Tuesday, August 28, 2012

Place Branding - The Case for “Yo Boulevard!"

by Vince Rogers


Place Branding is a fairly new concept in the branding “discipline”. The term refers to the process of communicating a well-crafted image to a target audience in order to create a specific perception of a particular place. Most often place branding is the aide-decamp of Branding’s close relative – Reputation Management. Reputation Management is the process of formulating a positive image or repairing a negative image of a brand. Most often a brand accrues a bad reputation following a negative event or unfortunate change in circumstances.
In the case of a place, whether it is a nation, a city or a neighborhood, this bad reputation usually evolves over time. It ultimately can lead to losses of population, declining economic activity and high crime rates. A negative perception can be associated with a place for years, even if the facts don’t support the perception. This in summary is what has become the plight of Atlanta’s Old Fourth Ward.
The neighborhood is home to Martin Luther King jr.’s childhood home, Ebenezer Baptist Church and in years past, was considered a very desirable residential location in Atlanta. Today the principal through street in this community - Boulevard, has earned a reputation for facilitating every urban vice imaginable. According to Kwanza Hall the presiding Atlanta City Councilmember for the district, it is “the most concentrated pocket of poverty in the southeastern United States.”
There are several cities in America such as Detroit on the negative end of the spectrum and Miami on the positive end of the spectrum that have experienced a change in perception over the years. So what can be done to change the perception of a place when the fortunes of the community have reversed? There are essentially 4 Key Steps to a implementing a successful Place Branding Strategy:
  1. Assemble a Diverse Team of Advisers
  2. Partner with the Business Community in the surrounding area
  3. Concentrate on Achieving Key Objectives
  4. Leverage Existing Community Assets
TEDx Atlanta - The Birth of the Yo Boulevard! Brand
In March of 2012, Councilman Hall was as an attendee at a TEDx Atlanta www.tedxatlanta.comconference. Surrounded by some of the best and brightest minds in the city, it dawned on him that he should seize the opportunity to seek confederates for his campaign to restore civility to Boulevard. In January, Hall had already declared 2012 the “Year of Boulevard”. It was at the conference that the brand name “Yo Boulevard!” www.yoboulevard.com evolved and became a living breathing entity. The association with TEDx Atlanta served the purpose of gaining access to a diverse source of advisers with vast intellectual capital. It also provided the potential for partnerships with the city’s most progressive business leaders who possessed the necessary physical and financial capital.
The Children Are Our Future
Hall determined that the most important objective that should be pursued was empowering the children who lived in the community to break the “cycle of poverty”. He decided to focus on the children as the key objective because he believes that “You can change all the physical structures, but if you haven’t given people real opportunities, all you’re going to do is push them out.” Borne out of the TEDx conference, a three (3) part challenge was issued to the business and community leaders in the community:
  1. Sponsor a child for summer camp
  2. Hire a child for a summer internship
  3. Help a young person start a business and become an entrepreneur

During what was termed as the “Summer of Possibility” in association with their diverse team of advisers and by leveraging local businesses and vital community assets, Yo Boulevard! achieved all three objectives.
Operation PEACE: A Diamond in a Rough Place
Facing the onslaught of “gentrification” and the specter of past “urban renewal” schemes, it is unlikely that the residents in the Boulevard corridor would have welcomed warmly a new round of infiltration by people they consider “outsiders”. Even the inroads of more affluent or well educated residents of the adjacent communities might be met with skepticism without the intercession of an established and trusted force in the community. The natural candidate to fill this role in the Boulevard community was Operation P.E.A.C.E.www.operationpeace.org
Under the steadfast and trusted leadership of Executive Director, Ms. Edna Moffett, since 1995 Operation P.E.A.C.E. has been a dynamic agent of change in an otherwise neglected community. Operation P.E.A.C.E began as an effort to improve the lives of the children in the Old Fourth Ward community. In addition to serving as a buffer between the neighborhood children and the negative forces at work in the community, the organization has evolved into the primary community resource for residents looking for solutions to their problems. According to Moffet, “Because of our long track record as a catalyst for change in the community and a driver of successful outcomes for our youth, it was decided that Operation P.E.A.C.E. should be the standard-bearer for Yo Boulevard!”
“Living Laboratory for Innovation”
Only time, effort and “right action” will determine whether Yo Boulevard! can effectively counteract years of negative perceptions of the Old Fourth Ward community and the infamous Boulevard corridor. Hall's stated goal is to convert the community into a “Living Laboratory for Innovation”. His prudent insight and stalwart commitment to the project are evidenced by his observations that"We're talking about changing something that's been in place for thirty years. It's not going to change in six months." Although place branding initiatives have an inherent idealistic quality, with the type of pragmatic leadership that Councilman Hall provides to the project, it stands an excellent chance of succeeding.
Any successful branding strategy requires the dedication of adequate time, resources and organization. In the case of Place Branding, it is best to move moderately rather than be overly aggressive. The alliances that have been forged can be broken and confidences of the various stakeholders can be easily eroded. Yet if managed properly, an area that was thought to have already seen its best days can be transformed into a vigorous, lively and productive community.

Wednesday, August 22, 2012

A Personal Branding Strategy for Your Career Search

By Vince Rogers


In this turbulent economy, companies still face the challenge of maximizing productivity.  Essential to achieving that mission is making cost effective, purchase decisions that add value to the “bottom line”. Effective managers must maximize return on investment from every resource – especially human resources. Therefore, making excellent hiring decisions is critical to achieving the success of an organization.

The goal of employers in today’s job market is to find the “ideal” candidate for every job opening. Facing a “lean” job market, the goal of every jobseeker should be to present themselves as the ideal candidate for a specific career opportunity.  From the employer’s perspective, finding the right person for a job is not just a hiring decision – it is also a purchase decision. Therefore, it is imperative that you package yourself in a way that makes you more attractive than all of the other “products” available in the marketplace.


Employers want to know more than whether you can simply do the job. It is also necessary that you can align with the mission, values and philosophy of the company. Are you an Experienced I.T. Professional or a Technology Industry Change Agent? Different organizations may require or desire one or the other. However if you’re not the right fit for the specific opportunity you’re applying for, the savvy hiring manager will know. Most importantly, you don’t want to waste your time applying for one position, if you are really better suited to another one that is available elsewhere. Many unfocused jobseekers apply over and over again for positions that they’re not suited for, expecting to sneak in the back door. Well here’s an important newsflash – savvy employers aren’t “buying it”.


It is essential that you identify and effectively communicate your Brand Promise. This is your statement or statements that combine what you are, with what you can deliver to the company. Anybody can say “I am a hard working professional who has produced quality results” and many people make such generic statements all of the time. My advice is that you go in another direction. I would suggest something more like: “I am a Technology Industry Change Agent who works well with teams and independently, to solve complex problems and maximize the productivity of a dynamic I.T. Department.”  This type of Brand Promise distinguishes your uniqueness and establishes the value you will bring to the organization.


In addition to creating a customized resume and cover letter for each position, you should also be prepared to make a full presentation of your entire Career Portfolio. Written letters of recommendation; copies of awards and certificates as well as documentation of academic achievements should be made available upon the request of the prospective employer. All of these items can be compiled into a “Brag Book” A “Brag Book” is a binder or folder containing documentation of your academic and career accomplishments that you can present to a job interviewer. It effectively serves the same presentation function as a businesses portfolio, which one company would provide to another in a Business to Business or “B2B” setting.


In the final analysis, an individual must undertake many of the same steps to get their next job as a business does in order to get their next client. So just like a businessperson, you should also create a business card and start actively networking. Although “Job Boards”, social and professional networking sites and even blogging are great outlets for showcasing your personal brand, most new career opportunities are discovered through “face-to-face” Networking. Nevertheless, whether it is online or in person, utilizing the aforementioned strategies will set you apart from the competition in the execution of an effective personal branding strategy for career success.



Get the Latest News and Information on Personal Branding in Atlanta from
Vince Rogers - Atlanta's Personal Branding Expert!!!!

Saturday, August 18, 2012

A Success Plan for Your Personal Relationship with Money


Parts A&B (Slides 1-27)


Slide 1
Welcome to A Success Plan for Your Personal Relationship with Money Parts A&B

Slide 2
Basically, this quote is saying that you can be happy without having to spend more money on stuff that you don’t need, while pursuing your purpose in life and the world will also be a better place to live. What could be simpler – What could be better????

Slide 3
Are you Managing your Relationship with Money, or are you Waiting for a Miracle????

Slide 4
Essentially, there are (4) Money Relationship Styles.

Slide 5
You’re a Player. Basically, you spend every penny you can on having a ball – I think the young people call this “Ballin’”.

Slide 6
You find yourself forever in the “Friend Zone” You’re nice to your money – you pay your bills and you may even have a little left over, but at the end of the day you want more from your relationship with money.

Slide 7
You’re Good to your Money. You save when you can and maybe even invest a little, but you’re still not totally “Committed” to “Managing” your Relationship with Money.

Slide 8
You are committed to managing your money. You’re creating assets and multiple streams of income while shedding liabilities and ending your servitude to debt.   

Slide 9
I want everybody now to just think about how you’ve earned and spent your money in the past, while we talk about the different ways that people can earn and spend money.

Slide 10
These are the (3) different ways that you can earn money: 
Earned Income, Portfolio Income and Passive Income

Slide 11
You’re managing your Money when you’re Spending Less; Saving More; Investing Smart and Creating Multiple Streams of Income.

Slide 12
Now you’ve had some time to think about how you’ve earned and spent your money in the past. Now are You Committed to Transforming Your Relationship with Money in the future????

Slide 13
Priorities - Source: Wikipedia - Merriam-Webster - The Free Dictionary

Slide 14
Having Negative Priorities means putting things that may make life easier before things that make life more fulfilling.

Slide 15
Having Positive Priorities means putting things that that make life more fulfilling before things that just make life easier.

Slide 16
Just to illustrate how priorities can be organized, this is a very widely used model for prioritizing needs named Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs

Slide 17
Before you can create and stick to a financial budget – which is very important, you need to create a “Priorities Budget” to determine what is most important to you.

Slide 18
Now if you don’t take anything else from what we’ve talked about so far – please remember this one thing: Don’t Buy Stuff You Can’t Afford Let’s watch this short video that talks a little more about this topic.

Slide 19
Translation: Just get going – everything else will take care of itself.

Slide 20
This video taken from the film “The Pursuit of Happyness” will hopefully reinforce the previous statement(s).

Slide 21
So what are the 5 Steps to Transforming Your Relationship with Money????

Slide 22
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. once said that “Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase.” In the Holy Bible - Luke 11:9 says….

Slide 23
In 1 John 2:16 the Holy Bible says that….things keep us tied to the world and further away from God. What things are keeping you tied to the world and further away from living the life that you want to live????

Slide 24
W.E.B DuBois once said that “To whom you give your money, you give your power." Proverbs 22:7 stated it another way…. – it essentially says that you are a slave to whoever you owe money too.

Slide 25
We have to stop lying to ourselves about our relationship with money. Why???? Because Proverbs 10:9 says that ….

Slide 26
If you don’t have a budget to keep track of what’s coming in and what’s going out, you’ll never have a clear picture of what you need to do, to go where you want to go – Your budget is your compass to finding the way to your financial destination. We’ll discuss some specifics of budgeting in the next section.

Slide 27
This concludes parts A&B of A Success Plan for Your Personal Relationship with Money Brought to You by: Vince Rogers & Associates Please contact us to formulate a winning "Success Plan" for your business or non-profit organization.

Parts C&D (Slides 28-47)

Slide 28
Welcome to A Success Plan for Your Personal Relationship with Money Parts C&D

Slide 29
Your Budget is the first tool you need to create a strategy for transforming your relationship with money.

Slide 30
In order to achieve your financial goals, you need to have an organized strategy for transforming your ambitions into a series of purposeful actions.

Slide 31
Let’s watch a short video that illustrates how it’s never too early or too late to learn the importance of having a budget. 

Slide 32
Whether it’s a lower price, a better rate, a shorter term or a budget billing plan for your utilities – Everything is negotiable, but you have to ask for it.

Slide 33
Home Maintenance can help to prevent costly repairs, leads to lower utility bills and lower insurance costs.

Slide 34
Automobile Maintenance helps to prevent costly repairs, leads to higher gas mileage and longer vehicle life.

Slide 35
Insurance coverage, not stocks and bonds are the foundation of a sound financial plan. Unexpected healthcare costs can wipe out savings quicker than almost any other expenses. Uncovered expenses due to inadequate life insurance can wipe out any inheritance you might leave your family.

Slide 36
Banking and Investments accounts are products, shop for the best rates and terms – not by brand name.

Slide 37
Actively managing your debt is the key to achieving your financial freedom

Slide 38
We have all heard of the 7 Deadly Sins; but have you ever considered how they relate to your relationship with money????

Slide 39
We were created to be “Overcomers”. Learning how to avoid the Seven Deadly Sins of Money can help us all to become financial “Overcomers”.


Slide 40
Sometimes our wealth can cause us to become so arrogant that we lose touch with out true purpose, reality, other people and most importantly God.

Slide 41
Do you want more money just to impress other people????

Slide 42
Do you want more money just to buy more things you don’t need????

Slide 43
In the Christian Bible - Romans 6:23 says that “….the wages of sin is death….” Oftentimes when we have more money, we’re able to buy more things that we think will give us pleasure, but sometimes these things end up bringing us more pain than pleasure and keep us away from fulfilling our true calling.

Slide 44
Does not having enough money motivate you or make you angry????

Slide 45
Do you want more money just to horde it or put it to work???

Slide 46
Once we have a plan in place for transforming our relationship with money, we must work our plan diligently and continuously avoid slipping back into our old bad money management habits.

Slide 47
This concludes parts C&D of A Success Plan for Your Personal Relationship with Money Brought to You by: Vince Rogers & Associates Please contact us to formulate a winning "Success Plan" for your business or non-profit organization. 


****This presentation was originally created for: 
Harmony Church in Atlanta, Georgia



Monday, August 6, 2012

Connecting Mission to Brand: The Evolution of a Modern Non-Profit


In 1920, the National Urban League assumed its current formal name. This national organization was created through the consolidation of several prominent empowerment organizations of that era. They adopted as their mission, "to enable African Americans to secure economic self-reliance, parity, power and civil rights." The Atlanta chapter – the Atlanta Urban League was also formed that same year.

Most people usually associate an effective branding strategy with
 creating identity (brand awareness) and establishing image. In the case of a non-profit organization, effective branding must accomplish much more than that. The branding strategy must also be carefully aligned with the mission and values of the organization. A successful branding strategy must also facilitate the expansion of the organization’s operating capacity (capacity building) and be representative of the organization’s social impact.

Successful modern non-profits must evolve. When they do, they must also make sure that their branding strategy be connected to their renewed mission. The mission of the Urban League has always been economic empowerment and civil rights. The primary measurement of the organization’s social impact was finding job opportunities for their constituency. The Urban League realized that simply securing job opportunities in this evolving economy did not effectively address their mission. The “League” has responded to changing times and identified that the true measurement of success should now be establishing businesses and creating jobs. At the vanguard of realizing this renewed mission is the
 Atlanta Entrepreneurship Center www.aultec.org

Providing dynamic leadership at the helm of the Atlanta Entrepreneurship Center is their
 Executive Director – Mr. Marc Parham.  As he so eloquently and succinctly states, “Finding people jobs has always been the mission of the Urban League”, but this was essentially a process of negotiating for or demanding jobs from mainstream employers. This was necessary to redress inequities that developed because of past civil rights and social welfare injustices. However, according to Parham the charge of the organization as a modern non-profit is to now “Create jobs via entrepreneurship”.


The Atlanta Entrepreneurship Center is one very important component of a holistic approach to providing economic empowerment programs to the National Urban Leagues’ constituency. The Entrepreneurship Center (TEC) was launched in Atlanta in October 2004. At the core of the program is education via four primary methods. These essential training programs are as follows;


  • Start-up Business Essentials Series for Entrepreneurs
  • Existing Business Series – Writing The Business Plan
  • Specialized Workshops - Focusing on specific topics (i.e. QuickBooks, Websites, Insurance, Access to Capital, etc)
  • Group or One on One Coaching – Experienced Business Consultants will meet one on one with participants to coach them with the development of their business plan.

The different components are designed to suit the needs of start-up, early stage and long-established business. The Start-up Business Essentials Series is a six (6) session series that helps entrepreneurs to understand the basic business essentials for starting a business. The Existing Business Series curriculum is devoted to giving entrepreneurs a foundation in the “Core 4 Systems” which are:
  • Success Planning
  • Marketing Planning
  • Cash-flow Planning
  • Operations Planning
While for-profit “business incubators” may offer similar services, a non-profit is uniquely positioned to provide participants with additional value added components. They can offer a high caliber of business acumen, lower cost and provide other “supportive services’. Many top-notch Atlanta business consultants make themselves available to students as their way of “giving back”. According to Parham, “People who work at the Urban League, really understand, the plight of the people that they work with because they’ve walked in their shoes.” Essentially this means that they have also experienced all of the ups and downs of building a successful business. They are motivated to share their wealth of knowledge in order to help other people succeed, not by the prospect of personal gain.

In developing a branding strategy for a non-profit, it may be necessary to first undertake a SWOT Analysis of the organization. SWOT stands for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats. This is important in order to access whether reengineering the branding strategy could possibly undermine the already established brand equity of the organization. Brand equity is the value that a company realizes in the public from positive associations by consumers compared to their competition. In the case of a non-profit organization, alienating long time supporters could possibly alienate existing supporters and damage the ability to realize ongoing social impact. Providing social impact is ultimately the purpose of an effective non-profit.

In the case of a non-profit, not all of the impacts are always tangibly measureable. Mr. Parham asserts that a significant aspect of aligning the branding strategy of the Atlanta Entrepreneurship Center to their mission is to “Give people the confidence that they can succeed.” Unlike a business, accomplishing an intangible goal such as this enhances brand equity and is an important sign that a non-profit organization is succeeding. Enhancing brand equity while demonstrating social impact is ultimately the goal of connecting mission to brand.

Friday, August 3, 2012

Reasons for the LinkedIn IPO



by Vince Rogers
LinkedIn is the most powerful professional networking site on the internet. The currently has more than 150 million registered users worldwide. The LinkedIn brand name has become as synonymous with professional networking as Google has become with searching the internet.
LinkedIn filed for an initial public offering in January 2011. They traded their first shares on May 19, 2011, under the NYSE symbol "LNKD“. So why would a privately owned company that is experiencing astronomical growth and making tons of money for it’s owners want to “go public” and share the wealth with everybody else?
People start a business for many reasons. One of those reasons is that an entrepreneur has a great idea and they want to see their vision come alive and grow. At a certain point, the vision for the company grows to the point where expansion requires more money than the company can finance through loans, venture capital or profits.
When a company reaches that point they may decide to have an “IPO” or Initial Public Offering of shares of stock. “Going Public” as it is also commonly referred to, allows a greater number of large and small investors to invest in the company in return for a share of ownership. This enables the company to raise a lot of money for expanding the company without borrowing money that they might otherwise have to pay back.
 Although this sharing of ownership interest decreases the original owner’s stake in the company by a certain percentage, the increased financial investment in the company will multiply the value of the company many times over. So in general, a company is able to raise a lot of money to expand the company, while giving up some control of the business. Specifically, in the case of LinkedIn there were other advantages to “going public” that should create long term benefits for the company.
LinkedIn’s ability to successfully complete an IPO in a bad economy showed a sign of strength that created an enormous media buzz. This positive attention resulted in the company gaining wider recognition and an increase in customers, revenue and profits. Also, LinkedIn’s ability to have an IPO first allowed them to beat perceived competitors such as FaceBook, Twitter and direct competitors such as Viadeo to the punch. This positioned them as a leading brand amongst similar companies, a stronger company than their competitors and signaled a perceived vote of confidence from “Wall Street”
When your great idea becomes the next LinkedIn, these are the types of strategic and competitive factors that you should also consider before deciding to have your successful IPO.
This article is a companion to the  “Business Success” Video Series presented by Vince Rogers for eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/videos-on_12239455_business-success.html
Learn about the Keys to business Success with help from the Principal Change Agent at Vince Rogers & Associates www.vincerogers.biz 


Business Success Video Series #12


Reasons for the LinkedIn IPO



Read more: Video: Reasons for the LinkedIn IPO | eHow.com 
www.ehow.com/video_12239466_reasons-linkedin-ipo.html#ixzz22UdGaTOB

Video Transcript

Hello, this is Vince Rogers with Vince Rogers and Associates. We are going to talk about reason for the LinkedIn IPO. With 150 million registered users, LinkedIn has become synonymous with professional networking. In January of 2011, LinkedIn filed for its IPO and in May 2011 it began trading shares under the symbol, LNKD. LinkedIn is a very successful company and you might ask why would such a successful company want to go public in the first place. Why would they want to share the wealth with the rest of us? Companies decided to go public in order to open themselves up to a larger pool of investors. They no longer can finance their growth through their own revenue, through bank loans or through venture capitalists. LinkedIn's ability to complete an IPO in a bad economy was a sign of strength. This signal to Wall Street and to the public that they were ahead of the competition. This media buzz resulted in wider recognition which led to increased customers and profits. I am Vince Rogers and those are the reasons for the LinkedIn IPO.
Read more: Video: Reasons for the LinkedIn IPO | eHow.com 


Business Success 12 — Presentation Transcript
  • 1. Business Success Prepared by Vince Rogers & Associates for Demand Studios
  • 2. Reasons for theLinkedIn IPO
  • 3. LinkedIn is the most powerful professional networking site on the internetWith more than 150 million registered users worldwide, the LinkedIn brandname has become as synonymous withprofessional networking as Google has become with searching the internet
  • 4. LinkedIn filed for an initial public offering in January 2011 and traded its first shares on May 19, 2011, under the NYSE symbol "LNKD“So why would a privately owned company that is experiencing astronomical growth and making tons of money for it’s owners want to “go public” and share the wealth with everybody else?
  • 5. People start a business for many reasons One of those reasons is that an entrepreneur has a great idea and they want to see their vision come alive and grow At a certain point, the vision for the company grows to the point whereexpansion requires more money than the company can finance through loans, venture capital or profits
  • 6. When a company reaches that point they may decide to have an IPO“Going Public” allows a greater number of large and small investors to invest in thecompany in return for a share of ownership This enables the company to raise a lot of money for expanding the company withoutborrowing money that they might otherwise have to pay back
  • 7. Although this sharing of ownership interest decreases the original owners stake in the company by a certain percentage, the increased financial investment in thecompany will multiply the value of the company many times over
  • 8. So in general, a company is able to raise a lot of money to expand the company, while giving up some control of the businessSpecifically, in the case of LinkedIn there were other advantages to “going public” that should create long term benefits for the company
  • 9. LinkedIn’s ability to successfully complete an IPO in a bad economy showed a sign of strength that created an enormous media buzz,this positive attention resulted in the company gaining wider recognition and an increase in customers, revenue and profits
  • 10. Also, LinkedIn’s ability to have an IPO first allowed them to beat perceived competitors such asFaceBook, Twitter and direct competitors such as Viadeo to the punch, this positioned them as a leading brand, a stronger company and signaled a perceived vote of confidence from “Wall Street”
  • 11. When your great idea becomes the next LinkedIn,these are the types of strategic and competitive factors that you should also consider before deciding to have your successful IPO
  • www.slideshare.net/vincevision/business-success-12

Wednesday, August 1, 2012

How to Develop a Strong LinkedIn Relationship

by Vince Rogers
Developing strong relationships on LinkedIn can be very important to career and business success. LinkedIn has over 150 million registered users and is still growing. It is the most powerful professional networking site on the internet.
 “Social Networking” sites allow users to mix business with pleasure. LinkedIn is a purely professional networking site. Therefore the ultimate goal of using LinkedIn is to develop strong relationships that help you to advance your professional objectives.
The first step to developing powerful relationships on LinkedIn is to fully complete your profile page. This will give your profile a better chance of standing out to potential connections. The key to any good relationship is that it be mutually beneficial.  It should be clear to potential contacts when they look at your profile why they should want to build a professional relationship with you.
The Most Important Sections of your Profile to complete are the:
·         Summary
·         Experience
·         Education
·         Honors and Awards
Also, it is important that you emphasize results and skills, rather than dates and titles.
To start with you will want to add contacts that you know well and who know you such as:
·         Former Employers
·         Co-workers
·         Professors
·         Classmates
Each time that you add a new contact, you should write them a recommendation and then ask for one in return. Having recommendations will make your profile stand out to potential new connections more than anything else.
 After you have acquired some contacts and recommendations, you should then join LinkedIn Groups. Make sure that you join groups in the specific areas of interest that you want to build your network. Now that you’ve joined the right groups, you share a common interest with some of the top people in your field. This will make it more likely that they will accept your unsolicited connection requests.
The best way to make a good connection is to be become a resource to them. Promote your contacts businesses. Put links to their sites on your websites and blogs. Write recommendations for them. Comments on their posts and answer their questions and polls.
 Becoming a valuable resource to your LinkedIn connections creates a reason for them to want expand your relationship or to interact with you “offline”. Escalating your relationship with influential connections beyond LinkedIn can be the key to landing your “dream client”, promoting your business or landing a lucrative new project.  By creating a powerful Profile, strategically joining the right Groups, acquiring the right Connections and Recommendations and becoming a resource rather than just a contact, you can build powerful LinkedIn relationships that can dramatically enhance your professional success.
This article is a companion to the  “Business Success” Video Series presented by Vince Rogers for eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/videos-on_12239455_business-success.html
Learn about the Keys to business Success with help from the Principal Change Agent at Vince Rogers & Associates www.vincerogers.biz 








How to Develop a LinkedIn Relationship

eHow.com Featured Video


and watch the full “Business Success” video series @
http://www.ehow.com/videos-on_12239455_business-success.html