Then I suggested we got together to explore ideas as I hadn’t been in touch for some time. We meet next week. Nothing beats face-to-face in this digital and  screen based world…in my humble opinion

Check out CardMunch. Brilliant for face-to-face and online networkers. I now have all my level 1 contacts and their profiles in my phone. Photo your own and others business cards, send the picture to ‘real people’ and Linkedin and watch what happens.

WHO’S SPYING ON YOU

On your home page on LinkedIn there is a section called ‘Who’s viewed my profile?” If people have their setting a certain way it will tell you who has looked. If they seem interesting and you think it is worth starting to build a business relationship why not send them a message, an invitation to link in or do something really scary and pick up the phone?! Why? Because you are wanting to do something quaint and old-fashioned which is to arrange a face-to-face coffee…or tea if you prefer, …or best of all a beer or wine.

“Executive ‘forced out of job’ over LinkedIn CV”

“Read all about it” here

]]> http://www.linkedintraining.co.uk/blog/merry-christmas/feed/ 5 http://www.linkedintraining.co.uk/blog/inviting-someone-to-be-your-connection/ http://www.linkedintraining.co.uk/blog/inviting-someone-to-be-your-connection/#comments Fri, 09 Dec 2011 10:17:57 +0000 will http://www.linkedintraining.co.uk/?p=459 Continue reading →]]> Inviting Someone To Be Your Connection

To start your LinkedIn online relationship you need to invite them to become part of your network. As with all relationships the only way to do it is with courtesy, politeness and good manners.

When you use the default message Linkedin suggests “I’d like to add you to my professional network on LinkedIn”, I believe, ticks none of those boxes.

‘Include a personal note ( optional)’ says LinkedIn. It should  read ‘We strongly recommend you send a personal note and unless you know the person very well remind them where you have previously met’.

When it’s time to invite someone the box below appears.

1 When you tick ‘I don’t know Emily’ Linkedin say, strongly, you cannot link in.

2  When you click either Friend or Other you will be asked for an email address. If you click other please explain in your invitation the reason you want to connect.

3 Colleague and Classmate is easy as you are asked which company or school/ university you were at. The software matches your profile with theirs so it works a treat.

4 “We’ve done business together”. When you select this option the drop down shows YOUR  OWN  present or past employers / businesses. Many people use this option when they find the other options don’t work even though it might be untrue. What a way to start a relationship! My advice is if you can only use this button explain in your invitation why you used it and apologise for doing so. At least that way you have started off the connection with some honesty. If you’re a recruiter it maybe you have a position for them.

I hear this so much and depending who I’m talking to I sometimes suggest they ought to be busier than ever…marketing. You should either be earning the fee or making the sale or taking action to find more work and create more sales. By way of a summary Ask yourself.

1. Who your target market is?

2. What you are offering and how your clients and customers will benefit as a result of doing business with you?

3. What is your marketing message? This is what you say to your target market about your defined service to get them interested and wanting to know more. The message must be crystal-clear and promise a clear and valuable outcome.

4. Do you have effective marketing materials? This can be a good website which can include audio or video.  Are you involved with social marketing to ensure you raise your profile to a global market place? Do you keep in touch with your existing clients to ensure they remember you’re still in business and what new offerings you may have.

5 Are you attending the appropriate business events to get your message across and build new or on existing relationships?

When you do none of the above your business behaves like the baby chicks in the nest!

If ever there was a time to be very busy and more proactive than ever, now is that time.

Help me to solve my No.1 Linkedin mystery. Why on earth do people link with others they don’t know? I link to help and introduce my network to others and ask them to introduce me to their network. How can you do either with strangers? I’m bemused!

Well over 400 people have commented some turning into friendly albeit heated ‘discussions’. So with the help of many peoples’ views I now share my thoughts on the subject.

1. If I have met someone and I have no reason not to accept their invitation, then I will do so willingly. I sometimes meet someone who I don’t take to so tend to ignore their invitation. Unless something dramatic happens I cannot think of a good reason to ever accept
2. Anyone I have ever met in my past who asks to connect  will be welcomed
3. If I have had delegates listen to me from conferences or training seminars who invite me in then I accept their invitation. That group is the majority of my connections who have experienced my ‘service’. I feel if I ask them to introduce me to one of their contacts they will generally be willing to broker the introduction.
4. At the end of the day ‘Every man has his price’! If I get an invitation from someone I have yet to meet but they are a VIP or a serious future prospect I think it would be un-business like to refuse.
5. If I am about to meet someone or had a phone call then I will either invite them or accept them.
6. Because of what I do I meet literally thousands of people and sometimes I get asked to link from people I may have met previously. I don’t accept or ignore I press the small ‘down arrow’ button against the Accept button and send them a message asking why they want to connect. If they say they had been in my audience x years previously then I will connect. If they say they want to discuss a new business relationship, again I will accept.

Anyone else who invites me and I’m sure I don’t know them I press either the Ignore button and  then sometimes the “I don’t know this person” or “Report as Spam” buttons. If these people are reported 10 times for the first or 5 for the second I am reliably informed their profile is deleted from LinkedIn.

• Like every ting in life it’s nothing to do with time but with priorities. We can all find the time to do what we think is important
• I hate saying this but the effort we put into to things is usually mirrored by the benefits we get out. I spend time on LinkedIn and so gain benefits
• We all spend 3-4 hours attending face-to-face events. If you understand LinkedIn and understand the benefits I suggest just, say, two 1 hour sessions a week in front of the screen. No travel time no small talk just pure online networking. If you can set aside those times weekly and put in your diary ‘Meeting with LinkedIn’!

So what’s the answer? I think it’s video. Can I encourage you to put more video on your websites marketing and even your Linkedin profile. Check out Jing ( free); use YouTube, get a flip camera or similar and you have a perfectly adequate ‘film studio’. Need help with any of this…ask me or the team here at Kintish.