Why people just aren’t into your LinkedIn invites…
You’ve been there. You meet someone inspiring at a presentation; share a wink and a gun with a few movers and shakers at a networking event; exchange some laughs with an infectious social butterfly at the local bar…You’re enamored. You want to bask in the glow of their effortless charisma. So you give in to the urge to add this professional Phenom to your social networking circle of professional life on LinkedIn only to find out they’re just not that into you.
So what do you have to do to professionally “hook up” with someone on LinkedIn?
Don’t fret my wounded butterfly. Your social skills will flutter again on LinkedIn. Here are a few rules of thumb to help you emerge from the cocoon…
Stop sending John Doe requests. You know the John Doe request I’m talking about. The “I’d like to add you to my professional network” template. I get about five of these a day and they drive me absolutely bonkers. Why? I interact with hundreds of candidates on campuses, via phone and online and my mental rolodex can only hold so much at the end of the day. So when I receive one of these John Doe requests where I have no idea who you are or how we recently met, you lost me at the subject line. Luckily I’m nosy and have an inherent need to help people professionally. So I usually open the request to see if we have someone or something in common. However, if I’ve I come up empty after all those page clicks, not only am I ticked that you’ve added to my spam, but that’s precious time out of my day I’ll never get back.
So stop contributing to the spam epidemic and get time back on your side. Personalize requests to individuals you’ve recently met. Instead of using the LinkedIn template, take a few seconds to write “Hi Yolanda! I recently attended one of your workshops and would love to network with you on LinkedIn.”
Much. Better. When someone takes the time to personalize a message to me (even if I don’t know them from a can of paint) I’ll accept the request. But without a point of reference, there’s no point of us being LinkedIn.
Subtract from your Common Denominators. Six degrees of separation is certified gold in any hook up scenario. Do a little digging and see if you and the Phenom have any friends in common. Then ask those friends for a LinkedIn introduction request. Since the introduction is coming from a trusted source, you’ll elevate yourself from potential spam to friend of the inner circle.
Stroke that ego. Flattery will get you somewhere so go ahead and work it to your advantage when personalizing your requests. For example, “Hi Yolanda! I recently attended one of your workshops and was impressed with your knowledge about XYZ. I would love the opportunity to network with you on LinkedIn and learn more about where you get your information.” Now you’ve stroked my ego, probably made my day, and have a new LinkedIn hook up.
Flutter. Flutter.
So what do you have to do to professionally “hook up” with someone on LinkedIn?
Don’t fret my wounded butterfly. Your social skills will flutter again on LinkedIn. Here are a few rules of thumb to help you emerge from the cocoon…
Stop sending John Doe requests. You know the John Doe request I’m talking about. The “I’d like to add you to my professional network” template. I get about five of these a day and they drive me absolutely bonkers. Why? I interact with hundreds of candidates on campuses, via phone and online and my mental rolodex can only hold so much at the end of the day. So when I receive one of these John Doe requests where I have no idea who you are or how we recently met, you lost me at the subject line. Luckily I’m nosy and have an inherent need to help people professionally. So I usually open the request to see if we have someone or something in common. However, if I’ve I come up empty after all those page clicks, not only am I ticked that you’ve added to my spam, but that’s precious time out of my day I’ll never get back.
So stop contributing to the spam epidemic and get time back on your side. Personalize requests to individuals you’ve recently met. Instead of using the LinkedIn template, take a few seconds to write “Hi Yolanda! I recently attended one of your workshops and would love to network with you on LinkedIn.”
Much. Better. When someone takes the time to personalize a message to me (even if I don’t know them from a can of paint) I’ll accept the request. But without a point of reference, there’s no point of us being LinkedIn.
Subtract from your Common Denominators. Six degrees of separation is certified gold in any hook up scenario. Do a little digging and see if you and the Phenom have any friends in common. Then ask those friends for a LinkedIn introduction request. Since the introduction is coming from a trusted source, you’ll elevate yourself from potential spam to friend of the inner circle.
Stroke that ego. Flattery will get you somewhere so go ahead and work it to your advantage when personalizing your requests. For example, “Hi Yolanda! I recently attended one of your workshops and was impressed with your knowledge about XYZ. I would love the opportunity to network with you on LinkedIn and learn more about where you get your information.” Now you’ve stroked my ego, probably made my day, and have a new LinkedIn hook up.
Flutter. Flutter.
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