July 11, 2013 / in General Information, LinkedIn / by Mic Johnson
Post written by Mic Johnson, Blogger|LinkedIn Trainer|WordPress Content Guy|Social Coach|Rational Optimist|Jayhawk Fanatic|Cancer Volunteer
I want to start this blog post by sharing a few “LinkedIn profile types” I come across on an all-too-regular basis:
1. The CEO that has lived in his or her city for years, knows countless people, but has only 45 connections.
2. The sales representative that went through LinkedIn training with us, started with 20 connections, and 6 months later, has only 35 connections.
3. The experienced [fill in the blank…Marketing Analyst, IT Consultant, Attorney, Physician, Financial Advisor, Accountant, Banker, Meeting Planner, and on and on] that has an average looking profile, but only 65 connections.
1. They are a business professional with a profile (probably one they are embarrassed by, which is what people tell me all the time) on what is, hands down, the most popular business-focused social network there is.
2. They have hundreds, if not thousands, of relationships all across the city (and maybe the world), but…
3. Even though they know hundreds or maybe thousands of people, they are grossly misrepresenting themselves (and the company they work for) and look like they aren’t well connected at all. On top of that, they aren’t doing anything on LinkedIn to leverage all of those relationships to help themselves, or their business, grow and stay top of mind.
Many people simply haven’t made growing their LinkedIn network a priority. Why? I believe it’s because most people don’t understand how easy it is and how little time it will actually take. Nor do they understand the long term value of being connected…new business, new job, ability to help others in their network, and more.
Follow these simple instructions for 15 minutes every week (or every day) and watch how quickly your network grows.
2. On the right hand side of your screen, you will see PEOPLE YOU MAY KNOW. Click “See more”
3. Next, you’ll see a list of people that you may know. If you don’t know them, hover over the box and an X will appear in the upper right hand corner. Click it and it will remove them.
If you do know them and want to add them to your network, DON’T CLICK THE CONNECT BUTTON! Why? Because it will automatically send the infamously impersonal “I’d like to add you to my professional network on LinkedIn” message.
Instead, click on the little box to the right of the CONNECT button that has a pen icon in it. This will allow you to personalize your LinkedIn invitations.
When you’re done with that person, move on to the next person and do the same thing. And keep doing it for 15 minutes.
Before you know it, your LinkedIn network will be full of people that you know, trust, respect, have worked with, can vouch for, etc. You’ll look more professional, better connected, and be better positioned to leverage your network to help you and your business grow!
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