Wednesday 25 January 2017

My Approach To LinkedIn

LinkedIn is probably one of the most useful tools for networking and contacting others - provided that you use it “properly”.  By this, I mean that you should treat it the same way that you would if meeting people face-to-face.

My approach to LinkedIn goes like this:

I Don’t Accept Any Request to Become Part of Someone’s Network:
I don’t walk up to a complete stranger and ask them to be my friend.  They want to know who I am and why it’s a good idea to link up.  I try to get introduced by a mutual contact or write a message saying why I’d like to hook up. 


If Someone Knows One of My Contacts, I Do My Research:
It’s interesting to see how many of my network don’t actually know who’s on theirs.  The conversation goes something like this. 

Me: “Hi Brian.  X has asked me to join his/her LinkedIn network and I see that they know you.  What can you tell me about them?” 

Brian: “Err, I think they asked me to LinkIn so I did.  Don’t really know them…”


My Contacts Have a Right To My Protection:
Once someone is on my LinkedIn network, he/she has access to all my contacts.  I don’t want these precious contacts being disturbed by importunate or irrelevant appeals.


I Don’t LinkIn With “Headhunters”:
I’m happy to correspond by email, but I don’t give them access to my contacts so that they can make money out of them.  This goes back to protecting my contacts above.


I Accept That Things Change:
As I move along my career path, people will come into and go out of my life.  The same happens on LinkedIn.

Networking is about mutual benefit (sorry if this sounds mercenary). I accept that, if people feel they’re getting nothing out of our relationship, they will unlink.


Lots of Contacts Doesn’t Mean Anything:
You don’t have the time to add value to anything except a small number of contacts.


I have spent more than half my life delivering change in different world markets from the most developed to “emerging” economies. With more than 20 years in international financial services around the world  running different operations and lending businesses, I started my own Consultancy to provide solutions for improving performance, productivity and risk management.  I work with individuals, small businesses, charities, quoted companies and academic institutions across the world. An international speaker, trainer, author and fund-raiser, I can be contacted by email . My website provides a full picture of my portfolio of services.  For strategic questions that you should be asking yourself, follow me at @wkm610.


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