LinkedIn is the premier social media platform to use if you’re looking to build your LNC business the right way. You’ll find recruiters using LinkedIn to find job candidates, and attorneys looking to grow their influence and build trust with buyers, and solopreneurs looking for freelancers to make their dream team.
In business relationships, you never know who you’ll meet that will possibly send you your most lucrative client, so growing your network steadily and consistently makes good business sense.
However, if you think blasting LinkedIn users with connection requests is the way to go, stop your plans and rethink your strategy to build your LNC relationships.
Build Your LNC Relationships: Here’s Well-Researched Advice:
Nobody Likes a Spammer
Logging in to your dashboard and sending out a blast of connection requests is not a good use of your time. If you think blasting your current connections with your latest service or event will make you instant friends think again. These are typical forms of spamming that will lose you connections instead of gaining them.
Don’t Use People Just for Introductions
When someone accepts your connection, please get to know that person and their company before asking for introductions to others in their network.
People are very protective of their networks and will pick and choose whom they allow access to. If they refer you to their connection and that introduction or meeting doesn’t go well, then THEIR reputation is at stake.
Building relationships goes two ways for this reason.
Remember the Golden Rule: Treat Others as You Want to be Treated
Follow your simple common sense. If you don’t want to be bombarded with connection requests, service offers, or offers to join teams and don’t know the person asking, why would you do those same things to others?
Connect with others who share your interests or whose companies complement yours. A personalized connection request can also make a big difference.
Allow Time to Build Relationships and Build Your Network
Your network will grow slowly, especially if you use spam tactics to connect with people. Think of networking as the “planting of seeds,” where you certainly talk about what you do and who you are but in a natural, organic, and authentic way instead of in sales mode.
Over time, your connections will remember what you do, and if they like your style, they will readily refer people to you. However, they need to know you better, and that takes time.
Provide Value to Others
One way to showcase your expertise to your LinkedIn connections is to share consistently.
Write articles, participate in groups, ask questions, and share about your LNC expertise and why it’s important to you.
Educate your followers about what you do or the problems you can solve. If done consistently, this type of sharing will keep you in people’s minds, and you just never know when they will be ready to hire you or send you a referral.
Networking on LinkedIn Boils Down to Common Sense
Act professionally so you portray your business in the best possible light and be authentic in your interactions. Your ideal clients will be drawn to you once they get to know you as a person instead of as a salesperson.
Networking Tips: How to Find Leads on LinkedIn Naturally
With millions of monthly active users, LinkedIn may seem like your pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. Who wouldn’t want the opportunity to sell their product or services to 260 million people?
Let’s remember, however, that LinkedIn is NOT about sales. It’s about building connections and developing relationships with people who may (or may not) be interested in what you have to offer.
Here are some tips for networking naturally on LinkedIn so you don’t develop that pushy “used car salesman” reputation that makes people want to run away:
Build Your LNC Relationships
1. Do your research first.
Do some Google searches and peruse company websites to search for ideal attorney clients instead of bombarding employees at that company for introductions.
2. Personalize your messages.
When you decide to send connection requests, don’t take the easy route of using the LinkedIn sample text.
That’s a perfect way to show your prospect that you have no idea who they are or what they do, so why would they want to connect with you?
Instead, include a snippet of how you met. Did you hear them speak at a conference? Mention that. Were you introduced at a networking luncheon by a mutual friend? Say that. Prospective connections will pay more attention to your message than any automated text template.
3. Ask for personal introductions.
Stalking someone’s connection list on LinkedIn is a little creepy, especially if you cold call these people and say, “We’re mutual friends with Jamie Smith,” at the start of your conversation.
Instead, ask Jamie Smith directly for an introduction.
Remember, most people will only make introductions for those they know and trust, so try to befriend Jamie Smith before asking for those introductions.
4. Build the relationship first instead of going straight for the sale.
Don’t be the person who accepts a new connection request and immediately sends a message with a sales pitch. Not only will that new connection cringe at the tackiness, but they will likely tell others about your spam tactics, and you’ll have others hesitate or ignore your connection requests. Instead, send a “nice to meet you” message, thanking them for connecting.
Publish consistently on your feed. Like valuable information they have posted on their feed. Ask to meet in person if you’re local or attending the same conference. Show your new connection that you are interested in them and what they do.
5. Keep your profile up to date.
New connections will most likely check your profile before joining your network or responding to your messages, so keep it up to date. Always post a current headshot. Fill in your headline and description with powerful words so prospects know exactly what you do. Don’t embellish your resume.
One note: There’s a vast difference between introducing yourself with your company name and what you have to offer and introducing yourself with a hard-core sales pitch.
Craft your introduction carefully, and you won’t be perceived as a tacky salesperson desperate to make a sale.
Join us for the 10th LNC online conference moderated by Barbara Levin and myself, the two LNCs most experienced in putting on an online LNC conference. Get the details and your ticket here. We’ll focus on building client relationships.
Pat Iyer is president of The Pat Iyer Group, which develops resources to assist LNCs in obtaining more clients, making more money, and achieving their business goals and dreams.
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