Evernote Hello (Android, iPhone) – Scans Business cards, automatically connects, makes meetings memorable. Great for prequalification presentations, jobsite, and pre-construction meetings!

CoBook (iPhone) Imports your contacts with Rich Profiles, organizes volumes of contacts with intelligent search by name, company or group. It also displays the local time for each contact – a handy feature!
To get it to work with LinkedIn, On your iPhone, open Cobook’s Settings and simply shake your phone. Aggregating your contacts in one place so you’re never caught without your contacts while at the jobsite.

Tout Email analytics, email templates, live feed interaction with links to call, email or access your CRM (Customer Relationship Management) system for personalized follow-up. If you don’t have a CRM solution you can import your contacts by group or association. Works with Outlook, Gmail and synchronizes with your LinkedIn Connections. The ultimate in easy follow-up to all your important construction meetings and business development opportunities.

Five Hundred Plus For those of you with over 500 LinkedIn connections, this personal CRM tool now has a team feature if you have team members nurturing a prospect. Keep you LinkedIn connections close and nurture referrals with those that influence the construction industry.

ProInsights.me (Android tablets, iPad and the iPhone) This app offers a better way to visualize your connections with infographics, has an intelligent search that’s useful for finding someone when their name escapes you. Sorry no videos available on this one but there’s a quick overview preso on their website. Most construction professionals are visual, so make your LinkedIn connections and relationships easier to navigate.

NoteLeaf (Android, iPhone and Blackberry) This is a fantastic app that takes your Google Calendar (Which I sync my Outlook too daily) and gives me a recap of who I am meeting with 10 minutes before my meeting on my mobile device. Although not currently accessible in beta trials, add your email and get invited to their official release. I’ve used this for over a year, keeping me informed with my construction prospects, influencers and customers.

Charliehq Another suggestion to sign-up for early. CharlieHQ will give you a reminder before a meeting and help you stay current with a contacts activities. Heard about this tool via my network. Looking forward to it’s release!

The post LinkedIn Secret Tools for Construction Business Owners and Business Development appeared first on Hagen Business Systems.

These seven applications will help make  LinkedIn deliver business results and fulfill your 2013 resolution of leveraging Social Media. Best of all most of these apps are free to use (some offer premium services).

For People You Meet and want to Keep in Touch With: CardMunch is a Business Card App that transcribes contacts and connects on LinkedIn, currently for iOS only (owned by LinkedIn)

To Meet People When Traveling: HereOnBiz ( iOS only) is perfect for when you are looking to meetup with connections in other cities, and receive notification when connections that matter  are nearby or at the same event.

For People You Need to See More Often: HookFlash is a WebRTC app for video calls to your LinkedIn Connections ( iPad only)

To Keep Track of Who You’ve Spoken To and When: ConnectedHQ is a lite Customer Relationship Management solution CRM (owned by LinkedIn) which also incorporates profiles from Twitter, Facebook and Google+ providing a universal address book, comprehensive profiles, daily agendas and events.

To Showcase Your Expertise: Slideshare lets you upload your presentations and docs (owned by LinkedIn) so you can embed them on your LinkedIn Profile in the Summary, Education or Experience Sections.

To Keep Your Conversations Fresh: Rapportive is a Gmail  plug-in for access to LinkedIn, Skype, Twitter and Facebook profiles (owned by Linkedin)

To Find More Connections in Your Industry or Your Prospect’s Industry: Intro – Lets you define what industry and role you are looking to connect with from LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, MeetUp on iTunes and Android’s Google Play

Learn one App a day, and in a week you’ll be ready to make LinkedIn Pop! If you are in the construction industry, I invite you to connect with me on LinkedIn to learn more about software, apps and construction specific tech topics a.

For more LinkedIn apps that have  working relationships with LInkedIn , check out  my Quora answer

photo credit: Adriano Gasparri via photopin cc

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Follow construction leaders you find on LinkedIn

I suggest you start following  Associated General Contractors Chief Economist, Ken Simonson – you can tell he is part of the elite group of thought leaders on LinkedIn by visiting his profile and noticing the “Follow button” – I’m already following and have met him numerous times at AGC events.  See how his profile has a large Follow/Following button rather than a connect button:

Add to the  Recommended Construction Thought Leaders List

Now there are many other talented people that serve and are dedicated to the construction industry that  are authors, bloggers,  business leaders, educators and innovators that often share their wisdom.  Apparently LinkedIn doesn’t know the construction industry that well so I though we could  get a list going of who should be considered and help Architecture, Engineering and Construction learn at a more rapid pace.  Please add to this list with your thought leader recommendations in the comments.

Brent Darnell – Construction Communications Wizard

Anirban Basu – Economist

Andrew Abernathy – Virtual Construction and Collaborative team building

David F. Carr – Construction Tech News

I’ll update this post weekly with all your additions.  Once we have a list of 25+ compiled I’ll see if we can get them submitted to LinkedIn.  This is obviously a join effort and with the help of the industry we can leverage the construction industry expertise and share best practices, critical thinking, technology and leadership that can propel the future.

Suggest Topics for Thought Leaders in the Construction Industry

Here are areas I’d like your suggestions for:

• BIM
• LEED
• LEAN Construction
• Civil Engineering
• Construction Finance
• Construction Business Strategy
• CAD
• Business Intelligence
• Equipment/Fleet Management
• Project Management/Operations
• Estimating

Again make suggestions in the comment section.

We’re all missing out on tribal knowledge.  Let’s pool it together.  Thanks for your submissions and please share this with others.

The post Construction Thought Leaders on LinkedIn appeared first on Hagen Business Systems.

Architecture in Bermuda 1939 – before LinkedIn existed

Architects and Planners have been busy creating profiles on LinkedIn. The latest statistics (as of May 16, 2012) show there are 1,128,581 LinkedIn profiles in the Architecture and Planning Industry. For those readers interested in knowing just where all these profiles are in the world, here’s a breakdown:

United States 337,376
India 69,140
Italy 63,357
United Kingdom 59,815
Brazil 50,974
Spain 43,815
Netherlands 29.585
Canada 29,339
France 27,700
Mexico 24,250
Australia 23,352
Germany 14,110
Portugal 12,983
Chile 11,784
South Africa 10,582
Denmark 10,479
UAE 10,361

US Cities: Greater New York City Area 37,569
Greater Los Angeles Area 19,362
San Francisco Bay Area 19,340
Greater Chicago Area 14,322
Greater Boston Area 13,313
Washington DC Area 12,115
Dallas/Ft Worth Area 9,333
Greater Seattle Area 8,915
Greater Atlanta Area 8,720
Greater Philadelphia 8,227

So you’re country or city isn’t listed? Ask me in the comments – I’ll be happy to answer. I’d also like to know where you are and if you are leveraging LinkedIn for your business. Share your stories.

Those that like this post may also be interested in:

Construction Industry LinkedIn Statistics

Construction Firms have Overlooked the Value of LinkedIn

The post Architecture and Planning Industry Stats on LinkedIn appeared first on Hagen Business Systems.

Citation: Construction Industry Linkedin Statistics by Country April 24 2012, ChartsBin.com, viewed 24th April, 2012,

Are there countries (or cities) you need the numbers on? I’m here to help, just ask in the comments section, or drop me a line on LinkedIn.

The post Construction Industry LinkedIn Statistics appeared first on Hagen Business Systems.

Keep in mind that joining a group doesn’t mean “Aha – look at all the people I can spam!” but rather “How many people can I honestly help” and “What can I share that will make a difference to each group member”. Business development also means more than marketing. We all need an education, to network with peers and with prospective clients. Be careful in joining too many groups or weighting them too heavily to your peers (I see this problem often), rather that to focus on your targeted prospects. Remember you are looking for business opportunities. Once you have a discussion going you can build trust and eventually set a face to face meeting. Yes, that’s still how it’s done in construction. So which groups seem to be most beneficial for construction business development professionals?

30 Best Construction Business Development Groups in the USA:

New Addition updated on May 2, 2012: Owner’s Representatives – see comments

A/E/C Industry Networking Group
AGC Construction Leadership Council
Architecture, MEP Engineering, and Construction (A/E/C) Networking Group
Associated General Contractors,Subcontractors,affiliates,
Business Development Forums
Business Development
Business Development – The Missing Link between Marketing & Sales
Business Development Leaders
CapturePlanning.com Business Development & Proposal Management
Construction Management
Construction Management Association of America
Construction Marketing Ideas
Construction Professionals Forum
Construction Users Round Table (CURT)
Design and Construction Network
Design-Build Institute of America
eMarketing Association Network
Federal Business Development Network
Federal Government Contractor Network (TFCN)
International Facility Management Association
International Council of Shopping Centers – ICSC
Leadership in Capital Projects (LinCP) Forum
Marketing Advertising Brand Management
McGraw-Hill Construction
Retail Industry Professionals Group
SMPS National CPSM Group
Society for Marketing Professional Services
Society of American Military Engineers
The HEALTHCARE DESIGN connection
The Owner’s Dilemma

Best Construction Business Development Groups in Phoenix
Alliance for Construction Excellence
Arizona Builders’ Alliance
ASU Arizona State University
Arizona Association for Economic Development
Arizona Land Development
Arizona Professional Networkers
CMAA Arizona Chapter
IFMA Phoenix
Society for Marketing Professional Services Arizona Chapter
ULI-the Urban Land Institute
Valley Partnership

Most of the national LinkedIn groups have 1000’s of members but a few are specialty niches. Some are construction or business development focused while others are not. The local groups are often more intimate with a few hundred members. Pick and choose wisely. Take the time to look at the membership statistics of each group. Sometimes more members isn’t better as the seniority and regional info is a tell tale measurement. Remember that balance is important and plan to participate after listening to the discussions that evoke the most responses. Finding what resonates in the group will keep you busy and make you more successful.

If you found this construction business development article helpful, I’d like to hear from you. Either connect with me on LinkedIn (say biz dev in the invitation and use the “we’ve done business together”) or leave a comment below. I look forward to hearing from you.

The post Top 30 LinkedIn Groups for Construction Business Development appeared first on Hagen Business Systems.

Having volunteered to lead this workshop, students learned the importance of a LinkedIn headline, joining Linkedin groups, networking, volunteering and gaining experience at every turn – all while documenting their activities using their smartphones – capturing pictures, video and notes to showcase what students are doing outside the classroom. Each student added new elements to their profiles and contemplated what other LinkedIn applications (Slideshare, Box.net, Google Docs, etc) and social media they might want to use to enhance their findability.

With 55% of members attending the Construction Users Roundtable Conference expecting a labor shortage of construction managers, here are a few hungry students you may be interested in:
Graduate Students:
Navid Behzad
Arpita Ghosh
Christine Tancinco
Seniors:
Chrystine Bohman
Chris Celani
Jon Geele
Kim Young
Amanda Nichols
Kent Rinker
Juniors:
Sean Yeager
Sawyer Zuber
Kim Rahberger
Sophomores:
Sterling Smith
Freshmen:
Ashley Bernardez

Already Employed:
Patricia Traegde Sundt Construction

You may notice that many of these students are female. ASU excels at recruiting women to the construction careers through their Advancing Women in Construction program, connecting women business owners (mentors) with students(mentees). If you know high school students considering construction project management or engineering, share this post with them and have them consider emailing:
Dawn Rogers
Program Manager Recruitment and Retention
Del E. Webb School of Construction Management
Arizona State University

If you are looking for a speaker or in need of an educational workshop to help leverage LinkedIn, please contact me, Carol Hagen. I am available in person or via webinar for your business, group or association.

The post 16 Construction Management Students Are Hungry in the Desert appeared first on Hagen Business Systems.

Construction companies and the AEC industry struggle to leverage social media. They don’t understand the value that LinkedIn brings as they just see more emails notices they don’t want from overzealous salesmen. The business value is hidden in learning the obvious but overlooked features and functions. Let’s look closely at LinkedIn Today.

LinkedIn Today has a story trending about the Hensel Phelps Construction solar project and I couldn’t help but peek to see who was sharing this story. By clicking on the number in the lower right, a popup displays (shown above) of my connections up to the 3rd level sharing the story with their network. Why is this important you ask? What if this story was about your firm? If the social media maven at Hensel Phelps is paying attention there is an opportunity here that doesn’t occur when someone shares privately via email. An opportunity to make LinkedIn connections, show gratitude and strike up conversations. It’s the advantage that social media marketers have been shouting about but that your construction, engineering or architectural firm is still trying to figure out. If it catches someone’s interest and you know about it, don’t miss out on these social openings. You may find your next client!

If you found this interesting you may also like these articles:
LinkedIn Privacy
Google Loves LinkedIn

If you want to learn more about what you don’t know about LinkedIn or other social tools, I’m available for consulting, speaking engagements and strategy building.

The post Has the Construction Industry Noticed This in LinkedIn Today? appeared first on Hagen Business Systems.

Too many construction professionals are focusing on the economic woes. Stop. You know that happiness and success attract. After attending a joint networking event for the Arizona Builders Alliance(ABA), MCAA and SMPS at Audio Video Resources yesterday it was noticeable who the happy people were and just how many others were congregating around them. Lorraine at Caliente Construction was celebrating making it onto 4 short lists this week and having 2 bids awarded. Way to go! John Ulibarri had a discussion with Mark Minter on the value the ABA brings to the construction industry. Talking points with positive messages and the people around them were listening. Even my discussion with Dennis Tsonis of Lovitt and Touche had others watching us exchange contact info using the Bump app on our smartphones. That gesture of bumping is like a high five and feels like a celebration.

All this translates easily onto the internet. Just this morning at a Greater Phoenix Chamber of Commerce East Valley networking breakfast we had Tim Troy of TNT Shredding celebrating the arrival of his second truck – Tim tells me he’s getting it wrapped and will be posting pictures on Facebook soon. If you need paper shredded (I’ve been to many construction offices and know you need to make some room), give him a call. Desert View Aerial Photography captures construction celebrations daily. Here’s a top off shot for Haydon Building Corp with the American Flag and evergreen cheering on the last steel beam put in place.

Many social strategy sessions end up in discussions of what to blog, tweet or share on Facebook or LinkedIn about. The content should not always be about you but on people and business you know…things happening in your community that make a difference to your clients, suppliers and employees. If they elicit emotions and fond memories all the better. That’s why Cupcakes are in the title of this post!

Tell us about what you’re celebrating in the AEC industry and let’s get everyone in a great mood. Every contruction related celebration comment will be approved. Click on the comment button at the top of this post and/or share this with your friends.

The post Why Contractors and the AEC Industry Need Cupcakes appeared first on Hagen Business Systems.

Xobni – A plugin for Outlook (and soon Gmail) that indexes your email and makes it easy to identify the social networks your contacts use. If you have an IT department, you’ll need to have your administrator to OK this.

Rapportive – A gmail add-on that automatically finds the social profile of the email sender.

WhoWorks.At – a Google Chrome (browser) extension that lets you see your LinkedIn connections while browsing a website. This is new but has huge potential once LinkedIn add a company API

Here’s the WhoWorks.At results when I browse CFMA.org

Tweets – found in the LinkedIn application directory that shows you what connections use Twitter and provides updates from those you follow on Twitter inside LinkedIn. Great listening tool for business connection nurturing.

Signals – from LinkedInLabs.com that aggregates all the Tweets in your network and across an industry. Search for Construction and filter on a geographic area to see the Buzz of what’s being said.

LinkedIn Today – aggregates news feeds from many sources and serves a snippet of hot topics. You’ve probably noticed this just below your status when checking your connection updates. Construction specific if you use the filter.

With the LinkedIn IPO coming later this year, and McGraw-Hill freeing up some of their LinkedIn shares for it…I predict an uptick in LinkedIn usage in the AEC industry. Are the PR and marketing teams in your construction, engineering or architectural firm listening?

Now that I’ve shared my favorites, will you share yours? Please add your suggestions, comments and ask questions. I’m listening.

You may Find these related posts of interest:
LinkedIn Skills Beta: Claim Your Expertise

Tagging LinkedIn Contacts

Social Media a Twitter in Construction

The post Business Development for Construction and the AEC Industry appeared first on Hagen Business Systems.