I thought it was only for corporate, you know. And I would say, particularly since the pandemic, it's changed a lot. Now you mentioned AI, and that's how that's making things change as well, even more and and specifically on LinkedIn as well, but, but, but I don't think one thing ever changes, and that is being able or or having the wherewithal to know that you do business with people you trust. You know the old adage, you know, like and trust, but And so whether you're working or whether you're using LinkedIn or you're using any other platform to network or to market or to put. Prospect generate leads, whatever you want to call it, that's what you have to keep in mind. You can't expect somebody to do business with you that doesn't have a clue who you are, what you do yet, right? So to me, that's always first and foremost,

yeah. So how did you get into LinkedIn? Like, I mean, you and I have spoken a bit about your approach, and I'm super impressed with it, but I've never heard like, how did it start? Right?

Yeah, well, it's actually a story, because I was, it was way back in like, 2011 and I was already, and had been a member of LinkedIn. I looked it up, actually, just a couple of years ago. I've been a member since 2004 it was only it started in 2003 but I didn't know what I why I was on there, what I was doing and and so I didn't do anything with it. But in I don't know, about 2011 I was walking with a friend, and she said something to me about LinkedIn. I said, do you use it like, what's it what's it all about? And she said, Oh, you need to talk to this guy, Clarence. Clarence was a young man who was teaching LinkedIn at the time. She said, Call Clarence. He'll help you. So I called Clarence. We had coffee, we sat for two hours, and he showed me, like, lots of stuff, and then we met one more time, and now I had an idea of the power of LinkedIn. Well, what happened for me is, as I started using it myself, I started sharing it with the people that I knew. Hey, are you on LinkedIn? Are you using this? This is really something. And what happened also for me was a light went on, because my background is teaching and corporate training. So I taught school and I was a corporate trainer. This was an opportunity I saw for me to start training again, and that's what I loved. And so it developed over time and morphed and so forth, but that became, you know, a big part of my business and my it took me even longer, though, to get the the overall arching umbrella between that part of my business and my greeting card business, my marketing tool business. So I wanted them sort of to fit, because they do fit, and I was and then I got into what I called relationship marketing, and so that became the the umbrella for both of them, because they

work so well together. Isn't that interesting that your background as a teacher and as a corporate trainer, you know, like, I don't know if you ever see this or not, but sometimes I think about all the past jobs and careers and trainings and stuff that I've done, and I'm like, oh, like, I worked for an accounting firm for years when I was much younger, and so I know how to I know how to create financial statements. I understand, you know, a lot of basic financial stuff for a business. And I was like, no, no. Why I learned that? Like, I needed that for now. I needed that for this business, or to support my clients. But at the time, we don't really know why we're doing some of those things. And you know, once you've got that skill, and then you've got the passion to go with it, it is so great when it's comes up and in a kind of another evolution, right?

Yeah, you sort of can reinvent yourself, but what you're drawing from is, is your past, right? Because I know, like, this is kind of interesting, because you're a coach, and sometimes people say to me, Oh, do you do coaching? And I go, No, I'm not a coach. I'm a trainer and a strategist, consultant, whatever you want to call me, but I'm not a coach. I'm a teacher. So that is a different skill than coaching. And so I see that, you know, so often where people lump people together and they're not the same.

Yeah, they're not the same. And part of that is because the coaching industry is still relatively new, and it's not really well defined. A lot of people call themselves coaches, and they're not actually coaches. They maybe are more mentors, or they're more consultants, or whatever. I was talking to my business coach the other day, and he does this thing about, okay, I actually know the answer to this. Could I just give you put my consulting hat and talk to you about it from that perspective, and instead of asking you the powerful question and listening to your answer, so you know that that balance of rules makes a big difference, right? Yeah,

totally, yeah. It's true. I just know that I love teaching, and I do it naturally. And so to be able to to empower others by giving them those skills that are the tools that they need, with a with a tool, a platform that I love, then, you know, it's, it's kind of kind of good. I like it. Yeah,

it's just magic. Right? Yeah,

exactly.

You approach LinkedIn a little bit differently, especially compared to a lot of the creators that are on the platform right now. And so part of that I know is the conversations that you have with people in the DMS. And I'd love to hear a little bit more about that. But before that, I know that when I first met you, and you were talking about LinkedIn, you said you got to start with the profile. And so can you talk a little bit about that? Because the listeners who are listening to this, they're about they're probably going LinkedIn, yeah, I got a LinkedIn account as for my last promotion I created it, or when I graduated from that degree, but I can use that for my business. Oh, that's weird. So where do they start?

Well, I think it's important to tell your audience then that okay. What happens when you meet somebody new? They usually Google you. Okay, so when somebody googles you, if you have a profile on LinkedIn, good or bad, it will show up in the search results, because Google likes LinkedIn, and they index them about 40% higher than most things, and so your LinkedIn profile will always show up in the top three to five results. So if it's good, great. If it's bad, not so great, right? Because, right, all about first impressions. And so if people, you know, click on it and they don't see anything to impress them, they're not maybe going to go any further. And by the way, something happens to me this morning that was, I think I mentioned that I was trying to find this person who I supposed to meet with. I go to her LinkedIn account finder phone number. I went to her website. It had a different phone number. It was like, you have to make it easy for people to find you. Okay? And so that's part of the profile piece. So why I say it all starts with the profile is, because because of that first impression piece, nowadays, we get a nanosecond to make a first impression, so it better be good. And so what does that look like? That looks like a profile that is up to date, that is pretty much all filled in from the top to the bottom, from the background image behind your at the top of the page, I call that the header from your headshot being not 10 years old, and not you and your hubby or your your child or your dog. It's a business platform, so it needs to be a relatively professional looking picture and and not well, I've seen some dillies, doozies on there, but anyway, and then, then your headline, and then about section, those things, there's a format that makes it work and and that's what I love to do with people when I'm working their profile, is to get them talking so that we can create something that shows not only who they are and the passion they have for what they do, but if they're in business for themselves, whether that's coaching or a brick and mortar business, it doesn't matter that needs to show the problems that they solve for their clients. And so the profile has a lot, a lot of moving parts, and that really is where one should start, because so many times I've seen people who say, Well, I have a profile, but I do, I post on there every day, and then I go to their profile and it looks terrible. So again, the posting is like throwing mud at the wall for some people. So you need to have a strategy with that too. But it all starts with the profile. I hope I answered that question. Yeah, you

totally did. And I just want to layer on one thing here, so the folks who are listening, if you're a new coach, it is so common for a new coach to think, Oh, I'd better go and work on my website and get a website up before I start signing clients, right? And so I am. This is one of the things that I'm always really adamant when I'm talking to my clients, it's like, no, please don't do a website yet. Of course, you're going to need one in the future, but not now. But what I want to really connect the dots here is like Janice said, when someone meets you for the first time, they Google you, your LinkedIn profile is going to come up really close to the top of those search results, so that LinkedIn profile acts as your website very nicely for the new coaches who are starting out. And as Janice described, make sure the profile looks good and professional and is filled out, but remember that it's people checking you out, but it's also going to double as your website. So just wanted to kind of layer that in. So

that's, that's, that's a really good point, because you made me remember that that's what I did when I first started, I didn't have a. Website. So I use my LinkedIn profile, and I said, everything's on my LinkedIn. Are you on LinkedIn? Please reach out and connect with me, and you'll see it all there. And there's something else I was going to say on that, oh, that even if you have a brand new website, and it's maybe just Yeah, it's not going to show up that high, not unless you fortune for SEO, which, today, I don't know if I would even do that. But anyway, so yeah, so that's the other reason that LinkedIn shows up. Now I think maybe, maybe it's important to clarify, though, for your for your audience, two things. One, it is important that you can use it as a website surrogate, shall we say, for the beginning. It's also because LinkedIn does come up so high on the on the search results that you want it to look good. But if your audience is not on LinkedIn, then you don't have to put all your eggs in one basket, but have at least a professional profile up there. If your audience is on LinkedIn, then go all in and use it for lead generation strategic partners, things like that, showing your visit, showing your credibility in your field with your content. If your audience is on Instagram instead, well, then that's where you should spend more of your time. But just know that you don't have to be everywhere. Just be where you're comfortable and be where your audience is.

Yeah, yeah. 100% so that's super helpful, and I think it's something that with a little bit of concentrated work, somebody can be up and running reasonably on LinkedIn relatively quickly. So then the next thing is, I know that you approach it a little bit differently, so not like a creator, a creator on LinkedIn often posts daily. And does you know, comments on the comments and goes in comments on influencer posts. But you have a different approach, and that's because it's relationship marketing. So somebody might come and check out your LinkedIn profile. Please do please go check out Janice on LinkedIn. But what they're going to notice is that there's not 5 million posts there. Tell us what you do.

Well, I Well, I don't do it as much myself anymore, because I have a lot of people that come in to me and send me messages. But if I'm doing if I want to expand my reach, and let's say sometimes I go to California because my sister lives there, so use this in as an example. And so sometimes, if I want to write off the trip, I can do some work down there. So I might go to my LinkedIn and do a search for consultants, business owners, maybe even coaches who live in the area where my sister lives, and then I start looking or I actually, what I did one time was real real estate agents and mortgage brokers, because they can use the tool that I use with the cards and the gifts. And I actually went, met some people reached out on LinkedIn and said, I'm coming down there. We'd love to have an opportunity to to talk to you. Are you up? You know it goes over a series of messages, but you find the people that maybe you can turn into a coffee date, right? So I meet people the way I would at a networking event, only I do it online. And you know, when you meet people at a networking event, you're never sure that anything's going to come of it. You have to go with intention. And it's the same thing on LinkedIn. You have to have intention and yet not pitch them immediately, right? You have to, I could teach people about how to build relationship. And really, the main piece about building relationship is showing people that you're interested in them because they don't care about you until you care about them. Yeah,

universal truth, that one, right?

Yeah, it totally is. And yet, you see people or you hear people all the time you know, either spewing out all what they do to somebody when they first meet them, or they I don't know. They don't, they don't ask questions, they don't show any interest. I can go to a networking event. I can do a networking outreach on LinkedIn. And it might be, I might never in the in the face to face situation, I might never let them know exactly what I do. I'm too busy asking them questions about them, because at the end of the conversation, I'm going to say, Hey, do you mind if I follow up with a call next week or whatever, and then I'll. Tell them more about what I do, because I've learned how I can help them, but I'll, you know, mingle it into the conversation in this in an online it's more about finding and using their profile, finding nuggets in there that will help you build rapport in the messages that you send to them, and if they answer them and you start a conversation, you know, Hey, I see that you live in Minnesota. Do you get somewhere there, you know, like that kind of, how

big are the mosquitoes, right? Yeah, yeah, exactly.

So lots of ways. And I often, with my with my clients, I will do a series of messages, string of messages that I can show them, how I do them, and what, what what works and what doesn't work,

and so and so that's really interesting as well, because there's that, that balance, and a lot of the people that I work with, you know they're good, solid people. They want to build a business, and yet they're worried they may have never been in a place where they're having to sell their services, right? And so it's very different going for promotion or a new opportunity at a new company as an employee, compared to creating a business relationship and getting to know somebody before you make an offer of any sort. And so it's a dance, and they're not used to doing it. So, you know, that's that's a big thing. How do you get people to feel more comfortable with that? Is there? Is there? Like, I find that some people are a little uncomfortable.

I think it's practice. I really do. It's like little things that stick in my head, which I didn't do, by the way, with you, which I'll talk about on offline, which I I was too comfortable, I think, at the time, but this is what for me, it's like, okay, you never leave a conversation or never leave a meeting without booking the next meeting, right? So if that translates on LinkedIn, it's like, you reach out to connect with somebody. Usually, I suggest that's just brief. You don't give a big, long message in there, but if you can, it's nice to give a message. You know, I noticed that you took a look at my profile recently. Thank you. I'd love to connect and see how I can support you. Or are you open to connecting just something very simple? Now they say yes, so all you get is a notification that they've accepted or that that connection request, and they don't say anything, so it's always going to be back on you. So now you go to their profile and you take a look at something that you can start a conversation with and when you do, you end the conversation with a question, because you're trying to get engagement right. So that's like looking to the next meeting, although you can't book it yet because it's too soon. That's the dance you're talking about. So the curiosity piece is important because it helps you. Well, what can I find out about that person? You know, that interests me. You have to really look to find those things. And then they answer you. And, you know, do they come back and they ask you something or not? There's the dance again, and sometimes I will say something in the second message or the third message that says, I really like to make my new connections real by having a zoom call or a coffee date, if it's in person or whatever. Would you be open to that? Because then when I get them on Zoom, I can talk more detailed about, you know, business and, you know, how do you do what? And

there's one, there's one thing that you said here that I just want to really highlight. It's, and I've been taking the same approach on LinkedIn. So you said, you know, I really like to, you know, get to meet my connections on Zoom. Is that something that's interesting to you, or would you be interested in that is very different than, here's my link book, right? Like, it's like, like, we're, there's, there's very much, this is a dance, a relationship dance. And if you're ever in doubt, I try to put myself in the place of a networking event. Would I ever Yeah, walk up to a stranger and say, Hey, how are you? Let's, let's book a face to face car space.

That's what some people do. They shove their card in your face. That's the old

and do I want that? No, I

don't. I ask for it. No, exactly,

right. So there's the permission, but then there's also the. As moving it forward intentionally, but being super respectful of you know that this is a new relationship. Again, that word relationship? Yeah,

right. Let's take the next another little piece there that is useful is if you start to talk to this person, whether it's over the messaging, or you've gone quickly to a zoom call. What's really I'm always listening for is, how can I give them something of value? Okay? So an example, I was on a webinar, free webinar, a couple of weeks ago, and there were a couple of people on there. I I kind of looked at the screen and who did I want to talk to after or whatever, and I reached out to this guy on LinkedIn and connected with him because we were both in this webinar. And then I can't remember if I asked him or he asked me to book a zoom call. I think he reached out to me with the and gave me his link, and we set up a call. But Oh yeah, so in the conversation that we had on Zoom, I I found some things out that said he's a CSP that's a highest level of speaker for the National Speakers Association of the whatever it's called. And I told him that I'd interviewed this guy on my podcast who was amazing, and he was one of those people too out of Las Vegas. And I said, Would you be interested in hearing the conversation? Because he was so good. Turns out he knew who he was, and so I have to send him the link to that, just to, you know, move things forward. And I think I was supposed to send him something else too, and I can't remember what it was yet, but I I will. I have to get it to him this week. But, um, yeah, so it's like, what can you do to show, you know, some interest in give something of value. Mm, hmm, yeah,

I like that. We were, it reminds me we were out with friends of ours a couple of days ago, and he was saying that when he used to go to camp as a kid, they used to have these things called monks dinners. And he said, and his sister thought the purpose of the dinner was different, so he he figures they went to a different camp. But he was saying that what they the purpose of the dinner was your entire time you were looking at the people around you and anticipating a need. Were they looking around? Did they want the salt shaker? Did they want, you know, another did they want the potato salad passed to them? So instead of being focused on yourself and just the conversation, you were sitting and really watching what people were doing a big talk, I don't think

that yeah. So that's why they monk, right? They weren't

Yes exactly. And so there's so that was the, you know, that was sort of the the premise. And some of the listeners, you may have done something very similar at summer camp when you were a kid. But what he said, It was so helpful for him as a leader, because now he really is conscious of looking at the people around him and seeing, do they need something? It's like, oh, I look over there, you've got, we had hamburgers for, you know, dinner. No, you got mustard on your leg here. I'll just pass you Right? Like, I know it's a small thing, but it's that looking. How can I add value? How can I help this person? Right? Same mindset, yeah, totally.

And that's where sometimes, when you look at someone's profile, there's a lot of information there that most people don't notice. And if someone's done their profile well and added some of those things that aren't expected, you can find out a lot from about somebody that's super fun. Okay,

yeah, so I think we could talk for a long time, but I like to keep these episodes relatively short. Let's just, I think there may be one thing that you haven't shared with us yet. What might it be? And this is just an open question like and we've talked about the importance of a profile, why LinkedIn is so important? How to build relationships intentionally, how to treat LinkedIn as a networking event, but this asynchronous networking event, if there was something missing, what is missing from the conversation, but

what's missing is follow up, right? Follow up. And that can take different forms. But the point being that you know you're opening these new relationships, and if you think it's going to go somewhere and you need to explain. For that over time, you and you know, offer things of value, have conversation to get to know each other better. That's where, for example, my greeting cards and gifting tool comes in, because when I have conversations with people for the first or second time, I usually ask them for their mailing address so that I can send them a card in the mail. And the reason I do that is because cards get opened 100% of the time. Emails do not. They get lost in the shuffle. Text maybe, but it's so less personal, so I try to do something that shows I was paying attention. I try to either put their their photo on the front to show that I'm celebrating them, and then send them a card about how nice it was to meet them. Now I might, in some cases, have a you like systems. I know I might have a system of three cards that will go out to them over the next six months to stay connected, be top of mind. And you never know when the timing is right. They may call for something you know, you don't know, but following up somehow and staying connected, nurturing the relationship.

Yes, it's really important. And so notice, like, what I really notice is that is the presence that you bring to the relationship, that it is a relationship, even though they may live on the other side of the world. Oh, yeah, right, right. And, and, I'm sure, frequently do just like my clients do. But also, this isn't something that you just do in five minutes and you expect that all of a sudden, you know somebody's going to sign up to work with you. This is you know. So this is something where you're building relationships. Lots of times you have no idea where that relationship will lead. And sometimes the best thing is it's just a wonderful person to know. Sometimes it builds business and sometimes not right, but

you don't know who they know exactly they know, right?

So it's a lot. This is the long game. That's the way I describe it, right? And and I noticed that with my clients, you know, they're all 4050, plus, they're not quite as impatient they're. They've done the long game in other areas of their life, and so that's like, oh, okay, no, I I could do this. This is something that's really manageable. So, yeah,

it can be, and you just have to build a habit. Yeah,

yeah, put it into play, right? I love that. Gosh, we've covered a lot of stuff. Janice, really appreciate it and really appreciate the time that you've spent with us. How can people find out more about you and find out more ways to work with you?

Thank you. One they can connect with me on LinkedIn and tell me that they heard us on your podcast. And yes, I'm sure you'll put that in the show notes. I'm easy to find on LinkedIn. It's just slash Janice Porter. You can just search for me and my website, Janice porter.com or Janice at Janice porter.com either way, I'm easy to find. Just reach out, and if it's okay, I'd like to offer your audience a free ebook. Would that be okay? That would be lovely. The eBook is seven steps to build solid business relationships that last and grow your business. And it is on my website, and you just have to go to Janice porter.com and scroll down the first page, and it's there. And just of course, it means that if you download it out, you'll be on my list. So just know that, and I might send you a couple of emails, but I won't bombard you after that. Oh, that's

just great. And also, one other thing too, is your podcast. They can tune into your podcast. It's a wonderful way to learn about you and the things that you do, right?

Absolutely. My podcast is called relationships rule, and you can find it everywhere. And Candy's going to be on it pretty soon too. So I'm excited about that. We'll flip the flip the switch. Sounds

good script I should Yeah, except there is no script. These are open, organic conversations,

which I love, love, love, love, yeah, for

sure. Okay. So thanks so much, Janice. Really appreciate you joining us this week, and to the listeners. Go and listen to Janice podcast, look her up on the web, connect with her on LinkedIn, and she has a lot to teach you. And so I'm really pleased that you're here and that you joined us this week. Appreciate your time. I know that your attention is the most important thing that you can gift us with. So thanks again for joining us and have a wonderful week. Thanks again for listening today. Please hop on over to Apple podcasts and leave a review. Also, I would love to hear from you. Did something that I say resonate. What else would you like to learn about? Click the link in the player and leave a comment on the post. This is going to give me great ideas for future episodes, so I can help you best Join me again next week from our coaching support and teaching to help you become the confident coach you are meant to be. You.