LinkedIn - What's the point?

Many people have signed up to LinkedIn, yet few understand the power it can have in getting extra business.

You've made sure your profile is complete and up to date and you've asked your friends and business colleagues to connect to you.

"So, what next...? Why aren't I getting any work from it? Why is no one contacting me?"

Well, have you:

• Joined the different groups that are relevant to what you do or your industry?
• Taken part in the Question and Answer section?
• Do you keep your profile and other bits up to date on a regular basis? (There's no point just doing it once and never returning.)
• Asked more business people that you meet if they wanted to be connected?

Like any sort of networking, be it online or face-to-face, you get out of it what you put in.

LinkedIn needs to be worked at; you need to invest time.

Join groups, ask questions, answer others, make sure you keep adding contacts, etc.

Getting yourself known on LinkedIn will get more people checking your profile and asking to connect to you. The more people that check you out, the more likely you are to start getting business from some of them.

Also, have you searched through your contacts to see who they know? Are there any of their connections that could use your products or services? And don't forget to also look for others whose products or services you might need? (If there is a mutual interest, even better.)

So for example: If you have a client that you are connected to on LinkedIn, check who their connections are. Now if you find someone else who might need your services, why not ask your client to be introduced to this 3rd person? Or better still ask them to recommend you.

Don't be too aggressive, remember to be polite. Check if your clients knows whether the 3rd person will even need your services.

Say your client is called Jane and you want to connect to Bill Smith of ABC Ltd. A quick message to Jane could be something like:

Hi Jane

I see you are connected, on LinkedIn, to Bill Smith of ABC Ltd. They look like the sort of firm that could do with our product (or service). What do you think?

Is Bill approachable? Would you be able to introduce us through LinkedIn? If you want to mention you're a client I won't be upset. :o)

Of course, I will understand if you would rather not do this.

Thanks in advance and kind regards...

It is even better if you think there could be some mutual benefit (you might need what ABC provides) - but you must be genuine about this. If Bill Smith thought you had only said you were interested in what they did so you could sell to him, you'll lose any chance of getting a sale.

However, the message to Jane would be even easier (and shorter)

Hi Jane

I see you are connected to Bill Smith of ABC Ltd. I think there could be some mutual benefit from Bill and I getting introduced. ABC do some stuff that we're interested in getting.

Could you perhaps introduce us?

Thanks in advance and kind regards...

Note the fact that you think ABC could be a potential client for you is only indirectly mentioned ("mutual benefit"). That should come once you and Bill have built up a relationship (as I say, if you are genuinely interested in what ABC has to offer).

Finally, you just never know what opportunities may arise to do business through LinkedIn, and from unlikely sources. Here's my own example:

For a long time I've wanted to change my role within BananaOffice. I'm just over two months off my 40th birthday (at the time of writing this blog) and I'm tired of sitting here at a desk almost day in, day out. I want to be out there getting the business in. I want to be a "sales exec" for BananaOffice. Part of that will include doing cold calls, but... that scared the hell out of me. I would feel physically sick thinking of doing cold calls.

I then came up with an idea. Rather than just asking for tips and advice, I put a question up on LinkedIn asking other sales execs, etc., how they get started in sales, do they ever get nervous cold calling, etc. I was interested in the type of person that got into sales.

Several people replied (you can see the question and replies HERE) telling me about how they got started, their experiences and so on.

Anyway, one lady - Shawn Greene - who replied had spent years doing selling, but now runs sessions for people who hate cold calling and she wrote a book called "I'd Rather Have a Root Canal Than Do Cold Calling".

I managed to get hold of a copy of this book (it's not available in the UK) and it completely changed my view of cold calling! Yes, I'm still nervous when I first pick up the phone, but following the book's advice after a couple of calls I'm into the swing of it.

Now, this has led to the opportunity of BananaOffice becoming the sole distributor of this book in the UK. I am currently in discussions with the publishers at this point in time, but it could be a matter of a couple of weeks and this will be a BananaOffice sideline...

...all from a question posted up on LinkedIn!

So, take time to participate in the site and you will find it will reap rewards.