Do you know how to use LinkedIn to grow your personal brand and your business? Most people are not familiar with the actual process of doing it well.
Since 2006, JD has been a world-leading LinkedIn expert working with clients all over the united states and the world. JD speaks at conferences, companies, and colleges across the globe, sharing his insights on personal branding for leadership, social networking, social selling, new media, and social entrepreneurship.
JD has offered to all of our listeners a FREE 30-minute LinkedIn consultation. Reach out to JD on his website or through LinkedIn and make sure you mention the “Multiply Your Success Podcast.”
- Connect with JD on LinkedIn = CLICK HERE
- JD’s company, OwlishCommunications’ website = CLICK HERE
- JD’s personal website = CLICK HERE
If you are ready to talk about franchising your business you can schedule your free, no-obligation, franchise consultation online at: https://bigskyfranchiseteam.com/ or by calling Big Sky Franchise Team at: 855-824-4759.
Tom DuFore, Big Sky Franchise Team:
You’ve worked hard to build your business and now it’s time to grow. Welcome to the Multiply Your Success podcast. I’m your host Tom DuFore and you are in for a hoot of a treat today. We have with us for our guest, JD Gershbein, with Owlish Communications. Yes, Owlish Communications. That’s why we’re throwing in some of the goofy puns with hoot there. But it is great, he’s got a wonderful personality and great, great, great information to share with you. I’ve been fortunate to have known JD for goodness, about 10 years or so now and had him in to train some of the sales teams I used to manage. He is a global expert on LinkedIn. In fact, in 2006, when he first became a LinkedIn expert, he was one of just a few individual LinkedIn experts around the world. And so he is truly an expert on this topic. And as you’re listening in, I’m wondering if you have a LinkedIn profile. And what do you do with it?
Tom DuFore, Big Sky Franchise Team:
A lot of our clients, folks I see on LinkedIn maybe have one and haven’t done anything with it for a year or two. And if that’s you, please tune in. And if you’re someone sitting there that says, “Hey, I’m active on LinkedIn, I’m pretty good or I know what I’m doing.” Well, JD is going to give you some nuggets and tips and suggestions to make your profile and how you’re using it even better. And JD as an expert on this topic, he speaks at conferences, companies and colleges across the globe, including massive large fortune 100 companies that are customers of his that bring him in as an expert. So you’re in for a treat with that. But he travels and does presentations all over the world sharing his insights on personal branding for leadership, social networking, social selling, new media and social entrepreneurship. So if you’re wondering how you can use this tool of LinkedIn to build your company and build your personal brand, this is it. Stay tuned. So without further ado, here’s my interview with JD Gershbein.
JD Gershbein, Owlish Communications:
This is important information to get correct Tom, because if I blow this it’s going to set the tone for the rest of the podcast. Correct? I’d better get my name right. Correct?
Tom DuFore, Big Sky Franchise Team:
That’s right. Yes, please.
JD Gershbein, Owlish Communications:
I am JD Gershbein. My company is Owlish Communications. Where on earth would I get a name like Owlish Communications? Well, it mirrors my lifelong study of the owl, one of the most noblest creatures on planet Earth. And since 2006, I have partnered with individuals and companies who seek a greater understanding of LinkedIn. So I was one of the first independent LinkedIn specialists in the world at a time when nobody was outsourcing me for the services that I provide today. So a lot of things had to happen for me to have a career and I’m very thankful that they happened.
Tom DuFore, Big Sky Franchise Team:
Wow! Wow! You packed a lot in there. You condensed it, I love it. So for our folks who are tuning in, maybe they have some understanding general idea of what LinkedIn is. And I know I’m very active on LinkedIn, I love it as a tool, I’ve used it for many years and that’s how we ended up connecting many years ago. But I would love for you to maybe give a quick snapshot of what LinkedIn is, its purpose, how it all works there.
JD Gershbein, Owlish Communications:
Yeah. And part of my role, I believe as a LinkedIn specialist is to kind of chronicle the timeline because we are taping your podcast seven months into a raging global pandemic that shows no signs of dissipating soon. And it’s really kind of leveled the playing field. LinkedIn was incepted in 2002, got out there in 2003, took a little bit of time in the early adoption phase to get rolling. I came in at mid stage early adoption in 2006. So, I’ve really grown along with the medium, Tom and I’ve really noted the changes and focused on being a good correspondent to the people I serve. And how this site is has really come to the fore in transforming the lives of professionals. Be they business developers or people trying to advance their careers. It’s been an amazing innovation. One of the great instruments conceived by man in the digital age or any age, because of its ability to accelerate professional relationships, get people from point A to point B very quickly. And again, literally move the mountains, not just the needle, the mountains.
JD Gershbein, Owlish Communications:
And right now as we know, it is the defacto social networking site for business. This is where business people live. This is where they strike the relationships that are going to be instrumental for them to advance their careers, to win new business, to heighten awareness of their brands, both personal and corporate. And really leverage the site to gain themselves and identity in the business universe.
Tom DuFore, Big Sky Franchise Team:
Wow! Well, I guess one of the questions I am always thinking about is how someone who maybe is a small business owner, that maybe they’re familiar with using Facebook, maybe they’re just getting started with Instagram, or TikTok or some of these other more personal use systems or profile or social media profiles that they’re using, how would someone get started on LinkedIn? Is there maybe a first or a best place you’d suggest they get started?
JD Gershbein, Owlish Communications:
Well, you mentioned a lot of those other platforms. And LinkedIn is unique in the social media realm, because structurally is similar to all the other sites. There’s this central core of information called a profile that radiates out into the interactive space where people engage, connect, put their voice out, et cetera. But with LinkedIn, it’s a little different because that has now become the epicenter for learning on us as professionals. It’s the business conversation, it’s going to have a different dynamic than these other sites. Facebook, which has great utility for business, Twitter, which was coming on strong at the time that I saw LinkedIn, which settled into this consistent place for business people, we’re not hearing as much about Twitter outside some of the more overt figures and celebrities who use it. But LinkedIn again, for business people, that’s where they reside and that’s where the action is. And it’s really evolved.
JD Gershbein, Owlish Communications:
It was very crude in the early stages and now it’s a very vibrant visual medium that gives us a chance to really curate the exhibit on ourselves and put whatever content and information out there that we want people to not only know about us in real time, but to motivate them to investigate us further as vendors, as service providers, as collaborators, colleagues, even first degree connections. And we build our networks truly at the level of our profiles on LinkedIn.
Tom DuFore, Big Sky Franchise Team:
Mm-hmm (affirmative). Well, I wonder JD, just for curiosity and to give some context here. So you gave some history about your involvement in starting with LinkedIn. So let’s talk about JD before LinkedIn. So how did this manifest. How did this whole thing where you became this LinkedIn expert before it was in vogue, because I remember when we had met, it was before this whole thing had become in vogue and popular, you’ve been doing this for a long time as a real expert, coaching, supporting and helping people. I know, I’ve engaged with your services and you’ve helped train and coach sales teams that I used to manage and work with. So how did you go from whatever you were doing, or what were you doing beforehand and then transition into this LinkedIn guru?
JD Gershbein, Owlish Communications:
Well, I’ve been on a nonlinear path. I have to say, Tom. I’d like to say that all along I knew I wanted to be a social media strategist. But obviously that wasn’t the case. At the time that I came to LinkedIn, truly, I was meandering around in business. It was at the start of the Great Recession in the beginnings of 2006. We started to see rumblings that the global economy was caving in. And at the time, I was in my own marketing company, I had Owlish Communications back then and I was freelancing primarily in the area of website content, website copy. So I was helping companies try to get to an advantageous position in a Google search outside their name at a time when this was economically feasible, very expensive today to compete on Google in certain keyword categories. So I’ve always been around the messaging and the messaging solution as a marketer. I’ve been in marketing, primarily my whole professional career. And when LinkedIn came and I started to put a few things together as to what this site could do for me within a very short period of time?
JD Gershbein, Owlish Communications:
I tell people that night that I created my account, I became a LinkedIn consultant, because I never shut up about it. I thought it was just terrific and the bee’s knees if you will. And I was out there talking it up to anybody who would listen and personal branding wasn’t really in the conversation back then, but I kind of believe this personal brand by just being present and opening up about it at networking events and later in follow ups with people, in coffee houses, we’d all assemble with our laptops and put LinkedIn up and collectively say, what is this and what good can it do for us? But I was just one of those folks, the way that I’m hardwired, I put it together right away that this could be good. And I basically in true entrepreneurial spirit and fashion, just carved out a career for myself literally, conjuring something out of nothing, which is an homage to the training I’ve had in improvisational comedy at Chicago, Second City. So I’ve basically improvised my whole career.
JD Gershbein, Owlish Communications:
But at the time I saw LinkedIn to get back to your original question, I had no idea where my next piece of business was coming from. I was networking, I was working with other marketing people, I was working with some entrepreneurs who were just starting to build a web presence and we were collaborating in that respect, but I’m really glad LinkedIn showed up because I have no idea where I’d be without it.
Tom DuFore, Big Sky Franchise Team:
Well, it’s an amazing tool. And you mentioned the word networking a couple of times and how you would be out networking. Well, in today’s world, during this global pandemic, there’s not a whole lot of in person networking going on. You see, it’s starting to open up a little bit here and there, but for the most part, it’s all gone virtual, with Zoom meetings and all kinds of things. So I’d love for you to share with our audience how you can use LinkedIn as a way to network. I personally use this a lot. Literally every day, making connections and networking and going through all of that. Now, I’m probably not an average user, I’m probably an above average user. So I’d like for you to maybe talk about someone who is maybe just getting into it or maybe they’ve got a LinkedIn account and saying, “Well, how do I start doing this?” Could you give maybe [crosstalk 00:12:00] or tips that might help someone get going on it?
JD Gershbein, Owlish Communications:
Sure. Well, as business has become more virtualized, this has forced us into certain new patterns and new day to day activities that we must leverage if we are going to survive in business. And more and more people now with the pandemic… And again, we’re taping this seven months into the great pivot of 2020, as I call it. The virtual leap represents a huge migration out of their comfort zones. They’re not really comfortable with now having to do this work online that they once took for granted on the face to face basis. I miss events. I’m a professional speaker, I’ve traveled extensively around North America, speaking on the topic of LinkedIn and personal branding and social networking. So for someone who’s just trying to get a toehold right now, this is social networking in action. This is the business universe. We have been displaced from the real world, what we call IRL world in real life and now we’re in this virtual plane.
JD Gershbein, Owlish Communications:
One thing I would advise anybody, entrepreneur, executive advisor, high performing salesperson, author, consultant, coach, what I call the value creating component, try to find a place for yourself in the online world. Work on online presence, who are you going to be in this online world? Who are you going to say you’re going to be at least because now you’re going to have to live up to it. And LinkedIn in integration with Zoom, has truly become our lifeline. Because we can now use LinkedIn as a measure of our core competencies to attract the right people to get into conversations with them. And our ask right now is quite simply to just get on a one on one, whether it’s Zoom, whether it’s the phone, obviously, we can’t meet. Some people are bolder than others and will meet, but if we’re relegated to the virtual world, we’ve got to make it work for us. And that means farming the profile, tuning up that LinkedIn profile, making sure it’s truly accurate and articulates your professional value. And then approaching people from a place of service.
JD Gershbein, Owlish Communications:
Not trying to sell them a product or service, but to just get them on a one on one conversation where the conversation can flow. And with the coronavirus crisis, we’ve been given the greatest conversation starter in the history of conversation starters. Just do a wellness check and see where that conversation leads. And then obviously use LinkedIn to be a virtual corollary to what you’re experiencing in the real world and the two worlds have to now come together. So for anybody who’s gone virtual and is now looking into LinkedIn, maybe they’ve postponed it or neglected it altogether, now’s the time to really enrich themselves and study it and find a place for themselves in LinkedIn society.
Tom DuFore, Big Sky Franchise Team:
Well, great advice, great advice, JD. And what you mentioned there, it’s interesting. For me as a user, what’s been interesting to see is what you had just mentioned about someone pinging or reaching out this great pivot. And just as an example for our listeners. So even in the last few months, I have been pinged by personal trainers that are clearly doing some search based off of profile or title or something that basically have said exactly what you did. “I want to serve you…” They’re coming in with this, “I want to serve you,” message of saying, “Hey, the pandemics probably got you sequestered away, sitting in your home office or basement somewhere or locked away, you need to move. Are you worried about your health, we’ve got a plan for you.”
Tom DuFore, Big Sky Franchise Team:
And true to form, I actually spoke with a few of these just to say, “Well, yeah, actually, that’s me, I’m sitting here on my chair not moving a whole lot. Yes, I’d like to do something. And I’m not going to the gyms because they’re all shut down or closed or what have you.” And so, I’m talking to a trainer in New York City, we’re based in Atlanta and we’ve got trainers from all over the world that in a normal world, I would have never in a million years spoken with. Some personal trainer operating out of New York City, but because of the climate we’re in, now we are. So I just share that as an example for our audience. And you’re smiling, the audience can’t see it but-
JD Gershbein, Owlish Communications:
Well, I’m always smiling man. I always smile.
Tom DuFore, Big Sky Franchise Team:
Just because he knows that this is how LinkedIn works, the power of it. So I just thought I’d share that as an interesting example to reinforce what you’re saying.
JD Gershbein, Owlish Communications:
Well, early into the pandemic, and we’re talking March or April of 2020. And by the way, who here among us would not want a do over in 2020. The pandemic really killed what could have been the greatest marketing campaign for everyone. 2020 vision, it was right there for us and now 2020 is a wasted year, we’re all in house arrest. But one thing that the pandemic has truly taught us is the value of human connectivity. And we’re all innovating around this, we’re all adapting, we’ve been shut out, we have to use the online world. It’s our, thank God for it. It’s our communication lifeline again. And LinkedIn keeps us educated about the people that we’ve brought into our network, it also does provide a route of entry for people to get to us. And they try to sell us products and services that maybe we don’t want or need, trying to fit the square peg into the round hole.
JD Gershbein, Owlish Communications:
And I’m not sure a personal trainer from New York City would have any luck with me, I work out in my home, I put on YouTube for a series of exercises. But I’m set up, I’ve been working out a long time. I have personal accountability there. But I use that as an example because there’re so many people now approaching others from a place of desperation and survival, as if the sale depends on their livelihood, or their ability to make a living and provide for their families. And we’re seeing a lot of people who are breaching ethics on LinkedIn by selling too soon or in the most egregious example of all selling us at the point of the invitation to connect on LinkedIn, which is dreadfully wrong and dreadfully inappropriate. And quite frankly, a violation of LinkedIn’s terms of service. So these days, we do have to approach people from a state of high empathy, high emotional intelligence.
JD Gershbein, Owlish Communications:
Nobody, and I mean nobody, not you, nor I, or any of our listeners, wants to be thought of as someone else’s lead right now and being whisked away into their funnel and being moved through their pipeline. I think that classical sales has to take a breather for a while and we have to work on relationships and develop trust and engender confidence in our abilities before we even earn the right to ask for the business.
Tom DuFore, Big Sky Franchise Team:
Mm-hmm (affirmative). Great advice. And you’re exactly right. As a user I’m so excited to have you here because this is a topic that I’m involved with every day. So it’s not very often that we have an expert on where I know a little bit about it. I’m not an expert by any stretch of the imagination. That’s why you’re here. But I know exactly what you’re talking about with those inquiries that come in that basically, they’re selling you on that first entry and it’s just an immediate turnoff. Even if I know someone, even when some of those reference those personal trainers, when they first came in, the initial messaging was not, “Hey, do you want to book a session with me?” That was not it at all.
Tom DuFore, Big Sky Franchise Team:
It was much more as you described. The ones that I actually replied to or expressed an interest in, they displayed maybe empathy or provided a problem scenario that I related to that I said, “Yeah, that actually sounds familiar. Tell me more about what you’re doing.” Or maybe we could set up a chat or video call and talk through some of the things that are going on. So I appreciate that.
JD Gershbein, Owlish Communications:
Yeah. And as a social scientist, I’m very interested in the approach and the psychology that sellers will use. And I’ve been on the receiving end, I’ve been on the asking side. And what I’m finding is, is the conversation around the sale, it starts early, seeds are planted and what we’re noticing now is between LinkedIn and Zoom, it certainly has accelerated the process. But it seems to have given sellers a license to bypass the whole qualification process and you just can’t come in without being armed with knowledge, you have to learn about your prospects. And if you are going to try to sell a product, you have to create the sales moment organically. And from a place of trust and service. I never sell on LinkedIn, I let my LinkedIn profile do my selling. Anything that anyone needs to know about the ROI on me, it’s there, it’s articulated in my profile, plus I’ve engineered and reconfigured my profile to convey my COVID-19 response. Because right now, with so many people lost and trying to position themselves virtually, there’s tremendous opportunity for me and anyone in the field of working with folks on LinkedIn.
JD Gershbein, Owlish Communications:
But the problem is, there are a lot of hacks out there. And I’ve had to take pages out of my own personal branding strategy playbook and differentiate myself. And I go with longevity, I go with business psychology, I go with the ability to communicate and provide the strategies that truly will help folks accomplish an objective because there’s a lot of idle time spent on LinkedIn. And Tom, you know as well as anyone, you can go down any number of rabbit holes and blind alleys and waste an hour, waste a couple of hours on the site. But in my world, there’s no wasted time on LinkedIn, everything has the potential for opportunity. Every click could mean something if we just had the right mindset for it.
Tom DuFore, Big Sky Franchise Team:
Yeah, that’s a great point. And you’re right, there are a lot of… And you see this everywhere in any kind of marketing medium, social media, it’s hard to know who are the real credible advisors and consultants out there. And that’s why I’m so grateful you’re here for our listeners. We had no bonus or plug for this, but JD is fantastic. So just happy to give a plug.
JD Gershbein, Owlish Communications:
You’re very kind.
Tom DuFore, Big Sky Franchise Team:
I’ve worked with him in the past, so if you’re wondering about this LinkedIn thing and trying to figure out, “How do I do this? Where do I start?” Or maybe you’re trying to advance a good profile to a great profile, he can take you there from novice to amateur to a strong profile that’s looking to be the best. He’ll help you out with that. And that’s why I wanted you here, JD, so that you could share your expertise and wisdom. So if our listeners are looking for an expert, you’re their guy. So I appreciate you being here.
JD Gershbein, Owlish Communications:
Thank you, Tom. And I’ll dovetail that by just adding for the listeners that it’s not about my way or the highway at this stage of the game. And many LinkedIn advisors would have you believe that there is some kind of definitive field guide out there for doing this right. And I’m veering away from that in the way that I work with individuals and companies. Because in the end, it’s going to be their take, not mine as to what’s going to drive their outcomes. Some of the things that I do on a regular basis, they may not deploy and other things that they might do, I may not try. I’m always up for learning. If I go out there and claim to be an expert, that would imply that maybe I’m done learning or that maybe I know it all. And that’s a very bombastic arrogant approach. I’m as much as learning about my clients as they are about learning what I have to share with them. And together, we reach some kind of strategic level on LinkedIn that’s comfortable for them, that they can do, that works for them, that feels right for them.
JD Gershbein, Owlish Communications:
So I would never get anybody invested in a program that is just out of their realm, because I’m working with folks at all levels of risk tolerance, personality, attitudes toward this and really as you know, mindset if you’ve been through any kind of sales training, it’s all about mindset and shifting that mindset. We’re all around the area of mindset. Now, we have to be, because there’s a lot of anxiety, a lot of stress, a lot of concern, a lot of people really feeling the heat right now to produce. And the last thing they need is to feel that they’re vested into some kind of program that’s out of range for them. So what I try to do is customize everything, reverse engineer from the end game on down and say, “Okay, here are the steps that I feel you should take, here’s what works, here’s what doesn’t work.” And then give them the wherewithal and the insights to go out and eventually do it on their own, which is the goal of any professional development. Give them the skills, help them architect the insights and let them go out there and make great things happen.
Tom DuFore, Big Sky Franchise Team:
Great, perspective. And I know that’s one of the many reasons why you continue to thrive and do well in this and serve your clients well.
JD Gershbein, Owlish Communications:
Thanks.
Tom DuFore, Big Sky Franchise Team:
Well, JD, we have this theme to our program of misses, makes and multipliers. So we like to talk about… Very often on episodes and shows they’re glorifying all of the great things that happened in their career, their business, but we like to start initially here with a miss or two. And that can be interpreted any way you choose professionally, personally, but maybe a just a learning opportunity. And it’s really to say, “Here’s something that didn’t go quite as planned, here’s what happened.” And maybe what you learned from it. Is there’s something you wouldn’t mind sharing with our audience?
JD Gershbein, Owlish Communications:
Well, a big miss huh. Well, I always try to harp on the good and revel in my accomplishments and learn from my failures. I would have to say that on a collective level, sometimes it’s very frustrating to only come in and do a one and done thing. Because there’s something in between the delivery of a single program for a company that I do to get to that next level, where I’m working with the company as a resource and intimately with their leadership team or their internal business units. And I have been close to securing a number of those. I think those are very different nowadays, because of the collective skepticism that’s out there on social media. For a lot of people, it’s not a tangible thing and I’ve worked with some of the most recognizable brands in the world and some of the greatest companies who would probably never hire me as an employee, but yet they value the specialized knowledge that I’ve assembled and can deliver for their team. But I would like to have done more. And I’ve come close with a couple of great companies, but fell a little short.
JD Gershbein, Owlish Communications:
But at the same time, I was able to get in there and I look at that as a victory. Everything I do Tom, is based on incremental wins. Stacking incremental wins, learning from failures or defeats. Have I had them? Yeah. Could I have done better for this client or that client? Of course, we’ve all had misses like that. But what it does, it rivets me, it brings me back, it commandeers my focus on doing the best possible work I can for each client, but I also know that there’s going to be trapdoors. Stuff I won’t see, stuff I can’t anticipate.
Tom DuFore, Big Sky Franchise Team:
Mm-hmm (affirmative). Well, thank you for sharing that. I love it. And now let’s go back to the more fun stuff to talk about, which is the idea of a make. Is there a make or two that happened that you’d like to share professionally, personally, anything that you’d like to share with the audience?
JD Gershbein, Owlish Communications:
Sure. Well, prior to the pandemic, in the couple of years leading up to it, I was shifting away from some of the things I was doing on a consultative level and becoming more of a media presence and marketing my personality, the JD brand, if you will. And I was separating from doing some of that work, not that I was burned out or that it became a grind, it’s just that I’ve always been a broadcaster, a communicator, a personality, a performing artist. And I wanted to launch a show and I’ve done a couple of really cool events around the Chicago area that kind of elevated my profile as a host. And I was getting ready to do some really good work in entertainment and do more socially responsible shows, a webcast, podcast and business theater, exclusive performance that would be shot in front of a live audience. I had a branded set, all set to go, assembled a cast to perform improv and sketch comedy around some of the work I was doing. And this would have been a real treat.
JD Gershbein, Owlish Communications:
And then well, darn the luck, the pandemic hit, forced us all online and I’m still in the process of contemplating what will work in the virtual setting as opposed to IRL because I do want to get back and explore more media opportunities. I’d never met a camera lens or a microphone I didn’t like. And that’s where I’m heading. I think that I can be of immense value to the community that wants to learn about the virtual experience through how I roll, through comedy, through humor, through satire, through parody and not taking myself so seriously. And people who know me, people who are close to me know what a self-effacing dude I am. I’m the first to laugh at myself. So, bringing that style, separates me, positions me, because LinkedIn although a hugely important aspect of our business right now, it is a right brain pursuit. There’s a lot of creativity involved in establishing an online presence. And that’s where I think I excel.
Tom DuFore, Big Sky Franchise Team:
I love it. I love it. That’s the… That improv theater background and training, I love it.
JD Gershbein, Owlish Communications:
And psychology.
Tom DuFore, Big Sky Franchise Team:
And psychology. Yeah, absolutely. I love it.
JD Gershbein, Owlish Communications:
We all have to think through these episodes, these big, huge chunks of time that we’re putting into our online work now, something’s got to pay off, right?
Tom DuFore, Big Sky Franchise Team:
Mm-hmm (affirmative). Well, I’d love to ask about this idea of a multiplier. So with Multiply Your Success as the podcast, we talk about multipliers. So, is there any multiplier you’d like to reference, talk about, that helped you catapult or grow or expand your business?
JD Gershbein, Owlish Communications:
Once I put myself into the shoes of my ideal prospect or ideal client, I think that good marketing… Pretty much good anything comes from a place of pain. And one thing I realized early on as I grew in my profession, is that I was a solution provider and an advisor. And perhaps a leader of sorts. I answered a call of leadership certainly with LinkedIn. And I’m in a position, an advantageous position to provide knowledge and connect people with that knowledge and connect them with those types of opportunities through the work I do. So my multiplier has been really understanding why my clients ring my phone or message me or reach out to me. I know what they’re experiencing, I know the processing and encoding errors that they’re making in finding a place for themselves on LinkedIn. And I know they have trouble stringing their thoughts together on their LinkedIn profiles, because they’re too close to the subject, or they just don’t want to do it. So the great multiplier for me is really condensing and consolidating the notion of thought partnership and just being an ally for them first before I’m a service provider.
JD Gershbein, Owlish Communications:
And working with them, helping them air it out, get their feelings known. And then together, we can hand hammer out a strategy that will bring them to the fore that will elevate them, that will help them develop a brand. It’s hard to be a brand, it takes a lot of work to become a brand. And it’s not something you can do one day and then put on autopilot. It’s a constant challenge to achieve top of mindedness with people.
Tom DuFore, Big Sky Franchise Team:
Yes. Wow! Well, I think that is… Thinking about really your entire business from the perspective of your customer, from the perspective of your client, I think every good business or business person tries to do that. And it’s a hard thing to do. It’s hard to stay on it consistently. Well, JD, as a closing question that we like to ask every guest, is what does success mean to you?
JD Gershbein, Owlish Communications:
Well, at this stage of the game seven months into a pandemic time, it means not getting sick, how’s that? Span away from the infected air particles at this stage. Success looks different for everybody and I love the word, I’ve been around the success question a lot. I think at this point, success means choices. I think choices whether they’re financial, whether they’re emotional, whether they’re intellectual. We’re used to living in an autonomous state, where we don’t have to worry about the restrictions that are imposed on us right now. And whatever has been thrown at us, it’s the classic making lemonade out of lemons. Success means you’ve made the best tasting lemonade possible and you have the freedom to continue to make that lemonade and do what you want and help people in the process and be known well. I’m at the stage of my life where legacy means a lot. I’d like to be known for being a good egg, someone who helps, someone who cared, someone who was a good father, a good husband, good dog owner, good Chicago Cubs fan. And that’s what’s important to me.
Tom DuFore, Big Sky Franchise Team:
Sure, well watch it here. You’re talking to a White Sox fan. So-
JD Gershbein, Owlish Communications:
Oh-oh. Civil war time.
Tom DuFore, Big Sky Franchise Team:
I’m just kidding. Well, JD, this has been amazing. And is there any parting information or anything you wanted to make sure you got across to the audience before we end today?
JD Gershbein, Owlish Communications:
I would say that the virtual world ain’t so bad folks. My life changed the moment I sent my first email, because that’s when I realized that I was living in the online world. And I’ve been at it for a while, it comes natural to me, but I’ve also never dissociated or displaced my real world presence. And there’s a lot of inroads that have been shut off to us. There’s roadblocks all over the place now. So we must take our world online. I can provide thought partnership for anybody that’s struggling in that area right now, be it on LinkedIn, be it on how to amass and leverage a professional network or how to contemplate the use of video in their marketing mix. I’m a bit of a Swiss Army knife in that aspect, but my roots, what got me to the dance is truly mastering LinkedIn, which is a daily thing for me. I wouldn’t say that I’m the master that I would want to be, but at the same time I know enough, where I can instruct people and work with them on a very immersive level to help them achieve a goal.
JD Gershbein, Owlish Communications:
And I think that’s really where we’re at right now. We are leaning on each other, there’s no question. People do need people, nobody can do it alone. And positioning yourself as a great resource in your world dear listeners, for the people with whom you’d like to do business, or the companies for whom you’d like to work, or the decision makers with whom you’d like to be connected. This is the ongoing pursuit. That’s the challenge. And it’s fun. Treat it like fun.
Tom DuFore, Big Sky Franchise Team:
Mm-hmm (affirmative). I love it. Well, JD, we’ll make sure we include this in our show notes. But what’s the best way for someone to learn a little bit more about you, reach out to you? How can they do that?
JD Gershbein, Owlish Communications:
Hey, Would it surprise anybody to know that I’ve got a LinkedIn profile? I do maintain an account on LinkedIn, I’m searchable under my name, JD Gershbein, which I’m sure you’ll have out there for folks. I don’t need to waste valuable time on that spelling my name, but for anybody that is listening, I’m happy to schedule a 30 minute Zoom conversation to assess them on LinkedIn, maybe go over their profile strategy, give them a word of encouragement or maybe even make some on the spot suggestions for improving it. So that’s for your listeners.
Tom DuFore, Big Sky Franchise Team:
Well, I appreciate it. So make sure you reach out to JD, get your free LinkedIn assessment and consultation, make sure you reference the Multiply Your Success podcast. Well, JD, thanks for being here, we’ll include that in the show notes. Thank you so much. We’re really grateful that you would spend some time with us and sharing your knowledge and wisdom.
JD Gershbein, Owlish Communications:
Tom, great to see you again. I had a smile across my face when I saw your email invitation to guest on your podcast come through. I wish you all the best with this. We’re in a podcast climate right now, my friend and you’re positioned well, you asked the right questions, you pulled it right out of me, you are a total pro.
Tom DuFore, Big Sky Franchise Team:
Well, thank you. I appreciate it. Thanks so much, JD.
JD Gershbein, Owlish Communications:
My pleasure.
Tom DuFore, Big Sky Franchise Team:
Well, JD, thanks again for being here. Just a great interview. And I’d like to jump into today’s three key takeaways. So number one, I think this is a given, but we’ve got to say it. If you are not on LinkedIn, you need to be, create a profile, get up there, start exploring figuring it out. And if you are on LinkedIn, start using it more effectively to start building your company’s brand and your personal brand. Number two, when you start working on LinkedIn and using it as a tool for your business, remember that this should not be a sales pitch only, you want to be adding value, adding content, adding things that are useful. So make sure you’re doing that. If you’re connecting with people try to truly network in a virtual way. Number three, good things come from a place of pain. And I thought that was really well stated by JD. Good things come from a place of pain. And if there’s anything this pandemic has shown us, I think it’s that. Good things come from a place of pain.
Tom DuFore, Big Sky Franchise Team:
And now it’s time for today’s Win-Win. So today’s Win-Win, is when JD said he seeks to understand why his clients or customers are reaching out to him. And he gave that advice to you. Why are your clients or customers reaching out to you? Understand their pain or their problem. Seek to understand that. And as JD mentioned, a lot of times your clients don’t even know or your customers don’t even know how to articulate what that problem is. And so understand why they’re reaching out to you. I think that’s a great takeaway, it’s going to be a win for the customer, a win for you, a win for your staff and team, all the parties that are involved in. So that’s today’s episode, folks. Thanks for tuning in. Please share this, please give us a rating and a review, please repost this on LinkedIn certainly, and any other of your favorite social media outlets. Thanks so much. Have a great day. And we’ll see you back here next week.
