Lets chat for 6 Seconds

Firstly, I hope everyone had a great Easter. As of writing there are 595 Subscribers to this Newsletter and thank you for doing so. Over the next few days I will cover LinkedIn, Contracting and Speeches. Then I will move on to covering Finance Transformation in depth, I just want to get the background and positioning spot on so you know who I am. Then you can decide if its something for you or not.

It looks like Utd have blown the Top 4 after a 1:1 with Brentford on Saturday night and unfortunately the Dubs lost a National League cracker to Derry in Croke Park yesterday but still look strong for the Summer Championship.

I learned about Meditation when I took up Qigong about 10 years ago and I find that I am at my most creative early in the morning after I emerge from that deep sleep we all fall into between 4 and 7am. You know, exactly before the alarm goes off...

So I got up early and wrote this, really early, since the Clocks went forward.

Check out my new Podcast Website at Transform Finance with Michael Ryan

I got many Questions after the first Newsletter so will endeavour to answer them in general and logically as I write this.

I am sure there is some statistic somewhere that would prove the bulk of the Planet's Professionals have a LinkedIn account. If you are serious about Transforming Finance, learning from your Peers, anticipating challenges and potential solutions and possibly even helping your Peers then you should have one.

I then find that people fall into 2 Categories. The first are the silent majority they watch but do not engage. The second, possibly less than 3%, actively create Content, just like this. The bulk of people reading this fall into the 1st Category.

They will know the phrases - 'a recruiter looks at your Profile for an average of 6 seconds'; 'I don't like to have a hard sell moments after a Connection request' and my all time favourite 'Please enter my email address in order to Connect'.

Let's start at the beginning - this is a Networking Tool, it was designed to 'Connect' people who do not know each other but can help each other. From what I can see it then transitioned to a primary focus on employment quite quickly. You showcase your Career and people hire you, whether that is as a Permanent or Interim resource.

As I mentioned in the first Article, I have 21K Connections. I actually downloaded it about 6 months ago and I do not know 21K people. However, those 21K represent an interest I have in my career, my interests or in some way I can probably help them with my new services. I know the 1st 100 personally.

Remember what I said though I still work with my 1st Connection, so when I make a 'Connection' it has the potential to lead to something in supporting me or supporting you.

For me LinkedIn is a Business Card at its basic level and then a means to grow in a multitude of different ways. I therefore 'almost' fully utilise its capabilities and I pay for the Premium Account. I will explain more in the 4th Article.

It isn't hard to put up a Profile Photo, you do it for Facebook, Instagram and much more. Backgrounds may be a greater challenge but give it a go.

Tell people quite succinctly what you do - I am a Finance Transformation Director, it is what I eat, sleep and drink for work. Long winded aspirational Job Titles and made up C Suite Titles are a fad, I don't think they fool anyone and lose you most of the 6 Seconds...

In this day and age when the laptop suggests the imagery it is not difficult to write an article on something you have an interest in and we would all benefit from reading - try it. In all likelihood it will also now suggest the words but authenticity wins everyday, we don't want to buy from an AI generated script we want to buy from a person - you!

Why did I Connect and/or Follow so many people who do not do what I do?

I admire them, what they wrote was great, what they do is great, they can help me with some aspect of writing, speaking, recording or performing or maybe I can help them. The Connection is one 'for the future' or maybe one for the Magazine.

I do not subscribe to the approach that you must write long form Connection requests. You can send me a Connection request without an essay behind it. If I am interested I will accept it and by extension I do the same. I don't like InMail's as in my own experience most are SPAM and I hardly ever send one.

I am aware that many of my requests will go unanswered but I still sleep at night and really deeply between 4am and 7am.

I actually don't send Messages regularly unless I want something specific or I wish to make people aware of a new Service and over the last 18 months I have produced several new Services so have sent them in Messages but there is something of value in them, well, in my opinion. I didn't send 21k Messages so you most likely missed the Magazine, the Conference and the Training Course - check out the Website.

I am not a Technology Guru. I tell all my Clients lets get the Strategy right first, Automation is just a lazy answer to a simple 'ways of working' question. I therefore have no clue what the Algorithm does and I don't believe anyone outside of the Team who manage it do either. I gave up code after the ZX81 or was it the 48K Spectrum...

I subscribe to those great American Sales Gurus who tell you to focus on meeting a need, solving a problem and ultimately your Customer. I can do that all day everyday if I want, you can Unsubscribe if it doesn't work for you but you already made the mental note about Article 4...

The easiest way to use LinkedIn is to write, video is more complex and after much experimentation I still think my 'audience' prefer to read. We will come back to this in Article 5.

So by now you have your Profile looking top notch, you can maybe join a LinkedIn Group of similar Professionals or you can become a Creator and help us all.

Do you know now why I Connected with you? If not and circumstances have changed, no harm no foul as I think the Americans say, go to the top and Unsubscribe, Disconnect and Unfollow.

You made it to here? Use LinkedIn its a great Tool and nothing matches it.

Article 3 will focus on my compatriots who exist in the shark infested waters of Contracting. You can skip it I won't be offended if you have one of those cushy Permanent jobs, chuckle.

Have a great Bank Holiday Monday, when you view Content remember less than 3% created it and we are more than happy for that number to grow. There are now 608 Subscribers.

Up the Dubs!

Cheers,

Michael.