Wine Wednesday: Virtual Profiles, Sales and Career Prospects
Our topic for April 29, 2020, was "How to Amp Up Your Virtual Profile for Sales & Career Prospects," and the featured wine was Whitehaven Sauvignon Blanc. Twenty-four people registered and twenty-three attended, including cougars and recognized leaders in marketing, sales and career development.
When asked, “If age is only a state of mind, which category best describes your state of mind right now,” fifty percent of attendees replied, “Cougar by Selection” – whatever that means!
The following were the points of discussion and related solutions offered by the group.
How to Amp Up Your Virtual Profile: Suzanne Schwartz, Office Administrator at Ogletree Deakins, asked how legal professionals can create a LinkedIn banner for their professional profile.
- Nancy Myrland of Myrland Marketing & Social Media recommends creating three to five banner templates with approved firm graphics that the staff at your law firm or legal services practice can use on their LinkedIn profile. Consider using a few terms of the trade on individual banners that provide insight into the specialties or expertise provided by a particular professional. These tips keep branding consistent for the business.
- You don’t have to be a graphics and design expert to create professional-looking social media banners. Unsplash.com and Canva.com are free and easy-to-use tools that Wine Wednesday marketers and attendees already use and recommend to create beautiful marketing collateral for businesses, networking events and professional associations.
- Get involved. Register for virtual events, show up and engage. When connections post on social media, if you "like" something, try to comment and get involved in the discussion.
How to Amp Up Sales. Selling right now is no different than selling in “normal” circumstances. It is dependent on three ideals: brand reputation, content and communication.
- As for managing brand reputation, Marla Mohr of Connect Mohr Legal Consultants, encouraged us to be sensitive and lighthearted. Check on people individually and genuinely, but don’t make it about business.
- Content is king. Put out good content that is helpful to the goals of your audience, and tag them in your posts to encourage engagement and discussions.
- Gayle O'Connor, marketing strategist, stressed that there is no need to push sales right now but, rather, simply communicate and keep an open dialogue with your audience.
How to Amp Up Career Prospects. Given the fact that so many people have either lost their jobs, been furloughed, or suffered reduced hours or pay, this was a particularly hot item of discussion. Lisa Rios-Carroll, who works at BBVA USA in Regulatory Oversight & Relations, says she feels more productive and has been enjoying better relationships with her family. We were also fortunate enough to have Aida C. Rodriguez, CEDS of Beacon Hill Staffing, and C. Dawn Edwards Martin, Esq., MBA, RCA of LegalPeople join us at Wine Wednesday.
- Aida and Dawn both reported that they have seen an increase in the availability of 1099 contract positions because employers can reduce their spend by not having to provide essential benefits.
- Aida also shared that she has seen an uptick in hiring within the practice areas of insurance defense, bankruptcy, healthcare, data privacy and cyber security.
- Although there was initially a reluctance to let document review staff work remotely, Dawn confirmed that all contractors have successfully gone remote as of the second week of March 2020.
- Consider adding "Remote Worker" as a skill on your resume, as Christopher O’Connor, Esq., CIPP/US suggests.
In the end, Sheila Grela captured the essence of our 80-minute dynamic discussion when she very matter-of-factly observed, “Leaders don’t compete with each other; they complement each other.”
How appropriate.
Wine Wednesday: Finding Solutions, One Glass at a Time.