“I don’t bother with LinkedIn because it’s too much work.”

“LinkedIn isn’t fun. I’d rather play on Facebook. “

I hear many people complain about LinkedIn. That’s a shame because the people I hear complaining about LinkedIn are some of the finest professionals I know in the bricks-and-mortar world. In the meantime, I’m watching people I revere as thought leaders and movers and shakers succumb to mind numbing FaceBook games while important corners of their social media presence remain neglected and ignored.

LinkedIn offers members a chance to write and receive Recommendations about their Connections. This is one of the most powerful features of the platform.

Imagine a prospective client or employer arrives at your LinkedIn profile page and sees a thread of Recommendations from people at all stages in your career.  Imagine the impact that event has. Imagine the confidence you can inspire with written testimony of your service.

Leverage your presence on LinkedIn using the Recommendation feature.  Writing Recommendations for others will ignite a reciprocity exchange and social adrenaline will inspire recipients to respond with Recommendations for your LinkedIn page.

1. Don’t ask people for Recommendations. Write Recommendations for other people! Making a request for a Recommendation creates social indebtedness. Writing a Recommendation places the recipient in the social capital receivables bucket.
2. Make LinkedIn Recommendation writing part of a weekly engagement plan. Write at least two recommendations for people you have worked with successfully. Thank each for a job well done and state that others can have confidence in receiving the same service.
3. Create a list of people you have worked with successfully. Connect with them on LinkedIn and put them on a schedule for written Recommendation acknowledgment. Use a memory jogger and date plan.
4. Write a Recommendation for a competitor. Example: Real estate agent or broker writes a Recommendation for an agent who recently cooperated in a successful transaction.
5. Write a Recommendation for a staffer or colleague. After following Tip #2, be certain that you are extending testimonial support to your company staffers and independent contractors.
6. Write with integrity. Do not exaggerate about someone’s service. Be honest and truthful.
7. Refrain from writing Recommendations that do not reflect your honest enthusiasm. It is better to abstain from writing a dishonest testimonial than  jeopardizing your reputation.
8. Issue written gratitude for persons who write Recommendations for you.
9. Hide from view and delete Recommendations from others when the writers are persons with whom you would not do business. Consider removing those people from your network and disengaging completely when you feel your reputation is at stake.
10. Review your written recommendations periodically. If there is deleterious change in your business relationship with someone who displays your personal Recommendation, withdraw your Recommendation.

(Are we connected on LinkedIn? Here’s my profile.)

There are multiple reasons why I felt this post was important, but there is one very important one that I want to share with you.  Frances Flynn Thorsen and I JUST MET on Twitter this week.  She followed me and I reciprocated.  She retweeted one of my posts and I thanked her for it.  Are you getting the idea of what is happening here?  We’re beginning a great online friendship.  Then today, I received the following tweet from Frances!  This is just too good and I had to share it!

Frances Flynn Thorsen wrote:

Carol, I thought I was doing good with almost 1,000 LinkedIn connections. LOL

I must tell you I was perusing a lot of your content and you are as close to a “social media soul sister” as close can be! OMG … It’s AMAZING … lots of commonality … We should make a point to chat one day soon.

Warmly,
Fran

Will we schedule a time to chat in the very near future – you bet we will!  That’s reciprocity in action!  What better example could I give to you?  Many thanks to Frances – be sure to follow her on Twitter and connect with her on LinkedIn – she gave you her LinkedIn profile – you can find her on Twitter  http://twitter.com/FrancesFlynnTho

As always, I’m happy to chat with you about your netweaving/networking needs – just contact me through email, Twitter, FaceBook, LinkedIn or an old-fashioned telephone call!  If you would like to know more about my face-to-face weekly group coaching sessions, please visit my website .

To Your Netweaving Success!

Carol

P.S.  Your comments and thoughts are always welcome – please post them below!

Yes, My connections are approximately 8,500 now but it has taken a while to gain that many!  I’ve been a member of LinkedIn since 2004 and only really became active in 2006.

My best advice to you is to join some forums, ask some questions, answer questions whenever you can to showcase your expertise and don’t be afraid to be the one to extend your hand first in friendship.

Invite others to connect with you – I accept every invitation that comes my way.  There are so many people on LinkedIn that if I don’t accept your invitation I may never find you again.  At least when we are connected, you are in my Rolodex and hopefully we can maintain some form of communication.  But do remember it is also a 2-way street!

When you invite someone to connect with you, don’t use the “generic” invitation issued by LinkedIn, but take the time to craft an invitation that works with your own personality.  Tell the person why you want to connect or what your expectations are going forward in this new relationship.   When your invitation is accepted, don’t forget to send a thank-you note.  That is the one thing that few people on LinkedIn do on a regular basis.  If you are looking for a way to make yourself unique, be sure to send that thank you note EVERY time you accept an invitation!  Along with thanking them for inviting your connection, why not take a minute and share one of your favorite tips with them or perhaps tell them about one of your favorite connections and offer to make a personal introduction.  Guaranteed – you will definitely be unique!

I’m glad you liked my question – I do too!  I’m a Netweaving Coach and teach others how to build their business by helping other people first, without expectation of immediate personal payback.  The absolute best way to build your business and relationships!  People do business with people, not businesses!  So be personable, start a conversation, make a new connection and develop those business relationships.

If you have not already done so, please DO connect with me!  Don’t forget to use my LinkedIn email address.

If there is anything I can do for you, please don’t hesitate to contact me!

As always, I’m happy to chat with you about your netweaving/networking needs – just contact me through email, Twitter, FaceBook, LinkedIn or an old-fashioned telephone call!  If you would like to know more about my face-to-face weekly group coaching sessions, please visit my website .

To Your Netweaving Success!

Carol

P.S.  Your comments are always welcome – please post them below!

The secret to business networking is building valued relationships. The process of building value is much like the concept of first impressions in that immediate action is best.

A connection of mine recently sent me a copy of his new follow-up to any one connecting to him. In the note he provided a number of values to his new business networking connections including five or six names of people he recommends connecting with.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with the above strategy. However, it can be empowered by giving less more often. By giving one or two names or value items in the first message and then sending another some time latter and so on, you get much more bang for your buck. Someone seeing your name and getting value from you once is great, but if it happens three times they’ll never forget.

When I asked him why he had not split up the message in the first place he indicated he had no way to track the folks.  It occurred to me that there is a LinkedIn solution to this. Its not the greatest but it would work.

Using the tag feature of your connections list you could simply tag them with a date represented by number 030110 followed by a letter representing the message thus: 030110B.

You could then send your first message, tag the connection and use the tag to know when to follow up – if you scheduled them all for Friday’s for example you could make retrieval and follow-up a bit easier.

Though this is not the most streamline version of a follow-up program it is a workable one that has the potential to make a huge impact on your business networking activities.

Though I have focused this on LinkedIn, the method is sound for any networking activity or social and business networking.

Your comments and sharing of this post are appreciated.

Flyn Penoyer

Telephone: 408-296-6880               408-296-6880      

Email
LinkedIn

Twitter

Please connect with Flyn!

I thought that I knew quite a bit about LinkedIn, however this tagging feature was new to me.  After reading Flyn’s article, I can certainly see how valuable this tool could be!  What are your thoughts on this tool?  Please be sure to post them in the comment section below and thanks so much for reading – I appreciate your support!

Carol

Who are you connecting with?  What are you using to determine if you want to connect with someone on LinkedIn?  Do you know why you are using LinkedIn?

I don’t know about you, but I get a lot of requests to connect on LinkedIn – I receive about 50 or so invitations almost daily.  I take the time to craft a follow-up note to send them, thanking them for selecting me to connect with them, giving them a bit of background on me and my business and asking them to tell me something about themselves that does NOT appear on their LinkedIn profile.  I do this for one main reason – I’m looking for some commonalities – a way in which we can connect to see if we continue building a relationship and will be able to work together, either as a referral partner or a strategic connection.

Here’s another suggestion from Flyn – “Suggestion for your LinkedIn Invitation Acceptance Message”

If  you choose  to use the ideas that Flyn provides, or develop one of your own, in order to become a LinkedIn Power Networker, it is imperative that you take the time to reply to each of your connection requests.  I know, you are about to tell me that you don’t have time to do that.  Honestly, you have to MAKE the time to do it.  Do it in small chunks, 5 minutes twice a day – answer as many as you can during that time and then move on to your other tasks.  Doing it consistently will not only strengthen your reputation, it will also help you to build that sacred circle of influence.  Don’t you want to know more about the people you are looking to network with?  If you don’t, how will you determine whether or not you will become their referral partner, joint venture partner or simply a friend.  You could be allowing thousands of dollars to remain “on the table” if you don’t take the time to develop these relationships.

Remember the word “netWORKing” is just that – not netsitting, not neteating, not nettalking, but netWORKing.  Take the time to invest some energy into this work and I know you will be rewarded handsomely for your efforts.

I would love to see a conversation generated on this topic, so please do post your thoughts, ideas and comments below.  If there is a specific item you would like to see discussed on working with LinkedIn, Twitter or FaceBook, or any other questions involving networking or netweaving, post those as well and we’ll add them to our discussions.

2009 is rapidly drawing to the end, how will your 2010 work for you?  Have you included planning for some networking, along with all your other marketing activities, in your updated business plan?

To Your Networking Success!

Carol

(Networking perspective based on experience and observation by relationship builder, Jason Jacobsohn)

Part of the fun of networking is that you never know who you are going to meet and where that relationship will take you.  Each person has a unique background and something interesting to offer. Also, each person comes with his/her network so you never know who you can meet through an introduction.

At the same time, if you want to take your networking to the next level, you sometimes have to put the pieces together. For example, if you are interested in landing XYX company as a new client but don’t know anyone to contact, then you should try to leverage your network to find the right contact. A warm introduction is usually better than a cold call.

So, how do find the person you want to talk to? Below are a few tips:

• Search LinkedIn for a person or company and ask for an introduction from someone in your network
• Search your own contact database for people at the firm you are targeting
• Seek out events in which your target person will be speaking
• Search online for this person and reach out directly
• Ask people in your network if they know this person and then request an introduction

Be aware that it can take time to get in front of your target person. It can take several attempts or introductions to finally get in front of the right person. It can be fun to follow the path that your network has taken you until you reach this person.

Do you have any stories to share about how your network helped you reach someone?

If you like this blog post, then subscribe via email or RSS feed

I would love to hear your comments – please feel free to post them in the Comments Section.  Posting to your FaceBook wall or sending a Tweet would be greatly appreciated!

This post has been written by my good friend and networking buddy, Flyn Penoyer!  Flyn is a LinkedIn networking expert with very strong backgrounds in web marketing and sales. Flyn’s objective with his blog posts is to present real strategies and tactics for networking on LinkedIn – not to provide user mechanics like so many other resources do.

I know you will enjoy what he has to say in this article!  Enjoy!

To Your Networking Success!

Carol

LinkedIn Networking Success Kit — contains 7 videos and 4 reports for more profitable networking on LinkedIn. Click Here

Oct 1, 2009

Establishing a Great LinkedIn Reputation

Guy Lucien responded to a comment made by someone about my “Maximizing Your First Contacts with Your LinkedIn Connections” with follow up video that makes some interesting points. I thought I would take the conversation one more step and tell you specifically how to establish a great reputation on LinkedIn.

My recommendation will not be new to my regular readers and site members and I keep repeating the same mantra over and over – become invaluable!

Becoming invaluable is the only way to establish a powerfully positive reputation on LinkedIn. And this brings me to the one point of disagreement with Guy’s video – he says let someone else do it for you. Personally, I don’t think this is a truly workable plan for establishing your LinkedIn reputation as it is the personal  interaction of being invaluable that develops such a reputation.

When I started on LinkedIn I was basically touting myself as an inside sales expert. Since that time I have changed my focus and my business and now help people with web marketing and LinkedIn networking.

The process of developing myself as a “sales” expert was accomplished doing a couple of things.

Question and Answer Participation

I participated heavily in the Question and Answer Forum both in posting and answering questions. When I answered questions I gave the very best answers I could, often going into significant detail and being very specific.

This process was extremely valuable to those asking the questions and also to those reading them. The value I provided in the way of sales expertise was appreciated by many and I frequently had people asking me to connect just because they wanted to follow my posts.

Additionally, I asked a lot of sales questions. I focused on the most important and often the most controversial subjects, such as cold calling and for many of my questions I would post my own answers in the clarification just before the question closed. This generated great discussions and at the end I provided additional value with my own thoughts. Some of my questions were even designed to help others learn as I would give examples for analysis and then challenge the reader to find the key points engaging them in conversations re their thoughts and answers.

This is the major way you provide value on LinkedIn and if you work at it one of the best ways to establish yourself as an expert while giving yourself a great reputation.

Offering additional help

In addition to all of this I would always offer to continue the conversation or give more detail to anyone willing to engage me. I even offered my help (no charge) to many of those I engaged.

This too builds a powerful reputation and I know for a fact that many I have helped continue to send others my way.

It is this personal touch that builds a great reputation and the reason I would disagree with the final conclusion of the video that someone else can build that reputation for you.

Watch our for others

There is one other thing I did and do constantly that also helps with my reputation on LinkedIn – I watch the back of my fellow LinkedIners.

I have often participated in a question where someone else has been so bold to put an advertisement in the question. I take the time to tell the questioner that they should flag such and answer.

I often see people who put pictures in their profile that are not current pictures of themselves or add their email address to the header – in both cases I will send them a note telling them they are risking getting their account suspended.

Help others on and with LinkedIn

Additionally, since I have such a wide knowledge of what works on LinkedIn I will send new people suggestions on better practices when they approach me in a way that is not in their best interest.

All of these little things make a huge impact over time. You don’t have to spend tons of hours as I did in the beginning. To do this, you just need to be consistent in looking for ways to help others. If you do so, you will build a great reputation.

Have a profile that offers value

Two last points, first you will see that my profile is all about bringing value to those who read it, and second I don’t prospect, but I do frequently give free advice on those areas of my expertise to my connections and those I engage.

Try it, and you to will develop a great reputation and more importantly large number of valued connections just waiting to help you when you need it.

Please connect with Flyn on LinkedIn by using flyn@onlinebusinessnetworker.net and follow him on Twitter http://twitter.com/flynpenoyer

We would love to hear your comments and welcome your thoughts!

In a continued effort to keep her business unique, Heather not only photographs weddings, graduations and professional photos, but is venturing into some new areas as well.  Areas such as Boudoir Photos, confidential, mature photos for your loved one; Pre-Natal Photos for those special pre-baby photos and Girly Girlz Photo Shots for young girls birthday parties (complete with makeup, costumes, food and fun), young girls can dress  up and be photographed as their favorite Princess and many other characters, and a myriad of other unique poses and locations to make your portrait package complete.

Heather’s Photography Studio is located in Lititz and you can contact her at heather@hajphotography.com It is my pleasure to recommend Heather for your next family, or business photo experience!

As for the mixer, we had a great time with approximately 20 people in attendance (7 were new folks joining us for the first time).  Our mixers are small, but are unique in that every one gets plenty of one-on-one time with each other, to truly learn a little bit about everyone and begin to build relationships with one another.

For the RUN Members who were unable to attend last night, we missed you!  I hope you will be able to attend our next one – scheduled for September 29^th at the Downtown Heritage Museum in Lancaster.  Mike Donnelly, a member of our Thursday group, volunteers there and will be giving presentations on the antique type setting equipment that you will be able to try out yourself!  Should be a fun evening!

We had nine guests last night!  How awesome is that?  I would suggest that you contact them and meet them on a one-to-one basis.  Many of them will be visiting one of our three chapters and will be candidates for membership.

Nathan Bunty, Unruh Insurance (Denver PA) Nathan@unruhinsurance.com

Neil Rhen, Executive Printing (Elm, PA)

Neil.rhen@executiveprintingcorp.com

Ryan Martin, M&R Auto Service (Lancaster, PA)

rmartin@epix.net

Kellye Martin, Kellye Martin Events (Lancaster, PA)

Kellyemartinevents.@yahoo.com

Bede Fahay, Kiwi Marketing Group (Lancaster, PA)

bede@kiwimarketinggroup.com

Kae Kohl, Kiwi Marketing Group (Lancaster, PA)

kae@kiwimarketinggroup.com

Kathryn Gwinn, Solutionz by KAT (Lancaster, PA)

solutionzbykat@yahoo.com

Danielle Miller, Danielle Miller Inc. (Quarryville, PA)

Dmmiller247@gmail.com

Brian Johnson, J.H. Carpentry, Inc. (Lititz, PA)

jhcarp@ptd.net

I’m sure each of our guests would love to hear from you so reach out, send them an email or better yet, a handwritten note!

Watch for some of the photos to be uploaded soon – Heather was busy snapping photos all evening!

The evening went slightly longer than planned – several people were still networking with one another after 8:30 p.m.     I gave a very short overview on why RUN is different than other networking groups and we pulled business cards for some awesome door prizes.  It’s not often that you attend a networking event allowing the opportunity to meet and greet each person individually, but also to receive a door prize too!  Just a few of the ways RUN is different and unique!

Want to know more about RUN and our members – contact me – I’ll be happy to tell you all about these awesome people that are so totally focused on building their business by helping others and building relationships!

Guests are welcome to attend any of our weekly meetings (visit 2 times before applying for membership) and are always welcome at our mixers.  Our mixers are held to introduce RUN members to the business community and to share the excitement of being a RUN member.

Referrals Unlimited Network (RUN) is growing by leaps and bounds – we have generated so much interest in our mastermind/relationship-building/business-building/networking groups that we have had to start multiple groups on different days at different times!

RUN members focus on building relationships by Paying It Forward or Netweaving!  Netweaving is about bringing the threads of your connections into the fabric of your business by helping others get what they need and/or want before any thought of immediate personal payback.  Netweavers know that doing business by following The Golden Rule really works!  ALL relationships take time to build and nurture so this is not a “quick” process.

There are some categories available for each group and would like to extend a personal, exclusive invitation for you to visit us and see for yourself, how RUN is totally different from any other networking group in which you have ever participated!  It’s so different, that you really need to experience it for yourself and I’m sure you will want to become a member of this exclusive group!  RUN members know that the business opportunities may not come directly from one member to another, but from a member’s sphere of influence.  That’s where the magic of networking starts to happen, when you feel comfortable with a member to open up your network as a resource to someone who needs help!

By joining RUN, you will become a Master Networker/Relationship Builder and will have a sphere of influence that will be enviable by everyone that is not participating!  Just think how that will affect the growth of your business in a very positive way!

You have NOTHING to lose – just come and have lunch (or breakfast) with us – see what this group has to offer in the way of business building, masterminding and networking – I think you will be impressed by what you see.  These are a great bunch of people, dedicated to helping others, paying it forward with the goal of building relationships for business referrals.

Just come by -choose the day that fits best into your schedule – I would appreciate knowing if you are planning to visit just so that I can have enough tables/chairs set up.  Everyone buys their own lunch (or breakfast), so you can choose what you like!  Visiting a RUN group can be done a maximum of two times and must be done within a three-week period. At that point, you MUST make a decision whether or not you will be submitting an application for membership. Not everyone is accepted that applies, but you do want to see what we are all about so come on out and eat with us – no obligation, no high-pressure tactics to join.  The group sells itself.

RUN #1 meets on Fridays at Symposium Restaurant, 125 S Centerville Rd., Lancaster from 12 Noon – 1:30 pm, meeting every week.

RUN #2 meets on Thursdays and will be a breakfast group, at Heritage Hotel, next to Dutch Apple Dinner Theatre, on Centerville Rd., Lancaster from 8:00 am – 9:30 am every Thursday, meeting every week

RUN #3 meets on Wednesdays at Symposium Restaurant, 125 S. Centerville Rd., Lancaster from 12 noon – 1:30 pm., meeting every week

Please reserve your spot by calling me at 717-394-6453 or by email at caroldeckert@comcast.net and be sure to invite your friends to come along as well.  Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

RUN Members have decided not to “participate in this recession” and realize that more and more people are relying on networking with one another to gain qualified business referrals.  RUN can help you do that, by teaching you how to build relationships, focusing on strengths, not weaknesses that lead to a lifetime of valued referrals.

As always, your comments are valued and welcomed – please use the space below to tell us what you need!

If you are interested in hosting a RUN mixer at your business location, please contact me and we can schedule one for you!

To Your Networking Success!

Carol

This 2-page IA LinkedIn Profiles Guide Sheet from Mike O’Neil and Integrated Alliances contains the basics on ”How To’s” to build an effective profile so that you can be found on Linked.  It is condensed from Mike’s ground-breaking full 28-page “LinkedIn Profiles Guide” as a handy reference.

Use this guide to get yourself ready to go out and invite people to join your network.  Here is an excerpt:

Picture – Use a basic headshot picture from any digital camera, no professional help needed. A clean, white background is best. Do not use group photos or logo’s. Upload up to a 4Mb file and the system has a cropping tool. The final picture is quite small – 85 x 85 pixels.

Header/Headline – This is the most important section on your profile, all 120 characters. Defaults to Current Job Title at Current Employer. Use interesting, compelling, colorful words (dynamic, seasoned, executive) to attract interest. This is critical in attracting people to click through from search listings.

I have invited one of the members of  LIPW, Charlene Summers, to provide some content for my blog, because she is consistently sharing such great motivational and inspirational messages that I thought my readers would also enjoy receiving.

Doing the very best you can, striving for superiority, is all anyone can ask of you.  When you exceed your customer’s or your referral partner’s expectation(s), more business will be attracted to you.

It will be your constant effort to be first class in everything you attempt that will help you conquer the heights of success.

Always do more than you’re supposed to do and you can have, be or do anything you want.

Do a little more than average and from that point on your progress multiplies itself out of all proportion to the effort you put in.

You can do a little more each day than you think you can.

There is always a best way of doing everything.   Find it.

To enjoy enduring success, you should travel a little in advance of the rest of the world.  Don’t be expecting someone else to do the work for you – help is appreciated, but dedication is rewarded.

True success comes from being successful in little things.

Make it your life rule to do your best.

I enjoy helping and mentoring other people to achieve success. I look forward to hearing from you and hopefully one day meeting you.
http://provencoach.blogspot.com/2009/06/let-superiority-be-your-trademark.html

Charlene Summers, Success Mentor
http://www.provencoach.blogspot.com/

If they DO respond, I code their contact information with a #1 – this means that they have responded to my question and could possibly be interested in building a relationship.  If they answer my question AND tell me what they are looking for as a referral, I then code their data with a #2 – this is now a connection to me.  When we begin to have conversations back and forth, and I mean more than 3 or 4 different emails – but several emails and potentially an opportunity to talk on the telephone, I then code them a #3.  Their request info is also updated with each and every “touch” I have with them so that my records are current.  If I have all their information, their birthdays and what I feel is enough personal information, I then code them a #4 in my data records.

Follow-up is done depending on what number they are coded.  #1’s I try to send something to at least once a year.  #2  gets information from me based upon what time of information is being shared – potentially be added to my newsletter or ezine.  #3 are added to my newsletter list and #4 usually hear from me in some form or another every week or nearly every week.  I share tips, refer articles, ask them to comment on my blog posts, I comment on their blog posts, etc. and continue to work on building our relationships.

#5  – the most coveted number in my database is limited to people I have a good, strong solid relationship with.  Someone who has gone the extra mile to send me new contacts, send me information that would be helpful in my business, those who comment on my blog with the intention of helping me build readership – not just to get the backlinks, etc.  Those types of people I am going to keep in touch with as often as possible.

It is possible that the numbers can change on the contacts, again it is based on how much we interact.  Follow me on Twitter will get you a minimum #3; become my friend of FaceBook could realistically be any number, again depending on info being shared between us. 

Networking is work, it is work to keep track of your contacts and even more work to keep track of referrals you make and receive.  Please be sure to mark in  your contact management system a date you receive a referral and be sure to thank that person within the next 24 hours.  Referrals you make to others, don’t wait for them to follow-up with you, contact them – I’d give them no more than a week and I’d be asking what the status was of the referral I made for them.

Now it’s your turn, tell us about what  YOU use for your contact management and please share how you develop your database.  I’d love to see your comment(s) listed below for my readers to share!

DO I accept all invitations to connect?  Yes, I do. I attempt to start a conversation with my new contact and if there is no response, I either disconnect or add them to the lowest level of my contact management software. If a response appears, I attempt to continue a conversation by asking for an appointment – a convenient time to chat and for their phone number so I can call them – another step in getting to know them.

Now for the other side of the coin . . . if I did NOT accept all invitations, there is a possibility that a potentially wonderful connection will be overlooked. You never know how great a connection will be until you take the time to try to find out.

I totally agree with not asking “add me to your network” in forum discussions. To me, that’s plain rude. I also hate the phrase that asks if I am unwilling to connect, please don’t IDK me as it hurts my reputation. That to me, is the sign of a newbie networker who has a lot to learn in this networking world.

Being a Netweaver, learning to Pay It Forward, helping others, is what I’m all about. I love to meet new people and welcome invitations to connect. As a result of my LinkedIn Networking, I am approaching the 7,000 mark of first-line connections – look at the opportunity that exists for me to make friends all over the world! If not for those connections, I would not even begin to know a small percentage of these people.

If I can be of any help, please don’t hesitate to find me and ask. 

This is a great topic for discussion and I welcome your comments.  Please do comment in the section below and if we are not already connected, let’s connect!

http://www.linkedin.com/in/caroldeckert (use the email of caroldeckert@comcast.net) for invitations.

http://twitter.com/caroldeckert

http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/profile.php?id=646162255&ref=profile

“Hi Carol, I am from website design and development company based in India. As you arrange public conference so you must interacted with the people of same field. I am looking for business opportunities, can I get references from you.”

My response was: I’m sorry I am not able to provide any references for anyone that I have not done work with. You see, I’m a networking coach and I do believe in helping others achieve their goals but before any business is referred to anyone, a relationship must be built. You must get to know, like and trust the person you are referring and you must also be willing to take care of the person you are making that referral to.

One of the reasons why I opened this Skype Room was to give people the opportunity to interact with one another, to learn more about each other, personally and professionally. Learn how the other person does their work, find out what their work ethics are and generally get to know one another.

My network is important to me- I will not jeopardize the relationships I built my referring someone to any of them without knowing (1) if my network contact even needs their service (2) would be willing to talk with a new vendor (3) or is in the position of being able to pay for the services that are being offered. On the other hand, for the vendor that is referred, I want to know that they are ethical, going to do what they say they are going to do, when they say they are going to do it and not be pushy with my network. The only way I can make sure that happens is to take TIME to get to know the people I am referring. Nothing should be rushed; it’s not a “nice to meet you and now buy from me” situation. That’s no better than running around a networking event just handing out your business cards and saying buy from me. I just won’t do that and I won’t apologize to anyone for not doing that.

I would be totally out of line to refer a new vendor to anyone in my network just because the new vendor told me they want more business. You know, the whole world wants more business. Networking is a tremendous way to get new business, but you do need to know the proper way to do that. Networking is work- you have to “work” at it – the rewards often are tremendous, but it does take time. Just because you want something, does that mean you are going to get it? Of course not, work at developing those relationships. You may be pleasantly surprised how much you receive by doing this but don’t be alarmed at the amount of time you have to spend networking to get these results. It’s not instantaneous gratification! A good point to remember is that what is most important to YOU, may be of no importance at all to THEM – the tune you should be listening to is WIIFT (what’s in it for THEM) not WIIFY (what’s in it for YOU).

“Thanks Carol, I will try my level best to become a member of your network and you will certainly get to know more about me if you look at this website www.xxx.xxxx” Apparently my message wasn’t quite clear enough, because this new person wants to send me to their website to learn more about them. What happens at the website is that I find out about the business, but what does that tell me about the person? People do business with people, not businesses. That’s why it is important to make sure people understand you and how you work – how you take care of your clients, what makes you stand out from the competition? Why should I do business with you? How are you going to solve my problem(s)?

“Can I join your public chat?” Yes, you may join my public chat and yes, I would like to get to know more about you. Just remember, it takes time – share some tips, chat with the members of the chat room and get to know them. It’s ok to share your website on promo day (read the blue guidelines to find out what days that is permitted) but generally participate in conversations! I welcome anyone to come and join in the conversations in the Skype Room – you can find it very easily at http://www.runlancaster.com/skype-room/networking or you may request to connect with me via Skype and I can manually add you into the room.

Please do yourself a favor and don’t ask someone you just meet to refer business to you. Take the time to build the relationship – it will be much better for both of you to know the type of relationship you are part of – knowing that the other person is looking out for your best interest as well as for the referring party’s best interest.

“When do I get to talk about me – doesn’t the person I’m meeting want to know what I do?” I just read a blog post from Michael Port, who has an audio that tells you better than I can how to do this. Listen to it here:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/blog/post/PLNK2S8CRTN2SI5HF

I’d love to hear your thoughts and comments on this topic – please post them in the comments section below!  If you really like this post, and want to Tweet about it, I’d really appreciate that too!

As you know, I am an Open Networker and on LinkedIn I DO accept almost every single person who requests to connect with me.  I give them a chance, to see what they are all about, if we can resonate with one another, and if we cannot do that, then I can disconnect from them.

I do almost the same thing on FaceBook.  Tonight I spent more time than usual reviewing the profiles because time  had slipped away from me and there were quite a few people that added me as a friend and I had not had the chance to visit their profile and thank them.  Much to my amazement, I spent a good deal of time “unfriending” quite a few people.  You see, their profile was either very unprofessional in the words or in the photo they provided.  I also found quite a few young kids (I’m talking teenagers) who were interested only in the vampire and the blood games.  I quickly unfriended those connections.

Why would I do that?  You see, I’m in the business of building relationships.  In order to build a relationship, both parties must respect one another and the work they are doing.  It would be very unfair of me to expose the contacts in my network to the people that were on FaceBook, LinkedIn or even on Twitter, just to have fun and play games, look for a love connection or simply waste time.

When someone reviews my profile, I would appreciate it if they take the time to see who  has been posting on my wall, the type of messages that are posted and at least glance at who I am connected with. 

On Twitter it is a little more difficult to be choosy, but it’s not impossible.  I’m going through my connections on a regular basis. I’ve decided that if you use an avatar instead of your photo and you are not saying anything that is professional or in the way of sharing business tips and ideas, I’m going to “unfriend” you, “unfollow you” or “disconnect” from you.  My time is valuable, as is yours, and we need to spend time with folks who are here to do business and to help one another grow.

So as I am pruning my network, tell me about yours?  How do you decide who to “friend,” “follow,” or connect with?  How often do you review those connections? 

Are you keeping in touch with those contacts, gradually moving them from the position of contact to connections?  This is very important in developing relationships.  Start to move the contacts deeper into the relationship by asking qualified questions.  One of the major questions I have just started using is “please tell me about one of the most important projects you are working on currently.”  When they respond to my question, I can learn a lot from their answer – not only about the project(s) they are working on, but what type of business people they are and perhaps someone in my network, if not me, myself, may be able to make a referral or suggest a resource that would help them complete that project and add to their revenue stream.

As I close this post, I ask you to tell me about your project – what are you working on right now?  I want to help you so please do tell me.

Your comments are very welcome – please do answer in the comments below – I have asked quite a few questions in this post and I’d love to see this discussion continue.

If you are having trouble developing your contacts into connections and would like to have some coaching sessions to help you on your way, please do let me know.  I work with groups and/or individuals and can help guide you to improving the status of your network and help you generate income from those valuable connections and relationships.

How about it – are you being respectful of your network?

After a bit, we started chatting on Skype. After I was asked to join Carol as a co-moderator of LinkedIn Power Women, we found that we not only had a lot in common, but we were actually typing in the same words at the same time to people!  We found that we react in a similar way to a lot of things.  It was so nice.

We have gone so far as to kid around that we are “sisters from another mother”!

In between the fun and support, we are actually working on projects together and helping each other grow business.

We became very close personally, and professionally.  Last week I had the honor of actually visiting one of Carol’s in person networking groups.  It was amazing to spend a good chunk of the day with someone that I know from online networking and phone calls.

Carol and I are living examples of networking, and netweaving, in action!

Dr. Sally Witt on left, Carol Deckert on right (the cute one!!)

Stay tuned for video interviews with Dr. Sally and Carol, and more!

You can listen here to Carol’s interview on the Dr. Sally Show:

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/drsallywitt/2008/04/14/Carol-Deckert-good-friend-amazing-Networking-Coach

If you want to network with me, just try one or more of the sites below and add me as a friend!

Sally

Dr. Sally Witt Breakthrough Coach/Hypnotherapist

drsallywitt@gmail.com

215/736-0900

skype: drsallywitt

http://www.drsallywitt.com

www.blogtalkradio.com/drsallywitt

http://www.linkedin.com/in/sallywitt

http://twitter.com/drsallywitt

http://www.youtube.com/drsallywitt

http://activerain.com/drsallywitt

http://www.ojeez.com/drsallywitt

http://myspace.com/sallywitt

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=688850804

http://www.ryze.com/go/drsallywitt

Feel free to send me an invitation to link, or to be a friend on any of the sites!