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“Brilliant!” they said – LinkedIn™, Networking & Events

October 9, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Often we attend networking events with the limited purpose of being available to meet others and re-connect with those we know.  Maybe we make a connection, maybe not.  Networking need not be left to chance, it can be more purposeful than this.  The following strategy optimizes your networking ROR… What’s that you say?  ROR is the return on relationships, a term coined by Kathleen Pringle, a career coach and strategist.  I suggest you consider the following pay-it-forward approach prior to attending the next networking event.

Browse your Rolodex, collection of contacts or your LinkedIn™ contacts.  Identify two people you think would benefit from meeting each other and make arrangements to make the pay-it-forward introduction at an upcoming event.  That’s pretty simple.

3 Simple Steps to Uber-Networking with Uber-ROR using LinkedIn™

  1. Identify a LinkedIn event that you’ll attend soon that would be of general professional interest.
  2. Browse the list provided by LinkedIn™ of attendees and the “Interested.”  Identify those you’d like to re-connect with at the event.
  3. Consider who they’d like to meet from your network.  Forward the LinkedIn™ profiles of each professional to the other person stating that you’d like to facilitate an introduction at the event.

Why wait for event registrants?  Browse your own network and consider an introduction you can make and begin setting it up using the event to make the introduction. I expect you’re seeing the paying-it-forward strategy working here and how it can enhance the ROR with those you are connecting and the value of the event.  Turbo-charge the pay-it-forward philosophy and ask those you will be introducing to follow the same strategy.

Have a need to meet someone yourself?

LinkedIn™ can really accelerate and optimize this process.  Let me explain how. After identifying the desired attendee to meet, use LinkedIn™ to determine who in your network is connected to the desired professional.  Pick up the phone and make a call suggesting that the event would provide a chance to make the connection since the desired contact is already interested or attending the event.

Simply stated in summary come to the event with the purpose of making introductions and watch ROR blossom.  It’s pay-it-forward, the mindset of all great networkers.  Simply showing up at events is only better than not attending.

Filed Under: Events, Networking - Making Connections Tagged With: , , ,

Twitter – Who to Follow, Figured out.

September 19, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Twitter, what to make of it?  What’s the point?  I don’t care that you are walking the dog, doing laundry or are bored.  Who should I follow?  Who do I want following me?  What to post?  My gosh, the questions just keep coming.  I am committed to learning more, in time.  I am permitting others “in the lab” to distill the value and figure out how to best use this tool.  I do think I have figured out one of my questions and that is who I wish to follow.

I mused that during the day I communicate with my professional counterparts and colleagues that I am connected to and for that the LinkedIn status works just fine.  My social persona connects with my friends those I connect with via Facebook.  So, if I have a means to communicate with my workday world and my social world, then who is the crowd that I communicate with on Twitter?  They’re not business related nor friends.  They are everyone else.  They’re business colleagues and friends not yet met I suppose.   I have chosen to think of them this way.  I also think of this as a sort of personal news channel.  I follow people of interest to me in fields of interest to me.  How did I find them?  Read on.

Yes, that’s it.  How did I choose who I follow?  I read on and on.  I follow those I am reading.  Why?  First, they write therefore they probably tweet and blog.   Following those who do not participare, what’s the point?  I read books on social media, an area of interest.  I browse Amazon and visit library websites browsing for topical books of interest.  I use Amazon reviews and ratings to guide my reading.

Step two in my process is to lookup the authors I have read on Twitter.    Interesting that some who write on social media sometimes are not found there by name.   When found, I also note when they last posted on Twitter and browse their recent posting as a guide to their activity.  So, for now I’ve solved one Twitter question.  I may learn more and modify this approach, but for now I’ve found it helpful in guiding me.

By the way, when I add those heavily followed, many others begin to follow.  Sheep!  I appreciate the follow you back of those I am following, but am a little less inclined to follow most who follow me simply because they can.  I only follow those with content of interest until I learn of value otherwise.

Filed Under: Social Media Tagged With: , ,

Making Connections, Processing Invitations – Varying Views

August 12, 2009 By Leave a Comment

There are varying philosophies in building one’s LinkedIn network. Who do you include in your network? In this posting I will suggest the two polar positions on making connections each reflecting different mindsets. You’ll likely choose to be somewhere in between identifying your personal qualifying criteria.

LION’s – LinkedIn Open Networkers
LION’s are the most connective members in LinkedIn.  They are totally OPEN to making connections without qualification or discernment.  They also adhere to the policies of LinkedIn as they refrain from inviting those they do not know.   They will ACCEPT ALL INVITATIONS sent to them and will encourage that you invite them to connect.  LION’s often share their email address making them prominent in their profiles, often as their profile headline.  You might also see the use of “LION” in their name or headline.

The LION mindset is connect, connect, connect.  They think about reach and access to others.  It’s about growing large, widespread networks enabling the ability to find most anyone in any professional field.    They enable finding needles in haystacks and “purple squirrel” professionals, those with the most unusual of skill sets.  They do not pretend to “know” their connections, just “knowing of” instead.  They are important for their reach and access.   Frequently recruiters and sales professionals employ such a philosophy.   They do not de-value relationships and are actually masterful in building relationships successfully in a selective manner.

With regard to processing introductions LION’s promise to FORWARD ANY INTRODUCTION.  Since the depth of their relationships in most cases is shallow, their influence in making successful introductions is limited.  That said, their influence is significant when requesting introductions with their connections well-known to them.

Selective Discernment – Exclusive Networks

Counter to LION’s are the most discriminating of connectors.  They connect exclusively with those they know well, trust and are confident to recommend.  If they don’t know you, your invitation will be shunned with the dreaded “Don’t Know” response.  Often and most likely they will connect with you only when they hold you in high regard.  Inviting them to connect is a dicey proposition.  They connect “up” in corporate organizations more readily and only occasionally with those beneath them.  To them “you are the company you keep” rings true.  Their networks are smaller and usually assure a well-written request for an introduction will be forwarded.  Their relationships with their connections are genuine and trusted.  Significant regard is held in the process of making referrals to those within their networks.

I find myself in between.  I prefer to know those I connect with.  I’ve met most that I am connected with and my “knowing” of each connection has a range that is broad.  I have met or conversed with most connections and usually require meeting before connecting.  I have connected with strangers whose connection is more strategic and open in nature.  They extend my reach which can serve all I am connected too, just not all the time.

Filed Under: Networking - Making Connections, Things LinkedIn Tagged With: , ,

LinkedIn Success – Achieve these 2 Daily Habits

August 6, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Imagine just doing two things daily for 10 minutes would enable you to stay in touch so well with ALL in your network AND nobody gets unwanted email either.   Not only that, it’s so easy and rewarding to your networking.  Read on to learn how LinkedIn makes it so simple and all that’s really required is that you study your LinkedIn home page.

If you really wish to see the power of LinkedIn, commit to this exercise Monday through Friday for four weeks and see what happens.  Visit your LinkedIn home page daily for 10-15 minutes.  I think your observations will make apparent the power of this exercise and LinkedIn in general.  Your success and observations gleaned in this exercise will be a function of the size of your network.  A tiny network rarely provides sufficient activity to reward you with significant insight.  Grow your network.  These benefits also may not be observed depending upon your account settings.  More about that in another post.

Visit your Home Page!

1 – Update your status. Tell your network what you’re working on.  Here are some ideas.

  • Keep it work-related and beyond the mundane.
  • Tell us about your achievement or challenge today.
  • Offer praise for someone who has helped you in some manner or who has recently been recognized for a professional achievement.
  • Share a link of interest and offer some context framing it.  Use a URL shortener.
  • Ask a question or request help of your network.
  • Invite your network to share what they’re working on.   Nudge ‘em!
  • DON’T share personal insignificant details (getting a haircut), don’t whine.

2 – Review Network Updates – Today (Yesterday only if you wish to revisit)

  • Review Status Updates -  Who is doing what.  Add comment or reply privately to at least one.
    • Account settings are critical here.
  • Examine the Recommendations made by and for those in your network.
    • Note who is worth connecting to or learning more about.
    • Note what makes a compelling recommendation, many aren’t.
    • Consider writing a recommendation for someone you are connected to.
  • Examine the Groups joined by your connections.  Should you join them?
  • Note who has an updated Profile.  Examine a profile.
    • It may help you improve yours
    • You might note a promotion or an honor worth remarking on.
  • Who is attending what LinkedIn Events. Perhaps you might wish to attend as well or meet the presenter.
  • Observe the Connections Updates of your connections.  You may note people you know or would like to know.

As this is social media it is important that you first read of others’ doings, then be responsive. Stay in touch sending a brief message!  It’s not an email, but a LinkedIn internal message plunked into their LinkedIn Inbox.

Respond to every update?  Certainly not, but you can make a brief remark to many you’ve not seen in a while whose updates are noteworthy.    You’ll learn and become more active modeling others activities.  If it takes more than the suggested time, it’s because you’re engaged and learning.  Quite naturally I believe that you might undertake this exercise twice a day once in the morning and again later in the day.

Carry on!  Update your status.  Tell your network what you’re doing.  Engage them professionally.   Stay in touch letting them know you are paying attention to their updates. Send them a message.   It’s fast and easy visiting the home page.  Make it a daily habit!

Filed Under: Networking - Making Connections, Things LinkedIn Tagged With: , , ,

Networking. What is it?

August 4, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Ask me what I do and one of the things I will mention is “networking.”  What the heck is it though?  I’ve met many who believe they are practicing networking, but we’re definitely NOT on the same page.   So, let’s take a stab at defining it.

Networking is purposeful behavior.  It is social in nature.  It engages one’s communications skills fully.  The objective is the development of mutually rewarding relationships where each individual understands the needs, skills and desires of the other and commits to assisting the other.

So what are the key elements in this definition?   It all begins with a focus on the OTHER party and expressing a keen interest in understanding their traits, skills, interests, values and desires.  Subsequently when there is a discovery by each party of shared interests, there is an expressed desire to support and help each other achieve their goals and make connections to other people.  Most important is the intention of developing a relationship requiring ongoing communication and interest in serving the other party.  Both parties must share in initiating subsequent communication.  Follow-up is critical to nurturing the relationship.

In future posts I’ll explore:

  • What engages networking.
  • What attributes make one a successful networker.
  • How online networking complements and differs from face-to-face networking.
  • Differentiating Networking from “NEEDworking”
  • What is NOT networking.
  • Lessons learned.

Let’s take this as a starting point.  I welcome your remarks and feedback.  Blogging is social media.  Your opinion improves the quality of the conversation when you offer your insights and observations.  My thoughts are NOT definitive.  Hopefully they are a catalyst for thought and shared feedback.

Filed Under: Networking - Making Connections Tagged With: