Unlimited Prospects, Unlimited Referrals 101 Tips, Myths, and Truths of LinkedIn Success Using Purposeful Networking ©

LinkedIn. The Truths.  The Big Question…”Do they let you get business sooner than later?” or things that you will hear about LinkedIn in the board room.

1. Blog on LinkedIn and you will get noticed.  This is very true.  I ask you, “How much time do you have to get noticed?”  Can you and your business afford to wait to get noticed?
2. Like someone on LinkedIn and they will notice you.  We all like recognition.  I can hear Ralph Kramden say, “How sweet it is!”  How much notice does it take to make a sale?
3. Be clear on what to include in your profile to attract the right people.  Be clear on whom you want to attract.  more importantly is that people first need to be attracted to you before you can make them an offer of your product and/or service.
4. Make sure your credits are up to date.  I prefer cash rather than credit.  When we think one or two (or more) things will do the job to attract business to our door, we put ourselves in the position of waiting for business to come to us.
5.  Include all your experience.  If you are looking for a job then this is very important.  If you are wanting someone to buy your product or service through socializing with you on LinkedIn, it too can be important.  When you are attracting  prospects using Purposeful Networking © all you need to know about someone’s experience is if they are qualified clients (read on.)
6.  Make sure you only include information that is relevant.  The only information that is relevant with the Purposeful Networking © strategy is the person that will qualify for your offer.
7. Exclude information that is irrelevant.  See number six above.
8. Provide all your areas of expertise.  See numbers three, four, five, six, and seven above.
9.  Record all that you have published.  I like this one because I like to write and have many articles I can post on LinkedIn.  You are a credible expert when you write in your area of expertise.  I post articles as often as three times per week to a minimum of once per week.  I can count on one hand how many times my articles have been ‘Liked’ on LinkedIn (or maybe it is how often I have noticed that they have been ‘liked.’)  I am sure business will come from this. Again, how much time do you have to wait for new business?
10. Join groups.  This is another one of those ideas that will get you noticed.  Exposure for big business is what marketing is all about.  The nationally known companies can afford to do this to maintain market share.  Can you afford it?  Exposure will get the big companies business.  Public indecent exposure can get you arrested.  Unless you can afford it, exposure can cause you to lose your business.
11. Join as many groups that you can that are relevant.  With Purposeful Networking © we consider how to actively go after the correct market matches.  Joining groups will allow you to make contacts.  The question then becomes, “How do those groups and their members become your new clients?”
12. Post every Wednesday.  The idea here is that most people have time by Wednesday to look at their LinkedIn emails.  I find it curious that with this philosophy of have the time to do important things Monday and Tuesday, why is it that LinkedIn becomes important as late as the middle of the week. When considering the important things to do on Monday and Tuesday, one might consider ‘prospecting’ for new clients meets those requirements!  Purposeful Networking © provides that opportunity every day of the week.  Posting is OUT.  Purposeful Networking © is IN.
13. Post every other day.  By posting every other day the idea is that you will get more exposure.  This is absolutely true.  The people who will see your postings are the people who do not have anything better to do then to look at their social media.  Can these people really afford to buy your products and services?  If you answer yes, then maybe you think that the ultra rich have so much time that they do not have to earn a living and can spend all their time on social media.
14. Reach out to every person you know by inviting them with their email.  This makes perfect sense if everyone in your data base is connected to your market matches.  Once they do not answer your email request, what becomes the next step to connect?
15. Accept every invitation.  In this case “the one with the most LinkedIn Connections” is not the winner.  The one with the best LinkedIn Connections wins every time with Purposeful Networking ©.
16. The one with the most LinkedIn connections wins.  Accept only LinkedIn Connections from people who can provide/give mutual benefit.  I always “reach back” and ask, “How can we benefit each other when we join each other in our LinkedIn Connections?”
17. Like someone’s posting to develop a relationship.  There is an old saying,  “If you are not the lead dog the view never changes.”  With LinkedIn this is not always the case.  Liking someone else’s work can help develop a positive and trusting relationship.  I encourage you to take the “lead” by writing articles.  Liking someone else’s work can be a good idea too.  Do some research.  Find other work that they have done or contact them for what future work they plan to do.  Are they worthy of you “liking them?”
18. Reach out to people you want to meet with a direct request.  When we have intention for reaching out to someone there is an expectation for both participants.  This is all about give and take, win/win, or how you will get/give benefit.
19. Change your profile regularly.  This is another exposure idea.  If exposure is what you are looking for, buy a robe and get to a street corner.  If you are wanting more prospects and referrals, use Purposeful Networking © to get more of what you want.
20. When searching for a job, do it by company job postings on LinkedIn.  It has been my experience that when a job is listed in any public domain, 90% are already designated for someone specific that the hiring company already knows.  Frequently these postings are done to meet public/company posting requirements.  The best way to find a job withing a company using LinkedIn is to decide which companies you would like to work for and then find people who you are connected to in that company. Those are the people to ask for introductions to the hiring manager in the section of the business
21. Spend hours looking at postings from others.  If it is knowledge that you are starved for, then do specific INTERNET searches.  If you want to ‘like’ a specific author’s work, check their LinkedIn site to see if they have published something new.  Spending hours can lead to a business that is starving for new prospects.
22. Post a famous name and  everyone will notice you (Raquel Welch.)
23. Every time LinkedIn suggests you make a change, do it.  We can spend our days totally consumed by social media.  When you follow LinkedIn’s suggestions for change, you are on the path to being totally consumed!
24. List every  work experience you have had.  Purposeful Networking © recommends listing experiences that will increase your credibility with viewers you send to your profile.
25. List only the work experiences that a currently relevant.  Purposeful Networking © wants everyone to look good.  List experiences that allow you to showcase your talent. Eliminate the experiences which will make you look bad.  Long gaps of unexplained unemployment will reflect poorly on you.
26. List only your current position.  People who are hiring you want to see where you have been.  A short, pertinent resume works well.  Detail  your management experience as well as your ability to work with peers, subordinates, and supervisors.
27. List your multiple current positions.  If they pertain to what you are doing,  then list them.
28. List all hobbies.  List those hobbies that will attract  the types of people you want to meet for interaction.  One client was in a “hobby business” which she did not want to be associated with any longer.  Had she listed it, she could have attracted the wrong element to her front door.
29. List all past hobbies.  See 28 above
30. List the clubs you belong to.  Do they have connections you want to meet?  If yes, then list them!
31. List your social experiences.   Do they have connections you want to meet?  If yes, then list them!
32. List all the non-profits you work for.  Do they have connections you want to meet?  If yes, then list them!
33. List the non-profits you have worked for.  Do they have connections you want to meet?  If yes, then list them!  Now you are saying, “Gerry, you have given the same answer for four in a row.”  You then might say, “You never know where a referral will come from.  So how do I know which club, social experience, or non-profit to list?”  My answer is, “Look at the statistics!”  Ask yourself, “What are the chances that I will make a connection based on the connection from my past?”
34. Keep your LinkedIn site updated daily.  This is too time consuming for your return on time investment.  People doing this expect others will see them more frequently and therefore ‘like’ them or follow them.  After interviewing hundreds of LinkedIn users, I have few people who check the updates every day.  Those that claim they do, spend less than five minutes doing so.
35. Interface all your social media.  Interact with social media that gives you a measured return on your time investment.
36. Make your LinkedIn experience interactive.  Do this only when you can measure results and intention in dollars and time.
37. LinkedIn is more about the other person than it is about helping your self.  Most people believe this.  Most trainers profess this.  I say use intention to create win/win for yourself and your connection by creating value.
38. Recognize other peoples accomplishments.  Do this with testimonials to clients and prospects.  They will return the favor (win/win.)
39. LinkedIn is not an advertising tool for you.  When used correctly (with intention) it can be an advertising tool for you and your TRIBE.
40. LinkedIn is a communication tool where you support others.  This is what those who train in social media claim to be true.  The only way we can support our company is to post.  Posting and liking is great.  There is more to the story.
41. LinkedIn is a business to business forum.  When used correctly it can be for B to B or B to C.
42. LinkedIn can only be used successfully for job postings.  I have so many people who believe this.  Lead them to me and I will prove them wrong.  It can be used to job hunting.
43. LinkedIn is a poor source for getting a job.  When you know how to use LinkedIn, it can be a geat source for getting a job.  Consider this, rather than waiting for someone to find you or applying to a job posting, pick a company you want to work for, connect with someone who can introduce you to that company.  Then offer them a job description that you would like to do for that company!
44. LinkedIn is a poor source for posting a job.  Posting a job on LinkedIn is equal to dropping a stone in the ocean and then trying to find that stone.  It can be done.  The odds are against you finding the stone or finding a candidate for a job posting.  Yes, it is done. However, the numbers of applicants and the amount of insurmountable.  A better way than posting a job would be to use LinkedIn as a resource.  Ask for connections to people you want to hire who are already employed in similar positions and are profiled on LinkedIn.
45. LinkedIn is a good source for posting jobs.  Again, the order is reversed.  Find a good candidate for the job you have open.  Search for that market match by going on LinkedIn.  Search companies, search the people in the position you want to fill.  Ask to be introduced.  Make your offer for employment.  What can be more simple than that?
46. LinkedIn is a poor source for finding jobs that are obscure/yet to be posted.  This is where there is money to be made!  To find that obscure job, first select companies you want to work for. Next, find a first or second tier LinkedIn connection to that company and then, ask for the introduction to the hiring manager.  It is then up to you to persuade the hiring manager to create a position for you based on your qualifications and willingness to work.
47. You can only connect to people you know through LinkedIn.  This is a first line of etiquette on LinkedIn.  Requesting warm introductions is key to success when using LinkedIn.
48. Each posting should be short and sweet.  There is no difference in length requirements for LinkedIn than there is for any other posting.  I like to be under 650 words plus your contact biography.
49. Each posting needs to be long and detailed.  Just the facts, please!
50. Words choice, spelling,  and grammar are important and create credibility.  There are two schools of thought.  My school taught us that there was only one answer, the right answer.  If you are a professional, your industry has rules.  As in all industries some choose to follow them.  Others choose to stretch the rules.  I like to err on the side of following the rules.  I believe that my clients and prospects agree.
51. Words choice, spelling,  and grammar are unimportant and have little to do with credibility.  When I have followed a writer’s work and discover multiple spelling, word choice, and grammar errors I stop reading what they write.  How about you?
52. Post all your educational experience.  Select what matters to your reading audience.
53. Post all your certificates of completion.  If your audience will care, then so should you.  Record what makes the difference between you and others who might be attracted to you
54. Reach out to others and tell them how to correct their profiles.  I wonder if anyone has ever been shot doing this?  LinkedIn suggests we recommend changes to our fellow users.  I have yet to do this.
55. Avoid reaching out to others and tell them how to correct their profiles.  When I see large quantities of repetitive errors in spelling, grammar, or word selection, I have reached out to those I know well to suggest that they have their writings edited.
56. If your degree is in engineering and you are now doing marketing, remove your engineering degree from your profile.  People make job transitions through life.  Gone are the days of working 40 years in the same industry and then retiring with a gold watch.  People are often attracted by what makes us the same and different.  Go figure.  Highlight what currently makes you great.  Include but lessen what you have done in the past.
57. Avoid connecting to “negative” spheres of influence.  They will give you a bad name.  This is a double edged sword.  We all connect to many different types of people.  We attract “like to like.”  Some say, “Birds of a feather flock together.”  People will judge you by the company you keep.  Keeping a few high profile bad actors can help you determine whom to connect to and whom to avoid.
58. Reach out to all of your connections giving each a testimonial.  Reach out to your spheres of influence that  you know, like, and trust.  Give them testimonials and they will give testimonials to you.
59. Reserve your testimonials for only those you want. Give testimonials to all those in your sphere of influence you know, like, and trust.  When we expect nothing in return we are often surprised.
60. Only post testimonials that you have written for your LinkedIn associates.  I will post testimonials from all who want to give me a testiomonial.
61. Create testimonial scripts for your referral partners.  This can be tricky.  For those who want consistency on their LinkedIn profile, testimonial scripts are the bomb.  I want testimonials from actual life experiences with using my process.  Some will say that, “It is easier to create a written testimonial for someone.  Many just do not have the time to write the testimonial.”  In extreme cases this is OK.
62. Make four hours each day available to your LinkedIn strategy execution.  Much like our appointment, create high value in your LinkedIn strategies to get the results you can measure and manage.  Always assign a time and dollar value for the effort you are investing so that you get the intentioned return.
63. Use LinkedIn to make blind connections by telephone.  Make cold calls using LinkedIn.  Use LinkedIn to have those you know, like, and trust make warm introductions for you.
64. Use LinkedIn as a place to take information and pass it to others and as you do so make the connections warm by being a connector.  Introduce people either face to face or if distance and time make face to face impossible, use email or telephone to make warm connections.
65. Be sure to check LinkedIn updates every hour and like what someone has to offer frequently.  Spend scheduled amounts of time each day on LinkedIn with set intentions that deliver measurable results.  Evaluate the results every day.  Evaluate your monthly results every 30 days.
66. Communicate with generalities to your business rather than specifics.  You may ask, “What does he mean by this?”  I frequently hear success stories that sound like this, “Social media is working well for my business.”  I then ask, “How do you measure this?”  And the response I get is, “I just know!”  If you are saying something like, “I just know,” you are not getting all you can from the social media experience.
67. Communicate with specifics to your business  rather than generalities.  The fear factor here is huge.  How do I measure what I do not know?  What happens when we have that ‘first’ experience without an expected outcome?  We continue down that same road, in some cases for years, never knowing what to expect.  At first you might need to be general to discover how specific you can be.
68. Offer words of encouragement frequently to others on LinkedIn.  Measured frequency is important when sending out word of encouragement.
69. Go frequently to LinkedIn seminars offered by multiple experts to get the latest advice on how to use LinkedIn.  Use the basics provided by LinkedIn with intention to get measurable results.
70. Attend free webinars on LinkedIn frequently.  Check out what we get for free, take two aspirin, and call me in the morning.  Self teach yourself LinkedIn using their user friendly tools.  Be ready to experiment by pushing buttons, editing information, and adding content.
71. Read books on how to use LinkedIn.  You can teach someone to drive a car by giving them a manual to read…or can you?  When you first read the manual, the next thing you do is get behind the wheel with an experienced driver.  The experienced driver teaches you how to get from point A to point B.  Get with an experienced linkedIn professional and drive to connection success.
72. Watch Internet training seminars on how to use LinkedIn.  Find LinkedIn self help websites (www.linkedaid.com) that will answer your specific questions.  Then do what they tell you to do.
73. Hire a LinkedIn profile expert to create your content on LinkedIn.  Find content you like and use it.  When I have someone copy what I have done I am flattered.  Flatter someone or get a copy editor to review your work.  Ask the question, “What am I looking to attract with this posting?”
74. Link to all the websites that pertain to your industry and show them on your LinkedIn account.  This is what Coca Cola does.  They connect to everyone they think is their market match to MAINTAIN their market share.  Most who are reading this are creating market share.  Are you Coca Cola?  You need to identify prospects on LinkedIn and then ask those who know, like, and trust you for introductions to those prospects.
75. Link to all the groups associated with your industry through LinkedIn.  This strategy can seem like a fruitful investment of time.  As a time waster it ranks high.  When was the last time you bought something or hired someone through group connections related to LinkedIn industry groups?
76. When LinkedIn suggests you look at a group to join, it is best to join.  If you enjoy more clutter in your email box and have the time to review everyone’s opinion, then sign up.  Another alternative is deliver your opinion to your connections by creating your own opinion pieces.  Write an article on your industry every 30 days.
77. When  LinkedIn suggests you look at a group to join, it is best to avoid joining.  Only join groups where you can create a win for you and a win for the participants.  Develop a strategy to create positive results.
78. Once you join a group on LinkedIn, it is important to become an active communicator in the group.  Get involved as time permits with specific times, outcomes, and intentions derived before becoming active.
79. Never promote yourself in a LinkedIn group you join.  Many groups frown on self promotion.  They want the format to be ‘open discussion.’  If this works for you, go for it.  When you have value to deliver for FREE then it is not self promotion…it is giving of yourself.
80. Always promote yourself in groups you join on LinkedIn.  Each group is different.  Understand before you join what it is the group is looking for.
81. Engage in all discussions on LinkedIn groups.  If investing the time creates a benefit, then do it.
82. Engage in only those groups you join that are part of your industry.  This sounds like sound advice. Joining groups with “connectivity” that spill over from multiple industries (how many groups are there in the real estate industry) can be beneficial.
83. Engage in conversations regarding related groups in your industry.  Where there is a time benefit that can create predetermined results, then consider this.
84. Start your own industry group on LinkedIn.  When you can do this as a tool to help others in your industry that you are mentoring, then this can be a huge benefit.  Teaching your subordinates and team members how to make LinkedIn a proactive (versus reactive) tool can boost your success and quicken your pace to acquiring new clients.
85. Join alumni groups on LinkedIn from your college, high school, and university.  It has been said you never know where your next referral will come from.”  I say, “Let’s evaluate where those referrals can come from, then let’s  look for warm introductions from our referral partners to meet those new prospects and have a better chance of turning them into clients.”
86. Call people you attempt to link to who do not respond to your request to link.  Some people we just do not connect with.  It is OK to be rejected.  Some believe in “one and done.” That is one email request, one phone message, and if there is ‘no’ response,  we are done.  I like the baseball metaphor, “three strikes and you are out.”  Whatever you decide, make it a rule to follow so that you can get rejection out of your head, and you can move on to positive creation.
87. Call more than once until they accept your invitation to link.  Sometimes we just do not match.  It is OK.  Find people to connect to on LinkedIn who you can help and discover how they might help you.  Spend your LinkedIn time with those you want to create a know, like, and trust relationship.
88. Identify your market match  on LinkedIn.  Discover how you can collaborate with your competition using LinkedIn.  You could be surprised (as many of my clients have been,) at how effective strategies may be that we create by collaborating with our competitors.  Consider this question, “Do all CPAs provide the same services?”
89. Link to your market match through people who have given you testimonials in that market.  By doing a little research on the sites of those who have given you a testimonial you will discover new prospects.  Then, ask for introductions.
90. Create groups that can cross pollinate referrals to people in different industries with the same market match.  This is an essential element to Purposeful Networking ©.  When we can open our book of business to referral partners working in the same industry, providing a different product and or service than ours, we can create instant success.
91. Meet with a regular frequency to exchange connections.  When we can measure and manage one success, we can duplicate that to create a second, and third, and so on.  Set up in advance the frequency for meetings and measurement/management expectations.  Follow through with your commitment.
92. Use LinkedIn with face to face meetings.  When you share your referrals with me, I will share my referrals with you.  How much more simple can growing our businesses be?
93. LinkedIn can be used to exchange positive energy when meeting face to face.  I get goose bumps frequently when I am in the company of someone I know, like, and trust.  When a stranger joins the group of two, making it a group of three, there is often an exchange of positive energy.  Face to face meetings are significantly important when wanting to build relationships sooner than later.
94. LinkedIn is a synergistic tool where the sum of the parts is greater than those who contribute.  The street definition of synergy is, “One plus one equals three.”  When you can get together with a referral partner, the two of you together will create a dynamic unlike anything you can to alone.
95. LinkedIn has numerous possibilities beyond what we see on the surface.  In many cases, just saying the words “LinkedIn” or “social media” creates images in business peoples’ minds that causes them to tune out because of the negative connotations they associate with those terms.  Become open minded to learning how LinkedIn and social media can be used as a tool. Connect with intention to deliver and receive predetermined results.
96. LinkedIn can bring unemployment back to four percent.  During the economic down turn between 2008 and 2012 I have often thought, “How many people want to hire me (or you) and do not even know I exist?”  That is one of the reasons why I developed Purposeful Networking ©.
97. LinkedIn is a vehicle that has a potential yet to be fully utilized.  Much as driving your car can take you to your desired destination, so can LinkedIn connect you with new clients.  When we get behind the wheel of our cars, we start the car, put the gear shift into drive, press the gas pedal, and then head towards our desired destination.  If we start the car, wait for it to put itself into drive, we will never leave the garage.  Much the same is true with LinkedIn.  Posting our blogs is a positive action that then requires us to wait for someone to like us.  However, when we can identify our market match or matches, then ask one of our trusted advisors  for the referral, the chances of getting to our destination (a new client) becomes more likely.
98. Trainers who train people in the “How To” use LinkedIn are missing the true potential.  Most trainers training clients to use LinkedIn are much like driving instructors teach students how to drive the car.   Purposeful Networking © is like learning to drive a car for NASCAR.  Your gas pedal is to the floor with your new client just around the next left turn.
99. Find ways to use LinkedIn in the same way we use face to face networking.  While connecting by letter is good, email is better, a telephone call is more direct, and connecting by telephone can even be better yet. The best connection is face to face.  When you can find ways to make face to face connections with your warm market matches,  you will then watch the magic happen.
100. Open your connections to those you know, like, and trust.  Try it, you will love it.  Do a group experiment of  Purposeful Networking © with those closest to you or sign up for one of our complimentary courses.  You will agree that you have never connected so quickly and easily with new prospects than when using Purposeful Networking ©.
101. LinkedIn is a proactive approach to passive marketing.  Most trainers who train LinkedIn are teaching their students to use it as a passive connecting tool.  When we teach Purposeful Networking ©, we are teaching our clients to use it as a proactive connecting tool.

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