Just because I saw a video of a neurosurgeon opening a brain, it doesn’t mean I could actually do it. It is safe to say I could not do it. But connecting on LinkedIn isn’t brain surgery, is it?
Here’s the problem. Many people are now “armed” with ways to connect to people they don’t know and want them to potentially be a customer.
Just think about that for a minute. You don’t know someone, but you want them to be a client or customer. Fine.
So what’s in it for them?
Your buyer is getting inundated with calls, emails, and now LinkedIn interactions – from connect requests to views to messages to skill endorsements. They need you to connect with them WHEN you have something of value to add.
Do not just send random connections.
Do not invite someone to connect with you without sending a personal note of introduction on why it would be good for THEM – not just YOU – to connect. This means that the generic, “Because you are a person I trust…..” – is all about YOU, not THEM.
Always try to put yourself in the other person’s shoes as potential buyer and find ways to add value.
Case in point:
I spoke to a division of a $4B company a few months ago. While I was on-site, I saw that they had a new COO of the organization. I sent him an InMail, because he is on LinkedIn and I have an upgraded account.
I made my message very clear – “Hi ___, Congratulations on coming to ____ as COO. I’m working with the ___ division sales team currently and would love to connect. What we cover there could clearly be cross-pollinated, making an even better training investment.”
Within 24 hours he connected and said that he was sorry he wouldn’t get to meet me while I was at their offices, and was actually happy to connect. We have done work since, because of this.
What Did I Do?
Do use real situations that you can leverage to show your potential buyers the value in connecting. There is a time and bandwidth drain in speaking directly with someone – you are asking for their valuable and limited time. If you can just “get” this ONE thing – that you MUST have something helpful (from their eyes) or something they can relate with or connect to – to even begin to have it make sense for them to talk with you – you’ll stand out.
“I help other financial institutions reduce risk and thought you may want to know the top 2 concerns your peers are thinking about when it comes to infrastructure heading into 2015.”
That connector sentence above, can show your “cold” connection some value in speaking briefly.
Do This:
Take your new found energy for LinkedIn and do some of the following –
Recommend 5 people you have worked with who have added value to your career or to you personally every week on LinkedIn.
Add skill endorsements as appropriate each day on LinkedIn. It shows the other person that you’ve done something proactive, rather than asking them for something. It is a “touch” and is part of our multi-faceted prospecting strategy we train on.
Find value opportunities that really make sense and approach people respectfully.
Let them know you’re here “for the long haul” – meaning you don’t have a “hit and run” mentality. You are not about instant gratification – but instead you are investing in the relationship over time. Work for sales leaders who support you in this.
Spend energy finding potential referrers on LinkedIn. Even though I train people to successfully cold call and cold email, there is no substitute for an internal or external referral. My first few years on LinkedIn were simply to find referrers and build relationships with them.
Don’t spam, and don’t just focus on yourself. LinkedIn is a valuable community of business professionals – treat the community with respect and helpfulness.