That’s a question I’ve asked for a while now and none of the pretty enlightened leaders I know seem to have a clue either. So, I thought it would be fun to plan to find them and when I do, they’ll appear in this category.

In 2006, I was a partner in a thought leadership publishing venture called 9th Element Press and we published our first award-winning business book, The Art of Original Thinking: The Making of a Thought Leader. It was written in record time by one of the most talented women thought leaders I know, Jan Phillips.

To become a thought leader, you have to be an original thinker because thought leaders don’t become that way by thinking someone else’s thoughts. (makes sense).

The Art of Original Thinking engages you in a 3 part process:

• Release the Past,
• Embrace the Present
• Create the Future

It’s truly a ground breaking business book that introduces you to some of today’s most original thinking companies (and I guarantee they aren’t ones you’re used to reading about) and how they are increasing global consciousness and doing well while doing good.If you know a woman who you consider a thought leader, send me a note and tell me why and I’ll consider adding her to this section…

Today, I’m pleased to host my friend and colleague Jill Lublin. She’s doing a Blog Tour for her new book : “Get Noticed… Get Referrals: Build Your Client Base and Your Business by Making a Name for Yourself“.

Here’s how the “social dots are connected, because you all know I’m about the network right? (And I don’t think I’ve seen anyone with Jill’s network. Seriously. Even me.)

Jill was referred to me by a mutual connection, John Assaraf. Jill has since connected me to her network, and I’ve connected her to mine, with great mutual benefit to us both.

I’m excited about her new book because I feel it has great applicability for the new Network Economy and social networking in general. With all of the noise out there in the Network, the main thing you really NEED to know these days is how to “get noticed” and “get referrals”…and in the process, you could just become a celebrity!

This is an excerpt directly from the book, and excerpts are my favorite way to market books…why? Because it gives you a feel for the author’s style, how they think, how they write and if you like their style, it’s a no-brainer that the next step is to buy the book…excerpts help sell more books.

And if you buy it, she’s offering a lot of free bonuses – so click the book and get yours today before she changes her mind.

So go Get Noticed, Get Referrals, AND Get Freebies…the best of all worlds!

Without further adieu, here’s my favorite excerpt from Jill’s new book…

How To Become a Celebrity, Part One

Know who you are.

You are the product regardless of what product or service you provide. People trust the familiar and if they are familiar with you, they will be more likely to purchase your product or service. For this to happen, you must know and believe in yourself, your products, or your services.

Position yourself as an expert by persistently selling yourself. This is most easily accomplished with a ten to fifteen second sound bite that proclaims precisely who you are, what you do, and why you make a difference. Succinct statements make a powerful impression and gets people’s attention. Be ready to explain exactly how your product or service will benefit your listener.

Know what you want.

Opportunities won’t just come knocking on your door; you have to make them happen! Luck is made by having a clear purpose, achievable goals, and by taking consistent and persistent action. Publicity starts from within. Clearly identify your purpose and objectives and lay out a precise plan on how you will achieve those objectives. Capitalize on your strengths to meet precisely the right people at the right time.

Sing your praises often.

The most obvious signs of your expertise are that your customers keep coming back, pay what you charge, and recommend you to others. Ask for a written or verbal testimonial then broadcast that testimonial everywhere you can. If you’re doing a seminar or workshop, ask people who’ve heard you before to share their experiences publicly. If you’re good, you’ll get good publicity.

However, that’s where self-promotion can be tricky. One bad experience can ruin your reputation, so you’d better consistently deliver on your promises. Self-promotion based on assumptions, exaggerations, or lies will bury you at the speed of the Internet.

How To Become a Celebrity, Part Two

Build relationships from your heart day and night with a targeted market

Your relationships are your most valuable asset. Because you’re in business for the long haul, your best business will come from your best relationships. When building relationships, think in terms of:

• Campaigns, not ads
• Careers, instead of jobs
• Decades, rather than days, months, or years

You do business with the people who have taken the time to get to know you, understand your needs, and provide you what you need even before you think you need it! Remembering that the media is your customer, take the “concierge approach” to building relationships with them. Offer information, sources, access to your contacts, and fresh stories and ideas. Thank them more than they thank you and always give them more than they expect. Your appreciation will always be welcome and will pay you big dividends.

Take every opportunity to say who you are, what you do, and how what you do can help others. Don’t be shy about making yourself highly visible. In fact, you’d be well served by building your entire marketing plan around publicity. Begin your campaign months in advance of the introduction of your product or service and blitz the media with persistence.

All your relationships are built on trust. Say what you mean and mean what you say. You must truly believe in whatever you publicize. Believe with all your heart that:

• What you’re promoting will change the world
• Your promoting it will make a difference
• You know more about it than virtually anyone else

How To Become a Celebrity, Part Three

Play the numbers game, and play it well.

The relationships you build with the media are mutually beneficial. The media constantly needs fresh information and they look for people like you to provide it. Expect, but don’t be discouraged by disappointment and rejection. The media sees thousands of press releases and notes every day. Here’s a few ways you can make the numbers game work for you:

• Press releases: the best part about free publicity. The media wants and expects press releases. Send them hot relevant stories and they’ll love you. They can publish your press release in part or whole. Radio and TV producers are reached through your headline, while print publishers may actually read your press release. Compose lively, one-line headlines that will make them continue reading. Use subheadings or bulleted items to provide snapshot information at a glance.
• Media lists: your gateway to the stars. Media lists are databases containing information about the people and organizations that can help promote you. Start your own media list manually including the names of every person who is even remotely associated with the media. Gather media information from online services (more reliable than print) and keep them up-to-date.
• Follow up, follow up, follow up. Contact your media list – often and consistently. Take initiative by striking early and often. Be a persistent- but in a warm, friendly way. The key is to always follow up and capitalize on any news developments, keeping your name on top.
• Media kits: when less is more. Media kits are ideal as a way to follow a press release. Once you’ve generated some interest have a kit ready to go. Include everything they want to know: your company history, personal biography, a list of suggested questions, articles, brochures, a quality photo, endorsements and testimonials, and even a few giveaways.

How To Become a Celebrity, Part Four

Be prepared for anything.

Identify your and your business’ uniqueness and find some special slant that will get the media’s attention. Whatever it is, it must be relevant to the media’s audience; otherwise they’ll ignore it and you.

Once you have your unique slant and several variations, promote yourself and your message early, forcefully, and fast. Convey enthusiasm in every facet of your message. Assume you’ve got no more than ten seconds to convince the media. Then, be prepared for anything. The slant you took may not be the slant they use. If you know your stuff, you can wing it, and the media will appreciate your flexibility. Practice your interviews from every angle and when the time comes, take command of the interview and stay relaxed.

Get yourself out there

The best publicity often happens in the most unexpected places. Guerrilla publicity is a multi-faceted approach. It’s not just about press releases or media contacts. Get out there by:

• Conduct live or teleconference seminars
• Get published (articles or your own book)
• Create a web site
• Have an e-mail newsletter
• Join Internet communities
• Use online publicity forums
• Create joint ventures

Visit Jill’s various blog tour stops throughout the month of July 2008 to learn much more about how to Get Noticed… Get Referrals.

(And don’t forget – she’s giving away free gifts if you buy the book over at www.GetNoticedBook.com!)

I admit it, I’m a die-hard trend watcher. It’s a bit frustrating at times being a woman who naturally does this (for any of you StrengthsFinder 2.0 fans, one of my themes is Futurist ) because I haven’t yet tapped into a network of women who get as excited as I do about what’s next.

Out of love, most of the women in my network get pulled along until they start to jog with me (just ask my best friend Michelle Anton about this – 4 years ago she could barely turn her new Mac on – last week she figured out how to map her new domain to her own social network that she set up after I told her about it!)

I’m a systems-thinker. Which means I look at things holistically first. Like “what is it?” – “it” being the role of whatever it is in whatever I’m trying to figure out. Once I figure THAT out, then it’s all smooth sailing. I have this burning curiosity about “things” and their role in the world.

So when I started to move from blogs to social networks to social media in my mind, I began that “systems-thinking” thing that I do to make it make sense, so I could help my women entrepreneur friends make sense so they could benefit from learning EARLY about it.

Blogs play a HUGE role in social media – and the real “killer app” of blogging (uh-oh, am I dating myself from before the “dot-bomb” of 2000 with that word ? ) is the RSS feed that is already BUILT IN.

In fact, in my book blogs are the “new little black dress” for women entrepreneurs, if they can get past their “technophobia” to realize it. I often wonder if they think they can “break” something and that’s why they are afraid to experiment. Some old psychology at work I guess.

But I digress.

I was tickled pink to see Business Week’s new issue “Beyond Blogs – What Business Needs to Know” because it validated the trend I saw coming over year ago with the rise of all of the social networking sites, and a new industry that is emerging called Social Media.

See, in a systems-thinking world, blogs are a piece of the overall social media picture.

Along with

• social networks (Facebook, Linkedin, Biznik)
• social news-sharing (digg, de.li.ci.ous, etc.)
• social surfing (my words, but think StumbleUpon, Sphere-it)
• social video (YouTube, Google Video, Veoh, Blip.tv, etc) and I recently discovered
• …social radio! (Pandora.com, and also internet talk radio re-framed as “social radio)
• And whatever else comes along to try to ride the trend

The reason I say blogs are the foundation for social media marketing, is due to another emerging trend called Social Media Optimization (SMO) (SEO, move over, SMO is in the house!)

With the strategic use of your blog’s RSS feeds, you can be everywhere your customers and prospective customers are and never leave home base. (your blog)

Without further adieu, I present you the video where BusinessWeek’s Stephen Baker discusses the Cover Story he co-wrote in May, 2008, on online social networks, an update of the May, 2005, Cover Story, “Blogs Will Change Your Business.”

In it, he talks about how IBM is using social media (Twitter) for market intelligence, and to connecting with consumers. And retracts his statement that blogging didn’t have a bubble that would burst, because there wasn’t any money in it (hey, tell that to Darren Rowse over at www.ProBlogger.com)

(I embedded below, so you don’t have to link over if you don’t feel like it.)
Take it away Stephen!