Refreshing Websites 🌏🎳🖱 #60

Refreshing Websites 🌏🎳🖱 #60

14 Aug, 2018

Stronger Strategy: Two New Board Seats

Imagine having two seats at your organisation’s board table or your project’s board – one for the planet and one for the children.

In the prince2 project methodology a board is an equal number of customers and supplier representatives – that is, people who’ll receive the result of the project and those supplying the bits to bring it to be. I’ve seen this work well as the two important stakeholders have a voice.

Throw in the planet and the children and BOOM we’ve got the future represented. So simple. So sweet.

Thanks to BFry for the origin of these thoughts by Peta Kelly in this podcast {really worth a listen – go beyond the different language used and listen to the end}.

 

refreshing runwaydigital.com

We’re improving our online sites: runwaydigital.com, samanthabell.com.au, LinkedIn, other social media, better displaying our free resources & frameworks, refining our systems to distribute information and updating our products and services for you.

What do you like? What would you like to see? Shoot us ideas. Thanks

My aim is for brevity, clean design, clear credibility, interesting offerings, and having sites we use as examples to inspire others.

Thanks to Kimberley & Ryan for the inspiration and insight.

Quick LinkedIn Upgrade

I’ve a new LinkedIn look. It only took a few minutes thanks to quick creative from Canva (so simple!). Thanks to Fabien for the tip of the colourful ring around the profile photo to standout in a LinkedIn search.

 

What’s happening online?

Focused, fascinating & humane insights on leading virtual, flexible teams by Tim Buzza. #agile #lean #trust #remotework #highperformance #selforganising #futureofwork #tealorganisation #communication #inclusion #adaptable #mindset

Why you should make useless things.

Go Gus!

Nice one Sammartino ~

Wonderful footage of big mountain skiing with friends. Thanks Daffy.

Thanks FB newsfeed eradicator for this quote:

What’s happening in your world?

As always, wishing you well,
Sam

Optimising Sales 😍 😎 💪 #58

Optimising Sales 😍 😎 💪 #58

17 Jul, 2018

Trust, growth and optimising sales

In Dan Pink’s “To Sell is Human” book he mentioned we’re now all in sales.

In the past few weeks I’ve been optimising a system to connect clients with large volumes of relevant potential customers. It could be called sales.

In refining this system, I’ve realised that now there is a massive opportunity to quickly find people online who connect with you as an individual – to find the people who will be inspired to quickly become customers, be ultra-helpful in sharing your business via word of mouth, as well as helping find answers.

The thing is, now you can connect with anyone. You don’t want to be connected to everyone. Business is fast and there are loads of messages, notifications and as the volume increases, people increasingly look for people they trust.

Being connected to highly relevant people who ‘get’ your way of thinking, your values/philosophies, your work and style… people who trust you… means you can quickly gain answers, do business together, ask for connections to potential customers and more.

LinkedIn and other social media services provide quick messaging. If you’re connected with highly relevant and engaged people you have less noise in your network and you can quickly message and create progress.

And that’s the key!

I’ve been saying for years: grow your relevant online audience, find your “niche-niche” people – the very select group of people in the world who know and respect you. Don’t bulk up your LinkedIn connections for the sake of likes and numbers, grow your relevant audience so you connect and engage with people who’ll take action.

Start now – type in a topic of interest in LinkedIn search and refine the search to your city. Click on ten profiles, read their summaries and if you’re inspired by what you read and see, hit connect. (Leave the others.) When connecting, include a message that explains why you’re interested in their perspective and what you’d like to learn from them. Be real and honest!

Repeat the process. Aim for 10-50 messages a week. Go! Discover your international peers and future colleagues.

Time is of the essence and fast progress is within your reach.

You don’t yet know the gains you’ll have in the future…

Tim B – thx again for the excellent session & sharing this post.
Cam – yesterday’s chat inspired this!

This is Giles’ post that explains the automation tool for LinkedIn connections and messages, combined with LinkedIn Sales Navigator and a few other tools. We’ve refined this slightly and tailor it for relevant audiences.

If you want to connect with more highly relevant people / customers, book in a session with me.

 

Enjoy these online treats ~

Fabulous, brand-relevant heading on Bitly’s recent questionnaire:

Succinct and engaging words (great example whether or not you’re wanting to raise cash for your business):

Fun quote (via the Facebook newsfeed eradicator!):

Another on business culture: “The Heartbeat” by Fred Wilson – I love the opening line “The best companies I work with have a heartbeat, they operate on a pace and a cadence and a rhythm that is…”

I’ve been working with website hosting company, Serversaurus. Here are a few of the tips I’ve picked up about website hosting.

Just in case you’re listening to a Tim Ferriss podcast I’ve recommended and prefer not to listen to the first few minutes, skip the first four minutes and you’re straight into the introduction and interview. May that be useful!

Wishing you well,
Sam

Extending Senses 🏃 🚚 👂#41

Extending Senses 🏃 🚚 👂#41

21 Nov, 2017

It was the “latte” in this Tesla semi post that made me grin.

______

Books that you miss upon finishing.

I was entranced and entertained listening to Ready Player One by Ernest Cline.

VR/AR leaders often recommend it to experience one of our possible futures: ultra-simulation (in 2045). The impressive narration by Wil Wheaton often had me chuckling, the detail in the book astounded me and of course it was fun to hear the vast number of (familiar) 1980’s references.

It’s also a Spielberg movie to be released next year.

______
Kevin Kelly in Recomendo.

______

Favourite reads & listens

  • What senses would you extend?Neil Harbisson talks about going from full colourblindness to installing an antenna so he could hear sound. Apparently the cleaning product isle in the supermarket is like a fun nightclub! It’s an uplifting, fascinating, futuristic, 9:35min watch. Actually even the first few minutes is worth it to imagine a new dimension for you.Photo credit: Ted.com
  • Rolling Stone followed Elon around for months.Here are a few quotes that struck me:



  • “The world is getting better at a stunning rate“. This report has “evidence of abundance” graphs and insights. Big thanks to Peter Diamandis and his team for showcasing how the world is improving. Here’s to balanced news.

 

 

 

 

 

  • Using algorithms and radical transparency at work may make your workplace even easier. (thx Jacqui Hocking)
  • The Websummit opening remarks are a great call for designers, creators, entrepreneurs and technologists to focus on building tech that is useful and fair for society. Included are: Stephen Hawking on AI, Bryan Johnson on HI, a regulator’s view of Facebook and other ultra powerful tech companies.

Great presence

  • Thanks for the laugh David Roberts (of Innovation and Disruption at Singularity University). Here is his bio: “His fascination with technology began In fourth grade after building a hovering electric drone, to carry his younger sister to the bus stop, powered by what was formerly his mother’s vacuum cleaner, and fortunately limited by the length of an electric power cord.”Have you added humour to yours?
  • Good fun at the London tube:

Have a wonderful week,

~ Sam

RunwayDigital.com

 

PS. One of the companies and experiences that have most impressed me in the last couple of years is Manly Ocean Adventures. Knowledgeable, exceptional value, and thoughtful, they’re advertising their incredible experiences (with or without whales) as great Christmas gift ideas. If you’re near Sydney or your people are… this could be for you!

 

 

PPS. in a previous email I wrote about the Apple Airpods. My update from a month of using them is that I’m still loving the earphones quick change between computer and iPhone and watch phonecall pickup. I am missing the ease of the Jaybirds hanging around my neck. The Airpods are a bit more of a cognitive load for me. They’re fiddly to remember where they are / to put in my pocket when I’m on the move and I sense I’ve a higher risk of losing them. Jaybird X2 Sport were around my neck all the time and I could use one or two earphones and never think about the battery or getting into the practice of taking out one Airpod during a long phonecall to make sure I have enough battery. The tech of the Airpods is beautiful and clever and it’s wonderful they can be used across many bluetooth devices – not just Apple’s. Airpods around the neck!?!

Information Density ⌚️📚📊 #37

Information Density ⌚️📚📊 #37

26 Sep, 2017

Saving Time.

I originally bought an Apple watch to open myself to possibilities I couldn’t predict. Sometimes it’s best to say “yes” and explore rather than wonder.

Regularly I use the watch to quickly view messages and respond (often with a thumbs up or other emoticon), receive a phone call while I’m on the move / doing chores and it’s great to ask Siri to set timers for cooking (5 minutes works well for soft-boiled eggs).

I’m now happily wearing my new series 3 Apple watch and am impressed with the long battery life, being able to call people without the phone around and the faster speed. Well done Apple!

I’m looking forward to more accurate exercise (read: skiing) data and more time savings via Siri and the clever tech incorporated. I’ve found Siri improves the more I use/speak to her and the recent Apple event inspired me to explore more of the new functionality that’s increasingly like having an assistant… on your wrist!

I like these quotes from a couple of Apple watch reviews:

…more here.

…read on.

Roadtrip Meetings.

If autonomous cars change the interior layout of cars and you can eat, sleep, work, watch a movie, have a meeting… will you go on roadtrips with your colleagues? will the workforce be more ‘on the move’? Will people travel more? go to and stay in more remote places?

Happy travels…

A Quick Tip on Financial Diversification.

“I like a mix of cash (t-bills, money market funds, etc), blue chips stocks (Amazon, Google, etc), real estate (income producing with little to no leverage), and a risk bucket (venture capital, crypto, etc). I think 25% in each would be a good mix.” thanks Fred.

Overdue EDU disruption.

…keep reading.

Favourite reads & listens

  • Sharing the most expensive things. Wonderful!
  • Prior to her wedding this week, Maggie Doyne put out a call for advice.
  • Business is getting real.
  • Another wonderful introduction to Blockchain technology. This one is good too.
  • Fred Wilson’s tips on providing hope to others:“Of course, how you worry is critical. You can’t weigh down the leadership teams with your worries. You can’t fill up the board meetings with angst.You have to be supportive, optimistic, encouraging, and positive in your interactions with founder/leaders and their teams. But you must also flag areas where there could be trouble. Getting that balance right has been a work in progress for me for my entire career.So being a worrier is an important characteristic in an investor. But you have to mostly keep those worries to yourself and your partners/team (this is a place where partners are invaluable). And you have to decide when a worry is significant enough to share it with your portfolio companies and then you need to find the right moment and narrative to communicate it. When you do it right, the teams appreciate it immensely.”
  • Will Amazon offer Bitcoin payments!?

Where is Your Attention?

It’s Springtime here in Australia… so say the two out-of-hibernation echidnas we spotted last week. What a treat to see them!

Smile 🙂

~ Sam

Winning Newsletters 🎁 😎 💃 #36

12 Sep, 2017

Here comes a previous issue of Online Highfliers….
To get the latest issue delivered to your inbox sign up for the newsletter here.

_____

Hi,

Welcome to the 36th edition of this email. Did you know you can read past editions right here?

_____

Winning Newsletters

While enjoying the Wilsons’ newsletters (Fred and Joanne), I’ve ‘gotten’ a bit more of why they’ve written regularly for so long.

The thing is, you can start a newsletter for business development, marketing, self expression and other reasons and my recent experience is there’s more to this regular activity.

Here’s an update on what I’ve noticed:

  • Each fortnight I’ve the opportunity to get onto ‘paper’ what’s currently on my mind that’d be useful to others.
  • As more peers, colleagues, people in my network, friends and family show interest in new business and life opportunities (such as blockchain tech and cryptocurrencies), I can easily forward previous emails knowing they include easy to pick up introductory links after I’ve distilled much reading.
  • I’ve a timeline of my interests since I started writing. I like this.
  • It’s fun to engage. People send fascinating and lovely replies.
  • My writing and choice of subjects has (naturally) refined as have my systems (for example, collating links throughout the fortnight in one place) and use of tech such as Mailchimp’s new editing feature on their smartphone app.
  • Having written each fortnight for a year and a half, I’ve a fun sense of achievement and I’m a bit in awe!
  • I’ve published previous emails on LinkedIn and gain comments there. My Linked profile (online resume / CV) shows more of my expertise, interests and style. Opportunities have come from this and possibly I appear in more (relevant) LinkedIn searches.

It’s a great use of time. Maybe you will try it?

_____

Marketing via cryptocurrencies.

“Burger King launched its own cryptocurrency known as – what else? – WhopperCoin. The new currency was launched as part of a rewards program for the company’s customers in Russia. With each purchase of a Whopper customers will receive a WhopperCoin token in a digital wallet. …WhopperCoin owners can either use them to purchase products at Burger King or trade or sell them to other interested parties.”

_____

Favourite reads & listens

  • So clever! (thanks Ross)
  • Just in case you haven’t yet watched this. #privilege #equality #pursuePurpose #BigVisions #JustTry
  • Because markets are inspiring.
  • The scale of Internet of Things (IoT) and some of the many players.
  • This wonderful Tiny House ~

Great online presence

“The boys. No exaggeration to say these two fine gentlemen — @enriqueallen and @henretig — changed my life, made me a much better human. We…”

  • The extended list is here and here.

We’ve had incredible snowstormshere in Victoria. Huge snowflakes have amazed me on the chairlift and have filled in my tracks so that each new run is a fresh adventure.

Warmer Spring days are coming soon. What’s happening there?

Hoping you’re enjoying today,
Sam