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Case Study: Why Every B2B Business Development Executive Should Blog [INTERVIEW]

by Neal Schaffer

June 20, 2012 By Neal Schaffer 9 Comments

Case-Study-Why-Every-B2B-Business-Development-Executive-Should-Blog-[INTERVIEW]-V2 copy

In my work consulting, coaching, and speaking to various organizations on how to leverage social media for their business objectives, I sometimes come across some that I feel can be role models in terms of how they utilize social media for their company. The below interview is with one such individual, Abhishek Mittal (@mumblr on Twitter), who is a B2B business development executive with the thought-leading global professional services company Towers Watson. He has become an “influencer” within his industry due to his savvy use of social media, and this had led to him being able to develop business from his social media activity – and being someone who is often sought out by his customers.

Please briefly first describe your role at Towers Watson.

I work in the Organisational Surveys & Insights practice at Towers Watson, Singapore. I manage relationships with clients across Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and India and work with them to design solutions to address business needs such as employee engagement, culture alignment, change management, talent management, human capital risk assessment, customer engagement, etc.

I understand that, in addition to the above role, you are an avid blogger. Why did you decide to start blogging?

Back in the mid-2000s, I had picked up blogging as a casual hobby, writing about anything and everything under the sun. Over the years, I started focusing on writing about topics I was most passionate about – people management, HR / OD, leadership, employee engagement etc. Apart from looking at blogging as a tool for self-expression and reaching out to a global audience, I also see it as a tool for personal development. I also feel that my blog is a way for me to contribute to the global HR / OD community and it’s pool of knowledge.

What has been the ROI of your blogging?

Firstly, I have managed to connect with some fantastic people in my area of work through my blog. There have been great conversations and thought-exchanges, which have been very enriching for me. And I actually got a chance to meet a few of them in-person even though we live in different parts of the world! Secondly, blogging has done wonders to my personal brand. Through my blog (and other social media channels like Twitter), I got recognized as one of the Top Online Influencers in Leadership & HR. Many HR professionals and even headhunters discover me through my blog!

My active presence on social media channels has also helped my get new leads and business. For instance, I once found a HR professional on an online forum with technical questions about Employee Engagement constructs. I wrote back a detailed reply and some of the other participants backed my thoughts. I got to setup a meeting and I have had them as a client for 3 years now! Similarly, I have found good business leads from LinkedIn Answers forums. Very recently, I got a call from a reader of my blog saying that he liked what he read, and was interested in having a more detailed conversation about how we could partner together.

Most consultants I meet have little time for social media, nonetheless blogging! How do you find, or make, time for your efforts?

I have got this question many times. I see social media as a personal learning & development channel for myself. It helps me connect with great people, come across great content and stay abreast of the latest & greatest in my field. And since this channel is ‘real-time’, often I am one of the first to know. Rather than being a drain on my time, social media actually helps me become a much better advisor to my clients. Hence, I do not see it as “yet another thing” I need to do – it’s integrated into my life.

What other social media advice would you give others in a similar B2B business development role?

Social media is a great way of keeping up to date on your professional sphere, clients and the business world in general. It provides access to great research and also exposes one to the innovation that’s happening on the fringes by small companies. It provides networking opportunities that otherwise don’t exist.

In order to establish trust and influence in these channels, I follow a few key rules: 1) Begin by sharing yourself, rather than going in to glean information and jump out! 2) Don’t just consume information, engage in dialogue about the information so that it grows. 3) Don’t try to sell (Yes, don’t sell but rather establish trust and sales will automatically follow).

In conclusion, would you recommend others in a similar B2B outfacing business development role blog? I realize the personal branding aspect, but could you say that it is plain old good business to do so, i.e. if done right it could lead to both lead generation as well as establishing thought leadership for your brand (company and personal) in the market?

Absolutely! These days we cannot afford not have presence in the online world. And social media can be a great prospecting / networking tool for business development folks. If done right, it is a powerful way of establishing trust, having great conversations and showing one’s influence or expertise in a given area. Though I must add that, this is relatively slow in parts of Asia I have worked in, where “face-time” is still critical.

Has this inspired YOU to start blogging?

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Neal Schaffer

Neal Schaffer

Neal Schaffer is a leading authority on helping businesses through their digital transformation of sales and marketing through consulting, training, and helping enterprises large and small develop and execute on social media marketing strategy, influencer marketing, and social selling initiatives. President of the social media agency PDCA Social, Neal also teaches digital media to executives at Rutgers University, the Irish Management Institute (Ireland), and the University of Jyvaskyla (Finland). Fluent in Japanese and Mandarin Chinese, Neal is a popular keynote speaker and has been invited to speak about digital media on four continents in a dozen countries. He is also the author of 3 books on social media, including Maximize Your Social (Wiley), and in late 2019 will publish his 4th book, The Business of Influence (HarperCollins), on educating the market on the why and how every business should leverage the potential of influencer marketing. Neal resides in Irvine, California but also frequently travels to Japan.
Neal Schaffer

@nealschaffer

Social Media Author, @RBSExecEd & @IMI_Ireland Educator, Keynote Speaker. New #influencermarketing book: https://t.co/Z9bWWfapJ6
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About Neal Schaffer

Neal Schaffer is a leading authority on helping businesses through their digital transformation of sales and marketing through consulting, training, and helping enterprises large and small develop and execute on social media marketing strategy, influencer marketing, and social selling initiatives. President of the social media agency PDCA Social, Neal also teaches digital media to executives at Rutgers University, the Irish Management Institute (Ireland), and the University of Jyvaskyla (Finland). Fluent in Japanese and Mandarin Chinese, Neal is a popular keynote speaker and has been invited to speak about digital media on four continents in a dozen countries. He is also the author of 3 books on social media, including Maximize Your Social (Wiley), and in late 2019 will publish his 4th book, The Business of Influence (HarperCollins), on educating the market on the why and how every business should leverage the potential of influencer marketing. Neal resides in Irvine, California but also frequently travels to Japan.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Donald Vaccaro says

    September 20, 2018 at 1:24 am

    Nice blog.I really like your blog.Thanks for sharing with us.

    Reply
  2. Tyler Wilkinson San DiegoTyler Wilkinson San Diego says

    September 13, 2018 at 6:33 am

    Great.I really like your blog .Thanks for sharing.

    Reply
  3. Mandeep Chaggar says

    July 19, 2018 at 8:10 pm

    Great blog about the business management and business marketing and development. thanks for it Mandeep Chaggar from the same field who help in business development…

    Reply
  4. Sarah Hill says

    December 1, 2017 at 1:58 am

    Great! I just like your blogs.

    Reply
    • Neal Schaffer says

      December 1, 2017 at 8:39 am

      Thanks Sarah!

      Reply
  5. Gail Gardner says

    June 22, 2012 at 4:42 pm

    I agree that they need to blog but strongly feel that their time is better spent guest blogging and as a contributor on an established blog that already reaches their target audiences and NOT by having the overhead of creating their own blog. We do NOT all need blogs – what we need is more GROUP blogs to really get traction. Many creating quality content and promoting = a larger audience, more influence, and more time spent focused on what really matters to each individual writer. 

    Reply
    • Neal Schaffer says

      June 22, 2012 at 6:10 pm

      That’s a good point Gail – and something that should be considered because a blog DOES require overhead…

      Reply
  6. Joel Don says

    June 20, 2012 at 4:32 pm

    Neal, good set of questions.  Nice to get affirmative input from the global community. 

    Reply
    • Neal Schaffer says

      June 20, 2012 at 5:20 pm

      Thanks Joel! Abhishek is very much the “social media poster child” of Towers Watson, so it was a pleasure and an honor to be able to interview him and have him share his experiences for everyone’s benefit.

      Reply

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Neal Schaffer is a leader in helping educate executives and professionals on social media as well as in implementing successful social media strategies for businesses. CEO of the social media agency PDCA Social, social media educator at Rutgers University and the Irish Management Institute, social media keynote speaker who has spoken at hundreds of events on four continents, and author of three social media books, Neal is a true innovator and influencer in the growing world of social media for business.

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