“Constant repetition carries conviction” - Robert Collier
For those of you incredibly loyal Sales Sage readers who have been here since the beginning…this will seem familiar - but for all of you new faces - here is one of my favorite posts from my early days…enjoy!
Are you using Linked In to its fullest potential? A better question may be are you even on Linked In (LI)?
If you are not, then please go to www.linkedin.com and sign up now! If you are one of the countless individuals who signed up some time ago and “linked” to one or two people and have forgotten about it…then please reconsider the following benefits.
1. An Online Resume. We live in a world where customers, employers, future employers are searching on-line to find the best and brightest. Take control of your online brand and update your profile – think of it as a digital resume. You can build credibility and trust by having a great Linked In profile.
2. Keep Track Your Contacts. There are so many ways to keep track of your business contacts, however it is probably safe to say most of you use your employers software. Which means… #1 when a contact leaves their job, it is up to you to track them down at their new place of employment. #2 When/if you leave your job – you have to find away to get your contacts out of the system and then add them to your new employers system (this is can be very time intensive). With Linked In, your contacts are managing themselves because they keep up their own profiles. Not to mention, you are the owner of your connections - there is no risk they will be hijacked by anyone.
3. Get to know your contacts. Since your connections are responsible for updating their own contact information, you can learn great things about the people in your network. Many active users are members of “Groups” – which span from University Alumni to Volunteer organizations – and everything in between. You can also find out about previous employers, awards even books that are being read. All of this helps you to know your contacts better, which will help you build a stronger relationship.
4. Who are your contacts connected with? This can be a tricky one because there is always the temptation to misuse this information. However, if used properly, your connections may have someone you want to be introduced to.
5. Using Questions & Answers Section to establish credibility. Again, this is a tricky one because you can appear to be self-serving if you don’t handle this properly. However, if you offer your opinions and expertise to questions you feel comfortable answering, you can build credibility and gain new contacts through virtual networking.
There are several cyber-discussions on whether or not Linked In is worth your time. I concede, if misused or unused…then you will see no benefit from it. So, I’d like to close with some basic dos/don’ts of Linked In usage:
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Do: Build a detailed profile.
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Don’t: Overstate or lie – it is too easy for someone to check the facts.
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Do: Ask your contacts for an introduction to one of their connections – if you feel comfortable doing so.
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Don’t: Contact 2nd or 3rd degree connections blindly
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REALLY Don’t contact a 2nd or 3rd degree connection and reference a mutual contact without seeking permission from the mutual contact first.
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Do: Join groups and participate in the discussions.
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Don’t: use the Q&A section to ask questions you already know the answer to. There are a few sales people who do this and they appear very self-serving.
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Do: Ask questions you when want a variety of good answers and opinions.
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Do: Answer questions where you are adding something to the conversation.
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Don’t: Answer questions where you are “piggy backing” what 10 others have already stated.
There is a fine line between using and misusing Linked In. However, it is a very useful, powerful tool that can help you network, build relationships and earn credibility.
I’d love to hear your thoughts on Linked In.
