In this episode of #TBNE Rob chats with Lindsey McMillion Stemann, Founder of McMillion Consulting. She is a keynote speaker and a LinkedIn Credibility Consultant. Lindsey drops some great knowledge on how to show your credibility online! Don't forget to subscribe and leave a review.
In this episode of #TBNE Rob chats with Lindsey McMillion Stemann, Founder of McMillion Consulting. She is a keynote speaker and a LinkedIn Credibility Consultant. Lindsey drops some great knowledge on how to show your credibility online!
Don't forget to subscribe and leave a review.
Connect with Lindsey:
Connect with Rob:
Show Produced by: Niranjan Deshpande (Nick), Broken Frames Studio, www.brokenframesstudio.com
Creative Director: Maxim Sokolov, www.maximsokolov.com
Selling is evolving, are you? Humantic AI is a Buyer Intelligence platform for revenue teams. If you are interested in learning more about Humantic AI use Rob’s referral link https://app.humantic.ai/login/?referral_code=robnapoli
Special offer for #BearNation listeners interested in trying Brilliantly Warm (https://www.brilliantly.co/), use this 10% off discount code WELCOME10.
We have teamed up with Phin, a social impact company, to give back for each episode to the communities that we serve. To learn more or get involved with Phin for your company, visit: https://www.phinforgood.com/
EPISODE 88_ LinkedIn Lindsey
INTRO
00:00:07:13 - 00:00:30:13
Rob Napoli
How’re you doing y’all? we're back again for another episode of The Bare Necessities podcast. I'm your host, Rob Napoli. And today is one that's going to be really fun. Acts are bringing on a somebody who was actually referred to me from a great mutual friend of ours, Walker McKay and Lindsey owns her own consulting firm called McMillan Consulting.
MAIN VIDEO
00:00:30:18 - 00:00:54:06
Rob Napoli
Lindsey McMillion Stermann is the name. McMillan Consulting is the game and and she is she is amazing because when I saw her LinkedIn title, I was like, I know I got to talk to this woman. She has a LinkedIn credibility consultant, an international speaker. She's a trainer to top producers. She empowers them to take charge of their online reputation and to increase revenue.
00:00:54:06 - 00:01:07:03
Rob Napoli
And she loves helping her clients when she's based out in Greenville South Carolina, with her awesome husband and her kid, which is Taylor Todd, which I actually love. Lindsey, thank you for joining the show today.
00:01:07:17 - 00:01:09:17
Lindsey McMillion Stermann
I'm so pumped to be here. It's going to be great.
00:01:10:11 - 00:01:36:13
Rob Napoli
Yes. And you know, when Walker Entity assassinated, I was like, hey, you got to talk to Lindsey. And I saw some of your content. I was like, Yes. And like, he chose LinkedIn credibility consultant. Right? There is so much talk in the world about personal brand, professional brand influencers, about why credibility? Like, what was that like thing that made you like, this is where I want to go and this is what I want to talk about.
00:01:37:00 - 00:02:02:21
Lindsey McMillion Stermann
So what I found, and I'm sure you would agree in your experience to Robb, is that the word brand and the word marketing terrify the majority of people, even if they're in the space that either gets them really excited and jacked up or it gets them like just paralyzed. And so what resonates with everybody with from what I've found, I've been doing this over a decade, going on 12, 13 years, is that everyone cares about credibility.
00:02:03:09 - 00:02:19:11
Lindsey McMillion Stermann
Everyone knows that word. Everyone cares about it. And so when you take this potential fear and anxiety out of those words of branding and marketing and creative and you just think about your reputation, that and it seems to resonate with people.
00:02:20:04 - 00:02:46:13
Rob Napoli
It does. And, you know, I think that it's really easy for us. And I love when I wrote a book on personal professional branding, so I love using the word brand. But I, but I know that fear. tell you how we're going to get into a little bit. But what was it? So I know that in your background, you've worked, you know, years in sales and you got into the corporate side as a trainer and really training people on how to how to be better as is.
00:02:46:13 - 00:03:03:13
Rob Napoli
You're kind of going through your career and your background into launching your own business. When was it that you actually started to care about your credibility, your personal brand, your online presence? Was there? Do you have like a remembering moment of like when that mattered to you, or was it just kind of natural.
00:03:04:08 - 00:03:27:10
Lindsey McMillion Stermann
I guess you could say if I had to choose it, I would say natural, but perhaps because I, I care about people's perspectives. And so if there are ways that I can control the narrative, then I'd like to be in that driver's seat. So when I decided to join LinkedIn, gosh, eons ago, I won't date myself. But a lot of people don't realize LinkedIn is actually older than Facebook.
00:03:27:10 - 00:03:58:18
Lindsey McMillion Stermann
A lot of mouths drop when they hear that they have no idea. And so I knew out of the gate when I joined that platform that I would be using it for business and sales and building a professional network. And so, you know, at the time I was new in my career, I was young, I was green. And if there was a way that I could level up and position myself to showcase my professionalism and my credibility before somebody had a conversation with me or met me in person, I was all in.
00:03:59:04 - 00:04:28:04
Rob Napoli
Yeah. Oh, I love that. And when you So when you made the conscious decision to leave kind of corporate doing that, that big trainer thing and launch your own business, that switch happened. What was the scariest thing for you? And then the second part of that question is how do you feel that your credibility or your personal brand helped or didn't help you in that process of launching?
00:04:28:21 - 00:04:45:02
Lindsey McMillion Stermann
Yeah, great question. So you might have to bring me back to the part too here in a moment. But the scariest thing, you know, it's funny, people, when I first launched Macmillan Consulting would ask me exactly that. Oh, my gosh, Lindsay, you know, you must have been so scared when you launched your company or, gosh, you're so brave.
00:04:45:02 - 00:05:08:04
Lindsey McMillion Stermann
And Rob, the truth is, like, I was really fortunate to have about three and a half years under my belt of doing what I had been doing, which was for, for lack of a better word, since many entrepreneurs, if we're all salespeople in some way, some regard we wear that letter s on our chest. Is that like I had already been in sales, hunting the deals, closing the deals, delivering on the, you know, the product or service.
00:05:08:04 - 00:05:32:21
Lindsey McMillion Stermann
And so that confidence, that foundation was already there, thankfully. And so I, I think the scariest thing wasn't launching off on my own. It was more not knowing the nuances and the details right. Like, how do I file for an LLC? I had no idea. Right. Like, how do I open a business checking account and make sure I can receive money to actually replace my income?
00:05:32:21 - 00:05:54:03
Lindsey McMillion Stermann
I had no idea. But so for me, my story is that those little details might have given me some anxiety because I didn't know the how. But fortunately I had built a network around me of amazing people who had gone before me, started their own businesses. And, you know, it's really about raising your hand and saying, Hey, I need help, or Hey, I don't know how to do this.
00:05:54:24 - 00:06:15:07
Lindsey McMillion Stermann
And and people, you know, they remember it. It's really fun. I'm sure you and all of your conversations with other entrepreneurs have experienced this. You get to go back in the archives and like, wow, I remember what it felt like to launch my business. And there were scary moments and exhilarating moments and dumb mistake moments, right? Which still happen every now and then.
00:06:15:15 - 00:06:22:24
Lindsey McMillion Stermann
And so I think it was for me, just those little details I didn't know because I had never experienced down. But really, at the end of the day, they weren't that scary.
00:06:23:13 - 00:06:42:03
Rob Napoli
Yeah, I love that. And so I'm with you, too. Like having you know, I think you see this a lot with entrepreneurs like those that have ran business operations that have been in sales. And some are easier because it's natural. But every day, all day, we're selling ourselves, right? So I love that you kind of brought that up.
00:06:42:03 - 00:07:03:18
Rob Napoli
The second part of that question was when you made that switch to being an entrepreneur and launching your business, did you already have kind of your personal credibility brand in place? And how did that either help or maybe cause you to like re reinvent yourself or did it in that process? Because many of us go through changes of life and we have to go through this process.
00:07:04:02 - 00:07:31:03
Lindsey McMillion Stermann
Yeah, great question. I think that the blessing and affirmation that I needed when launching Mcmillion Consulting was when individuals and companies that I had been working with when I told them about the switch because it felt like such a big deal for me, which it was responded with, Oh, I already thought you were on your own. I was like, Oh, I wasn't expecting that.
00:07:31:03 - 00:07:56:07
Lindsey McMillion Stermann
Well, thank you so much. What a complement I was in. And now, you know, let's just continue what we've started. So, I mean, how cool is that again? I'm just I'm so grateful for the journey that I've had up to this point with that entrepreneurial launching, if you will. And, you know, I think, Rob, you know, it's about realizing all the freedom you have and the choices that you have to make.
00:07:56:17 - 00:08:19:12
Lindsey McMillion Stermann
All the study groups and peer groups that I'm in with other successful entrepreneurs, and many of which I'm the tiny fish in the big and the big pond with big fish. And, you know, we have we all hit decisions, fatigue, right? When you are the leader of the ship, when you are the captain of the ship, you are making all of those decisions and it gets exhausting.
00:08:19:12 - 00:08:39:08
Lindsey McMillion Stermann
And while it can if if you're like most entrepreneurs I know, like myself, squirrel Right, right. And shiny object and you're just like, what's the next thing? What's the next thing? And so you get really overwhelmed because you aren't making the right decisions for your business. So yeah, that's kind of ten fold way to answer your question. But those are a couple of things that come to mind.
00:08:39:08 - 00:09:00:06
Rob Napoli
I love it. And so, you know, I think that it's really interesting for for many of us, right, when you work in an organization for a long time and a lot of times you start a business, it could be something similar or it could be something different or you're going through a transition. Even so, those listeners that aren't entrepreneurs but love consuming entrepreneurial content, how do you make that transition?
00:09:00:06 - 00:09:28:24
Rob Napoli
Right? And we see a lot of times that people will start a business or kind of move, and it's all about the company they work for and not about that. And I think it's scary for us to put our our kind of selves out there and kind of share a bit of our story. So, you know, if somebody asked you, like, where do I start with kind of putting myself out there for credibility sake, what are kind of those the first couple of things that you would recommend one of us know as top tips, that's like this is the baseline where you should get started.
00:09:29:05 - 00:09:54:10
Lindsey McMillion Stermann
So a few things come to mind. The first is looking at your time. So I've mentored several entrepreneurs and some of whom were considering launching off on their own, leaving corporate America, some of who are have started their businesses. And I again put myself back in their shoes because even however many years into it I am, I still am constantly evaluating how I spend my time.
00:09:54:18 - 00:10:13:11
Lindsey McMillion Stermann
And so we hear the phrase working on the business, not just in the business. Well, that's something you don't have to worry about when you don't work for yourself. You're just you show up and you do your job. When you're an entrepreneur, it can get really easy, at least for my experience to just work in the business all the time.
00:10:13:11 - 00:10:30:12
Lindsey McMillion Stermann
And so when you are thoughtful and intentional about how you're spending your time, Rob, you've got to carve out time to work on your business. And so for me, that can translate into, well, Lindsey, what does it mean when you say work on your business? Well, how are you positioning yourself in this digital world? What do you have a website?
00:10:30:12 - 00:10:52:01
Lindsey McMillion Stermann
Do you have a way for people to reach out to you? And of course, right, being a LinkedIn credibility consultant, I would be remiss if I didn't talk about getting your butt on LinkedIn the right way. People, you know, people want to help you, but they don't know how to help you if you're not telling them. And so that means putting your business entity on LinkedIn.
00:10:52:01 - 00:11:16:00
Lindsey McMillion Stermann
It means putting your profile and updating those details, making a big announcement, you know, again, if you're good at what you do and you're authentic, genuine and a good, good human, your network wants to help you. They want to make those introductions for you. They want to see succeed, but they don't know how to do that. If you haven't established that online footprint to explain that and tell them how they can help you.
00:11:16:00 - 00:11:41:04
Lindsey McMillion Stermann
So those are a couple of things that come to mind from how you're using your time, working on your business, and then using this powerful platform of LinkedIn. Some people have worked with Rob. They don't even have websites. They literally use LinkedIn, that profile, that company page as they're kind of two fold websites. And that's fantastic because LinkedIn that profiles public, anybody can see it even if they themselves are not on LinkedIn.
00:11:41:12 - 00:12:15:09
Rob Napoli
Yeah, And you know, I'm still a big fan of the website for a million different reasons. But me to LinkedIn loves it because LinkedIn doesn't want to drive or drive away from the platform. So you're keeping people on the platform. That's the biggest growth factor. People don't realize any any platform out there if you are driving away. This is why I link tree and beacons and all these things are nice to have, but like you'll see LED lower results on Instagram and Twitter and all these things that if you if you're driving off the platform, it negatively affects like your rating, like your algorithm score, right?
00:12:15:09 - 00:12:35:08
Rob Napoli
So like the more that you can keep on the platform, the better. And so that's really cool to hear and see. And I love that you kind of mentioned this is just like putting it out there a little bit. I think so many people are, especially entrepreneurs, they build a company and they build their brand of the company first and not their brand first.
00:12:35:18 - 00:12:51:03
Rob Napoli
Right? And it's interesting to me because your brand is bigger than like this new company that no one knows about. So you got it. You can take you got to take your social capital and drive it to. Yes. And then your company brand is just an extension of your personal belief system. Your personal brand is built on your values and what you want to be.
00:12:51:12 - 00:13:09:18
Rob Napoli
The company is built off of that. So there's there's so crossover. Obviously, there are two different things with this crossover. If you're not building step one, how do you build step two? Like you just magically create a brand with a what? Know why? This is where I think Simon Sinek start with why is kind of bullshit. You got to start with where you are first, then start with why?
00:13:09:24 - 00:13:22:06
Rob Napoli
Yeah, well, start with why. And like they come up with this like, beautiful. Why? And it's like, no, like the why can only come by starting where you are. What got you to here and what are you here for. And then why comes from that.
00:13:22:10 - 00:13:51:05
Lindsey McMillion Stermann
Well, and I love what you said Robb, about people are engaging with you might have said this a little differently, but what I heard is you the human right, you the person, and then your company. Your company and that name and the branding behind the name of your business comes comes after in secondary. So I've had several conversations over the last six and a half, seven years of, you know, just internal dialog of should I rebrand, should I rename my business and, and maybe I will one day.
00:13:51:05 - 00:14:29:01
Lindsey McMillion Stermann
It's a never say never. But right now and up to this point, our reputation and our credibility of McMullin consulting comes from me and my team as humans and our reputation and credibility and our relationship. So you're absolutely spot on, starting with you, the entity you, the human and telling your story. I, I remember about two years ago an entrepreneur was not going lie was not telling the broader global network of the world of the business world that she had started her own business because she was waiting to do that until her website was totally done.
00:14:29:09 - 00:14:50:16
Lindsey McMillion Stermann
And I'm just who I mean, like, it still kind of makes my blood boil, right? Like she was missing so much, so much time was passing where if she had just pulled that Band-Aid focused on, at minimum, that LinkedIn profile so that her as the human could position herself to start having those conversations with people in her network, the website can come later.
00:14:50:16 - 00:15:05:10
Lindsey McMillion Stermann
I mean, even myself, I had a really basic Squarespace landing page, you know, about seven years ago. At minimum, it's like website coming soon. Need me now and a quick form fill, but everything else. Rob I was driving through that LinkedIn platform and other social channels.
00:15:05:12 - 00:15:28:07
Rob Napoli
Yeah, no, I mean I have a website and I made the mistake of building a website because I thought I was gonna build something different and I was like, I don't need all of this. I spent way too much money building this big thing that I don't need and sweat shit. I get more business from people doing on LinkedIn than going to my website and signing up for any lead capture like the websites.
00:15:28:08 - 00:15:32:11
Rob Napoli
More of a credibility, but like my LinkedIn is much more of a credibility because everything's there.
00:15:32:19 - 00:15:33:02
Lindsey McMillion Stermann
Right?
00:15:33:15 - 00:15:36:02
Rob Napoli
And it's updated regularly right now.
00:15:36:04 - 00:15:55:13
Lindsey McMillion Stermann
To your point earlier, like websites are still necessary and valuable. Like now that we've created this other iteration of our business, we have online products that people can purchase and free guides. All that's perfectly well suited to live on a website. You know, I'm not necessarily putting all of that on on LinkedIn, but yeah, you're spot on.
00:15:56:03 - 00:16:25:05
Rob Napoli
I love it. So I want to get into something, but I first want to bring something that I read on your profile and I was I think was at a conference your, your challenged about quoting other people less and quoting yourself more and that paralyzed you. And, you know, I think that's really an interesting thing. That's I would say to you so kind of walk me through that experience and like, what was your key takeaway?
00:16:25:05 - 00:16:35:00
Rob Napoli
I have a I have a big thought on it, But but I want to I remember hearing like reading that and it was like, holy shit, I got to ask about this because that to me is like mind blowing. It to me would say that to you.
00:16:35:09 - 00:16:57:18
Lindsey McMillion Stermann
Yeah. So I'm a big believer when things come in my purview, right in my line of vision, especially in droves of three, that that's God tapping me on the shoulder. Hey, wake up. Listen. Ears and eyes open. And so that was I was at a conference and that conversation or question came up like, What's your quote? And then I listen to a podcast and that topic came up like, What's your mantra?
00:16:57:18 - 00:17:15:04
Lindsey McMillion Stermann
What's your what's your jingle? And I'm thinking, Oh my gosh, okay, I'm listening. I think I was even reading a book at the time and that topic came up. And the thing that paralyzed me in the beginning, Rob, was I thought to myself, like, what do I have to say? That anyone would even give a flip or to send to care, right?
00:17:15:04 - 00:17:31:24
Lindsey McMillion Stermann
Like, why am I even important enough to quote myself or create my own quote or my own jingle or my own mantra? And so I really struggled with that. And I thought, you know, like, this is a growth opportunity. If you're feeling that discomfort and some fear, that's usually an indication. That's an opportunity for you to grow and become better.
00:17:31:24 - 00:17:59:07
Lindsey McMillion Stermann
And so I even through the discomfort, like leaned into it and I just started asking myself, what are some of those values that you know, that that I bring to the table when I have conversations throughout the business week and really even on the weekend? Right. And unprofessional. And for me, it was leaning and into gratitude. Right. But that I remember a good friend and a boss at the time, early in my career, said Lindsay.
00:17:59:07 - 00:18:17:13
Lindsey McMillion Stermann
The only thing you can control is the way you respond. And what I was being taught in that moment was I can't control Rob, how you receive what I'm saying. But but what I can control is how I respond to whatever it is that you have to say and how you react and how you respond. I can control that.
00:18:17:21 - 00:18:36:06
Lindsey McMillion Stermann
And for me, that comes down to attitude. So when I really like, again, it was probably a multi-week process. I was like, you know what? Gratitude is really all about your attitude. And and so then I kind of like put, like gratitude food. It's all about your attitude. I mean, it's so cheesy and I'm like, starting to blush that I even know that I'm even saying that out loud.
00:18:36:12 - 00:18:59:11
Lindsey McMillion Stermann
But my husband, however many years ago, remembers that. And every once in a while I'm having an off day feeling underappreciated. My I'm having an off sales day or entrepreneur or leader day. And he goes, gratitude. It's all about your attitude. And I'm like, Yes, totally right. Like, I am in control of feeling grateful. I'm in control of that attitude.
00:18:59:11 - 00:19:03:19
Lindsey McMillion Stermann
So yeah, it was it was a process, though, is what I would say.
00:19:04:02 - 00:19:26:21
Rob Napoli
And I appreciate you sharing that because this is the stuff that I get so often is especially from people who are younger, the younger generation, Gen Z and millennials, this like cycle who would listened to me and there's like two to really big thoughts I have here. One is it's amazing. Like I don't think there's a lot of original thought.
00:19:26:22 - 00:19:42:17
Rob Napoli
Nehemiah And what I mean by this is like, you have original thoughts, but it's because you learned it from someone else, right? And so this is the big like content is going on. I LinkedIn, if you see that people are like, oh you're in my content, you're my content, you're ripping my content. It's kind of like now somebody is like copying and pasting.
00:19:42:18 - 00:20:01:09
Rob Napoli
If I wasn't doing it, that's ripping. But I take what you said and they like internalize it and they share it with their network in a way that makes sense to them. That's them doing what this book Steal Like an Artist by Australian taught us all to do like this. This was like key for for the artist. Like, don't reinvent the wheel, right?
00:20:01:14 - 00:20:02:13
Lindsey McMillion Stermann
Yes, I love that.
00:20:02:24 - 00:20:21:24
Rob Napoli
And so I think for anyone to say stop is going to post quotes like if you're taking this analysis message, this is a great way to get started and I'll leave this into it is like a great way to get started is like taking other lessons and quotes from other people and then showing how they what they mean to you and how that is because somebody out there is looking to you.
00:20:22:12 - 00:20:37:23
Rob Napoli
So they might be looking to rob in that Lindsay or so I might be looking to Lindsay in that right? We could be saying the same thing. But like we connect differently for whatever reason. Yes. And it's the way that I deliver it. The way you deliver it. Same thing. Yeah. Know difference in delivery on who they connect with and why.
00:20:38:01 - 00:20:58:14
Rob Napoli
Oh, that's what this is all about, is you don't have to think. And I started creating smile, quote, kinds of like things that I hear. And I started saying like, Oh, this is like, this is how I would say it, right? It's just like comes out through like these conversations and we kind of create clockwise around it. And that leads me into this thing that everyone has a story to tell, and everyone is unique because their journey is theirs.
00:20:58:14 - 00:21:28:22
Rob Napoli
And when you get over the fact that somebody out there can learn from you, you start to draw this down from like using other people's cause into your own verbalization of what that means. Yes. And I think that's really powerful. And and I love that, you know, you had that experience and it's and I think it's probably, you know, I'm guessing here, but it's probably really allowed you to step into your power of being more confident in the things that you bring to the table because you you have such a breadth and depth of experience.
00:21:28:22 - 00:21:37:08
Rob Napoli
That's like tying out tying all those loops together is really so many people out there fail to do like, yeah, just do.
00:21:37:08 - 00:21:57:00
Lindsey McMillion Stermann
It, just do it. And it takes practice, right? I think there's a few layers to that. One is it takes practice like try it on for size, see how it fits, how it fits you and your belief system and how you show up. And if it if it isn't serving you and isn't resonating with the people you're trying to impact, then it's okay, switch it up.
00:21:57:00 - 00:22:16:18
Lindsey McMillion Stermann
I think the other part too, Rob, and I don't want to be too bullish about this, but the thing I had to keep in mind, especially in launching my business and even when I was new in my career in green, is that I'm really not that important. I am important and I am valuable and I do have something to say.
00:22:16:18 - 00:22:40:05
Lindsey McMillion Stermann
But for me personally, the head transition between my two years was, you know, like, I'm pretty sure if I post this on LinkedIn and I misspell something or my opinion on this matter or subject changes in six months, I'm not going to I didn't probably change the world with that one post or that one paragraph or that one misspelling.
00:22:40:05 - 00:23:07:08
Lindsey McMillion Stermann
I mean, I literally this I'm embarrassed to admit this, but I think hopefully it's just an encouragement to your listeners that I have been using. I've been updating Speaker bio off and on. It's a similar style. I've been updating it probably every couple of months. And Rob, I literally just had thankfully a good human, a kind friend reach out and say, Hey, I noticed something on your bio.
00:23:07:10 - 00:23:29:18
Lindsey McMillion Stermann
Can I tell you what it is? I'm like, Yeah, please. He goes, You misspelled your last name at the bottom of your bio. I mean, are you kidding me? I was so embarrassed, but so beyond grateful. And I go, Well, proves I'm a human right like nobody else either Nobody saw that or they saw it and just didn't tell me and didn't bother.
00:23:29:24 - 00:23:44:00
Lindsey McMillion Stermann
So, like, it's all good. It's all good. I didn't. I don't rob. I didn't get a deal because I misspelled something even my own last name. Like, how embarrassing. But it's fine. It's totally fine. I'm pretty sure I didn't lose a deal because of that one error. So it makes sense.
00:23:44:16 - 00:24:03:00
Rob Napoli
It does. And I think that's really important. And I love how you said there's different layers to this because, you know, I mean, I was talking I was like, I realize I made it sound linear, but nothing in life is linear, right? This is iteration, time, energy, confidence, right? Gratitude, attitude. Like, I love that you said that because for me, it's, you know, curiosity, right?
00:24:03:02 - 00:24:22:21
Rob Napoli
It's being curious to to learn and grow. And, you know, I think it's okay for you to change your area of expertise. It's okay to change what you talk about. It's okay. As you go through different stages of life, try on what you want to be known for and what the conversations you want to have. And you know, the the best way to do that is you don't have to create content.
00:24:22:22 - 00:24:45:22
Rob Napoli
Just engage with content like share your thoughts and try it on for size by engaging in content like I believe the world needs more engagers and less creators. I think everyone to creative right now and we need more engagement. And that engagement drives credibility because you're interacting, you're providing value with value right by it, by commenting and engaging and doing those things.
00:24:46:06 - 00:25:12:21
Lindsey McMillion Stermann
And Rob and Rob, can I put a know an add on to that? I could not agree with you more. Not to mention the fact that because especially I'll speak to LinkedIn, since that's the the platform that I focus on is it also humanizes you. There are there's been a tremendous uptick in automation out there where there's this red alluring easy button and let me say this I'm not opposed to automation.
00:25:13:09 - 00:25:41:12
Lindsey McMillion Stermann
I'm not saying it's a bad approach. However, it's still important to incorporate that humanizing, as you just said, of engaging with people so that it proves that you're human. And here's the here's the additional extension to that. When you engage on LinkedIn and you're commenting on people's content and you're giving them shout outs and you're resharing other people's content and you are proving, you know, creating your own voice, you know, what that all ultimately does.
00:25:41:20 - 00:26:06:17
Lindsey McMillion Stermann
It puts eyeballs back on you and back on your profile, which is why 100% of the time we are always starting with our clients, assessing how they look on this platform through their LinkedIn profile, right? So I can teach you every button to click. I can make you a LinkedIn sales navigator ninja right recruiter like recruiter Ninja. However, I'm doing you a disservice if we don't spend time focusing on that foundation.
00:26:06:17 - 00:26:33:24
Lindsey McMillion Stermann
And I like your point about focusing on less content creation and more about engagement. And so some people may say, Well, Lindsay, you and Rob just said two different things because my profile is content creation is it, though? It's really just your story, right? It's just your story. It's not. So to me that I think you and I are saying the same thing, you know, and, and yeah, there's like anything, you know, it's not linear, right?
00:26:33:24 - 00:26:35:15
Lindsey McMillion Stermann
Lots and lots of layers for sure.
00:26:36:07 - 00:27:02:10
Rob Napoli
I mean, there's so much to stuff about. I do what you just said because you hit the nail on the head right. This idea for anyone out there that is looking to create credibility, their brand, however, however you want to say it is, you have to be authentically and generally you and you have to try things on for size, you know, world of influencer ism where, you know, we got to put our best foot forward.
00:27:02:10 - 00:27:27:07
Rob Napoli
We fake it till you make it. We, you know, buy you know, we rent out at a private jet to take pictures. And even though we're not flying in it just for the ground like that, that is gone. That is dynamic. We want authenticity, We want real. And that's how this starts. And it just happens over time. And you have to you have to get over the fear of doing it and just take one step, and that is optimize your profile.
00:27:28:11 - 00:27:59:23
Lindsey McMillion Stermann
Yeah, as a step. Yes, totally. My good friend Nicole Kalil, she just published her book this year called Validation Is for Parking. And one of her one of her quotes is write instead of like you just said, fake it to you, make it. Her quote is choose it till you become it. Isn't that so good? And you can't become it until you make the decision to choose it and and live it out and experience it and then decide, okay, is this working for me?
00:27:59:23 - 00:28:03:05
Lindsey McMillion Stermann
Is this not What's the new iteration of this? So I'm with you.
00:28:03:24 - 00:28:27:17
Rob Napoli
I love it. And, you know, is this you know, this episode is kicking off our new year in 2023. What are what are one or two things that everyone out there should be kind of paying attention to or are like a challenge that you have for the New year to create credibility on LinkedIn. What are your kind of top one or two things as we run, as we kick off 2023 here?
00:28:28:06 - 00:28:53:21
Lindsey McMillion Stermann
Yeah, Yeah, absolutely. So LinkedIn is especially since the pandemic has become more of a human platform in terms of like building authentic relationships. And so the thing I want to say regarding like new features and LinkedIn changing all the time is this idea of, well, there's two features right now and I'm crossing my fingers and toes that LinkedIn doesn't take these features away.
00:28:53:21 - 00:29:15:06
Lindsey McMillion Stermann
And that is the profile photo or excuse me, profile video, the profile video. You have up to 30 seconds to do a camera facing video. Tell people who you are, what you do, say your name. Tell us how we can help you. Tell us how we can engage with you. Similarly, the name pronunciation LinkedIn's intention with that is for you to record your name.
00:29:15:10 - 00:29:34:17
Lindsey McMillion Stermann
Lindsey McMillian Stermann Well, that took all of, what, one and a half seconds. Guess what? You actually have 10 seconds to say something a little bit more intriguing and interesting. So mine sound something to the effect of, Hey, Lindsey McMillian, stem in here, also known as LinkedIn. Lindsey looking for a transformation. You know, reach out and connect with me in and within a note.
00:29:35:04 - 00:29:58:20
Lindsey McMillion Stermann
So it's this idea that you're getting to hear my voice, how I inflect my energy, how I speak, how I actually say my name. Go figure. So, Rob, the thing I'd want to part ways with your audience on is just this idea of thinking of LinkedIn as a human platform, not just another quote unquote social media tool. Because at the end of the day, right, business has always been social.
00:29:59:02 - 00:30:07:23
Lindsey McMillion Stermann
Having conversations and building relationships has always been social. So how are you showing up authentically and in a more human way on that platform?
00:30:08:23 - 00:30:30:18
Rob Napoli
I love I just I wrote it down LinkedIn as a human platform. And it is. And when we think about it that way and we leverage it that way, it allows us to be more impactful, right? Conversations, sales, partnerships, all these different things. It just opens up the door so much more. Lindsey, I appreciate you so much for being a part of the show.
00:30:30:18 - 00:30:42:12
Rob Napoli
I wish I could sit and just chat LinkedIn tactics for 4 hours, but how can my listeners find you? What's the best way to to connect with you and learn more about what you're doing?
00:30:42:20 - 00:31:04:01
Lindsey McMillion Stermann
Absolutely. Absolutely. So I'll give you a couple entry points. One, we just relaunched our website, so it is amazing. McMillian consulting dot com. Hopefully you'll drop that in the show notes M.C. Million consulting dot com. We've got a lot of free guides a couple of little lower entry points if you if you need that if you are hiring speakers throughout the year.
00:31:04:01 - 00:31:20:24
Lindsey McMillion Stermann
It's one of the things I love doing. So you've got a speaker form. Tell me about your event and let's connect. Of course I have to say I'm on LinkedIn. Go figure. So connect with me on LinkedIn, follow the company page and then I am on Instagram, so go easy on me. I'm still a newbie on the platform.
00:31:20:24 - 00:31:30:14
Lindsey McMillion Stermann
I'd say only about two years into it, so I was a little late to the game. But if you want to see pictures of Tator Todd He's on Instagram and my handle is LinkedIn.
00:31:30:14 - 00:31:52:14
Rob Napoli
Lindsay So all those haters are dropped into the show notes. Lindsay Thank you so much for taking the time to be a part of Bear Nation. For those out there, check her stuff out. There's so much amazing content out there and so many great tips and tricks. I spent about 45 minutes just watching content, so there's plenty for you to learn from Lindsay we appreciate you there, Bear nation,
00:31:52:14 - 00:32:03:17
Rob Napoli
Have a wonderful 2023. We are excited for you to be here, excited for you to go on this journey with us as we make the most of 2023. So next time y'all stay well and rise up.
OUTRO
00:32:07:21 - 00:32:17:13
Rob Napoli
Bear Nation. Thanks for listening to the bare necessities of entrepreneurship. If you enjoyed this episode. Please subscribe and leave us a review.