Podcast: Episode #007

Subtitle: LinkedIn Lost, Socially Found

Post Date: July 16, 2018

Hosts: Eric D. Lussier and Cherise Lakeside

Show Notes: Co-founders of Let's Fix Construction, Eric D. Lussier and Cherise Lakeside, host the latest episode about social media, concentrating on the LinkedIn platform, which was the topic of the latest LFC blog post.  

Eric's social media history stretches back 10 years, starting on LinkedIn and Facebook and just about as long on Twitter. Cherise has about six years of experience and she was introduced to the benefits of social from Joy Davis, former Marketing and Communications Manager for the Construction Specifications Institute, after attending one of her presentations. Cherise states that social media is "one of the single biggest benefits to her career and her network in the last six years that she could have ever dreamed was possible"

Eric's pointer before anyone dips their toes into the water on a social platform they don't use is to listen first and interact second. A 101 level of instruction for even the most common social media platforms is needed, even in 2018, and that is what LFC offers with our 'Social Media & AEC' presentation, that alike the Specs 101 (on architectural specifications) workshop that we offer, is needed in the AEC community, and tends to be much more than a traditional 101 class. 

Cherise talks about how she sees Facebook (NOT for business), how she views Twitter for relationships, and how she first started with LinkedIn, including sending out "about 6,000 connection requests" right off the bat.  Going into LinkedIn jail for 3 months, barring her from sending out new requests, demonstrated to her how to properly listen in and engage with those connections that were accepted. 

Eric gives his biggest LinkedIn tip and that is personalizing your connection request. Make sure you have a profile picture and then be sure to add a personal note. So few people set themselves apart by customizing their LinkedIn invitation. 

After being downsized in August of 2017, Cherise had a first-hand experience about the power of LinkedIn and how just updating your headline and then an official post about a job loss can lead to hundreds of messages and tens of thousands of views. These messages and views led to job offers and the realization that even when you think people aren't watching or listening, that is certainly not the case.

Eric discusses the importance of being found when you're in sales. Utilize your profile to detail product lines that you represent, including your contact information and more.  Ultimately, you want to be found when your business is in sales. And if you want to be found, then LinkedIn is your friend, because Google LOVES LinkedIn, yet not all professionals are using LinkedIn properly, and some not AT ALL.

Cherise was recently at a conference in Maine that involved a number of construction product representatives and 30-50% of the attendees she could not find on LinkedIn.  As a construction specifier, LinkedIn is the number one location Cherise uses to find a contact. 

Cherise relays a story about how she needed to make a last-minute specification design change for a window and she couldn't get the spec online without registering on the manufacturer’s website, which took days for approval, nor could she find a proper contact on the company website. This company lost millions of dollars in business because they chose to be hidden rather than be found.

Eric discusses how websites by nature are very static and not typically kept up-to-date, unlike social media channels, especially Twitter. Eric relates how he found out about a new product line from a manufacturer that was posted on Twitter, yet the company website had nothing listed at all. Twitter is a great search engine for instantaneous results, but YouTube is better for indexed results. YouTube is the second most used search engine in the world and is owned by Google. 

Eric relays the importance to know that if you are relying on Facebook for your social media usage, that only a very small percentage of your likes see your posts. So, be diverse in your usage and engage!

One of the final thoughts from Cherise is that you can make a real impact in just five minutes a day on social media, should you so choose.

Podcast Introduction and Outro: By Mel Allen www.therealvoice.com

Podcast Theme: "Let's" is performed by Milton Busker www.miltonbusker.com 

YouTube: Stream or listen on YouTube here: https://youtu.be/Pr2QV64u4fg

Soundcloud: Stream or listen on Soundcloud:https://soundcloud.com/fix-construction/episode-007

Podcast: Episode #006

Subtitle: Playing Catch Up

Post Date: June 30, 2018

Hosts: Eric D. Lussier and Cherise Lakeside

Show Notes: Co-founders of Let's Fix Construction, Eric D. Lussier and Cherise Lakeside, host the first podcast in five months! Where does the time go?  2018 is half done and we've had the opportunity to speak at numerous locations. This episode looks back at the past five months and the live workshops that Eric and Cherise have hosted since the last episode went live.  

It started with the 'Communication & Ramifications of Specifications (Part 1) at the FCICA Annual Convention in Biloxi, MI, on March 20th at the Beau Rivage Resort & Casino, which was the 'Specs 101' workshop renamed. Delivered to flooring contractors, distributors, manufacturers and installers, this presentation was extremely well received. The Specs 101 is needed as architectural specifications are not being introduced to design professionals in architecture school and are certainly not being given or even discussed to industry professionals.  More information on Specs 101 can be found at www.letsfixconstruction.com/specs101.html 

After Biloxi, Eric and Cherise visited the CSI South Central Region Conference in Frisco, TX on April 6 and delivered 3 presentations, including the Let's Fix Construction Workshop, ​Social Media & the AEC Industry and a brand new workshop, Protectors of the Future: Empowering and Engaging Tomorrow's Leaders.  Cherise revisits how she was introduced to the industry as a young professional and how she feels the need to give back. We felt the need to put together this new presentation to get the people to understand that the information they're reading & hearing has existed about every generation before them. 

The 'Social Media & the AEC Industry' may in essence be a 101 course, but from experience, we know that this information is still needed, especially for those that only dip their toes in social.  LinkedIn is the most important professional network, and it is a MUST to be found as Google loves LinkedIn. It is not just for job seekers.

Quickly following Frisco, we were back on a plane for the CSI Southwest Region Conference in Las Vegas from April 19 - 21, 2018. Our friend, Robin Snyder of Spectra Consulting put together an outstanding conference and had us host FOUR programs, including an impromptu Empowering Young Professionals roundtable discussion, as well as the pre-planned Specs 101, She’s a Specifier, He’s a Product Rep: Different Roles, Same Goals Workshop and our flagship Let's Fix Construction Workshop.

Eric and Cherise had a chance to go international when they presented to the CSC Conference (Construction Specifications Canada (www.csc-dcc.ca) in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada on May 24th.  This workshop was followed by a special PROSOCO Round Table Discussion at the IA Conference 2018 in New York, NY on June 22. 

No further workshops are on the schedule until CONSTRUCT in Long Beach, California, from October 3 to the 5, but Eric & Cherise will be heavily involved. In addition to being on the Education Advisory Council for the second consecutive year, they'll be hosting and or moderating five different sessions.  The fourth annual Young Professionals Day kicks off CONSTRUCT (www.CONSTRUCTshow.com/ypday) with Cherise leading the way and Eric being one of many mentors during the speed mentoring sessions. In addition to the Let's Fix Construction workshop, Eric and Cherise will be delivering a new presentation called 'Facing Danger: Public Speaking for Non-Public Speakers', which speaks from Cherise's non-traditional background. 

Cherise will be moderating two different programs, including the Archispeak Interactive Luncheon titled 'Real Talk About Challenges, Opportunities & Innovations Surrounding AEC Teams'. Archispeak is an architecture podcast hosted by Evan Troxel, Neal Pann, and Cormac Phalen who offer their brand of real talk on everything from design, tools, and work/life balance to generational differences, mentoring, job hunting and more. Check out www.archispeakpodcast.com 

Cherise will also be moderating the POWER PANEL at CONSTRUCT, 'Millennials as Successors: Misconceptions & Realities - Hear it from them!' Conceived after the impromptu millennial conversation in Las Vegas, four industry young professionals will speak directly about their experiences in AEC.

CONSTRUCT is CSI's annual meeting and affiliated tradeshow and is THE place to be this October.  Be sure to check out CONSTRUCTshow.com for more details.

Podcast Introduction and Outro: By Mel Allen www.therealvoice.com

Podcast Theme: "Let's" is performed by Milton Busker www.miltonbusker.com 

YouTube: Stream or listen on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GOtlpTd0FjA

Soundcloud: Stream or listen on Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/fix-construction/podcast-ep-006