PE M&A Activity ↑12.4%│Industrial EBITDA Multiples 7.2×│B2B Buyer Trust Index ↓31%│SEO Click-Through Rate ↓44%│LMM Deal Volume ↑8.1%│Sales Hire Failure Rate 67%│Organic Growth Gap 2.3× plan│PE Dry Powder $2.59T│PRESS: Ed Marsh at PE Operating Partners Summit│DEAL: Midwest controls automation acquired at 7.8×│PE M&A Activity ↑12.4%│Industrial EBITDA Multiples 7.2×│B2B Buyer Trust Index ↓31%│SEO Click-Through Rate ↓44%│LMM Deal Volume ↑8.1%│Sales Hire Failure Rate 67%│Organic Growth Gap 2.3× plan│PE Dry Powder $2.59T│PRESS: Ed Marsh at PE Operating Partners Summit│DEAL: Midwest controls automation acquired at 7.8×│
Alyssa Gelbard on Executive Branding for Industrial Manufacturers
Many industrial manufacturing executives prefer to let their products speak for themselves, but avoiding executive branding and LinkedIn is risky.
Ed Marsh
INDUSTRIAL REVENUE GROWTH
5 MIN READ
Your LinkedIn Profile Affects the Way People Perceive Your Company - Executive Branding Matters!
People go to LinkedIn to research you before a meeting. That's true whether you're selling, buying, hiring, or engaging in the community.
Your personal branding, and your team's branding are critical to the fast impressions people form.
Alyssa Gelbard helps executives and companies improve their LinkedIn effectiveness, and her company, Point Road Group, has interesting proprietary research that illustrates the impact of your executive brand on how prospects view your company.
Alyssa and I had a wide ranging conversation on the Indudstrial Growth Institute Podcast, covering how companies and individuals can improve their LinkedIn performance, independent director branding and more.
Connect with Alyssa for insights on how to improve individual and team personal branding, and maximize the impact of LinkedIn on your business growth.
Alyssa Gelbard, founder and CEO of Point Road Group, discusses the importance of personal branding and executive presence in driving credibility and trust.
Gelbard highlights the need for companies to focus on employee branding and ensure that all employees, from interns to CEOs, have a strong personal brand.
She shares the results of proprietary research conducted by her firm, which found that LinkedIn profiles have a significant impact on business functions such as marketing, sales, and recruiting. She emphasizes:
need for consistency in personal branding
importance of staying current with platform changes
value of attending in-person events
Ed and Alyssa also discuss boards of directors including:
the significance of personal branding in the board directorship space
need for board members to have a professional presence on LinkedIn
importance of telling your story and communicating your value as a board member
how a strong presence on LinkedIn can help attract and retain talent, enhance company culture, and differentiate a business in a competitive market
building trust and credibility is crucial in executive branding, and video content can foster that trust more effectively than written content alone.
Takeaways
Personal branding is essential for individuals to establish credibility and trust in the business world.
Executive presence encompasses various aspects, including communication skills, appearance, and behavior in meetings and networking events.
Employee branding is crucial for companies to create a positive perception of their brand and attract top talent.
LinkedIn profiles have a significant impact on business functions such as marketing, sales, and recruiting.
Consistency in personal branding is key to creating a recognizable and trustworthy brand.
Board members should have a professional presence on LinkedIn and communicate their board affiliations to enhance their personal and company brands.
Telling your story and communicating your value as a board member is important for attracting board opportunities.
Boards should understand the value of LinkedIn and consider the benefits of board members being active on the platform. LinkedIn is a powerful tool for executives and businesses to build their brand and engage with their network.
A strong LinkedIn presence can attract and retain talent, enhance company culture, and differentiate a business in a competitive market.
Video content, such as podcasts and YouTube videos, allows for passive consumption of information and builds trust and credibility.
Takeaway Quotes from Alyssa Gelbard
"Personal branding is not just something online. It's who you are when you are sitting in a meeting with your team."
"88% of people said they were more likely to trust the company and their marketing messaging from a company when they had an executive who had a detailed LinkedIn profile."
"LinkedIn is where people look before any kind of meeting. So as an executive team, it's your responsibility to represent yourself well and the company well."
"To be an effective leader, there has to be vulnerability and authenticity, and you have to be willing to open up a little bit personally in order to share that."
Outline
00:00 Introduction and Background of Alyssa Gelbard 02:49 The Importance of Personal Branding and Executive Presence 13:44 The Impact of LinkedIn Profiles on Marketing, Sales, and Recruiting 21:19 The Blurring Line Between Personal and Professional on Social Media 26:10 Maintaining a Professional Image on LinkedIn 27:37 The Importance of Consistency in Personal Branding 29:11 Vulnerability and Authenticity in Leadership 31:24 Networking with a Purpose 36:32 The Significance of Personal Branding in Board Directorship 42:23 Telling Your Story as a Board Member 48:31 Understanding the Value of LinkedIn for Boards 52:41 The Power of LinkedIn for Executive Branding and Business Growth 54:38 Building Trust and Differentiating Your Business on LinkedIn 01:00:23 The Rise of Video Content in Executive Branding 01:05:43 Choosing the Right Social Media Platforms for Your Brand
Executive Branding is Just One Piece of Manufacturing Marketing
Wondering how buyer research, personas, buyers journey mapping and other manufacturing marketing techniques fit into a revenue growth system? Check out the Overall Revenue Effectiveness™ Framework for strategic growth.
Is your team selling at decision five?
A 15-minute conversation will tell you where your deals are really won or lost.
Most complex industrial purchases must clear five separate buying decisions.
Decisions 2 and 3 determine whether a purchase happens at all — and most reps don't know they exist.
Most big-ticket B2B industrial forecasts are fantasies because they ignore those decisions.
Buying teams typically include eight to twelve people.
Reps need business acumen — not just product knowledge — to engage decision-makers early.
Ed Marsh
Ed was going to be an architect because he loved the nexus of engineering and design. That was before was going to be an engineer; before he graduated from Johns Hopkins; before he was an Army Infantry Officer (Airborne Ranger); before he set B2B industrial sales records; before he was partners with a German capital equipment manufacturer; before he founded a distribution/rep company for industrial products in India; until he decided that managing a business and employees wasn’t what he enjoyed. Now that Ed’s got all of that out of his system he runs a consultancy that helps US manufacturing companies grow by applying process excellence to business development – completing the full circle back to an engineering & design combination. His practice is built on a unique methodology which combines powerful digital marketing methodologies (a HubSpot partner) with his extensive international biz dev experience.
STOP FORECASTING FANTASIES
Find out where your deals are really won.
Fifteen minutes with Ed Marsh. Sharp questions, honest answers, and a clear read on whether your team is selling to the right decision.