Using LinkedIn To Connect The Right WayAh, LinkedIn.

I used to kind of ignore it, to be honest. It was a bit of a glorified Rolodex for me, and I only tapped it when I needed to track someone down and I didn’t seem to have them in any of my conventional contact streams.

But lately, I think LinkedIn has been doing a bang-up job of making themselves relevant and useful. From their well-curated Linked INfluencers content  (Hey LinkedIn – you need to call me about this one!), to their refreshed and improved contact functions, I’m becoming more and more of a fan. I think it’s got great potential for business and professional development alike.

Of course, the more relevant a platform becomes, the more people abuse it.

I’ve seen tons of posts lately lamenting people who are blast emailing their contacts on LinkedIn, spamming groups, pitching stuff ad nauseam…so I think we all know the mistakes people are making. Which begs the question:

How do you use LinkedIn to connect with people the right way? 

Here are my thoughts on it. Please add yours in the comments!

Use LinkedIn As A Hello

I’m pretty open with my connections on LinkedIn, because I like platforms like this as a tool for potential networks, or the connections I don’t yet have but could be helpful to me or someone else. (I personally don’t think it does me a ton of good to just connect with all the people I already know on every network, because that limits the multiple degrees of potential that are native to human networks. But I digress.)

Because I’m open about it, I get lots of notes from people within a day of our connection trying to sell me their stuff.

Instead of launching straight into the make-out session, let’s have coffee first.

Send me a note, say hi, tell me what you do and ask me about what I do. I’m really interested in hearing what you do and why, but not so much open to the sales pitch quite yet. We just met. Do like you’d do if we just met in person, and look for some common ground, make some small talk, that kind of thing. There’s plenty of time for the rest later. 

Endorse What You Know…and Without Expectation.

One feature I’m not crazy about in LinkedIn is the endorsements feature. I think it’s a little too empty, and easy to just click a bunch of tags for someone and move on.

I have to remove bunches every day because while I’m so grateful that someone thinks well of my skills, it’s really obvious when they don’t really have any idea what I do or what my strengths really are.

Aside from endorsements we have the full-fledged recommendation.

My personal philosophy is that I’ll only recommend people that I’ve personally worked with — whether on a project or as a colleague — and never with a quid pro quo in mind. If I don’t know your work, I’m not going to feel comfortable writing a recommendation.

Don’t put someone in the position of needing to say no. Ask for these sparingly, and never do the whole “if you recommend me, I’ll recommend you” thing. It’s pretty meaningless when it’s done that way, and a poorly written, generic recommendation is less impressive to a reader than none at all.

Messages Are Great. Use Them Wisely.

Once you’re connected to someone, you can send them a message. That’s awesome, and sort of like the introduction above, it’s a bit like business dating. I don’t really have your email address yet – that’s direct communication privilege – but we’re corresponding personally so it’s a step closer than superficial connection.

Don’t abuse this.

Keep your messages short. If it’s just a hello, say so. If you’re asking for something specific, answer a few key questions, and aim for the five-sentence rule (keep your message to five sentences or less).

Who are you, what are you asking for, how can we help each other, why does this matter to me (the recipient), and what’s your timeline for this request?

An example:

Hi James, we met briefly at the Marketo Summit in San Francisco, and I enjoyed our chat. I’d like to get some more information about your firm, and perhaps set up a time to talk further about partnering on a MasterClass event with your clients. I think we could combine your law expertise with our social business knowledge and do something fun but meaningful for your clients. Would you send me your capabilities deck this week, and a few times when we could chat next week? My direct email address is amber@sideraworks.com.

Keep in mind that not everyone gets email notifications for their InMail, and they may only check LinkedIn occasionally. Keep that in mind when doing follow up and expecting a response.

Ask For Introductions With Grace

One feature of LinkedIn that often gets abused is the Introductions. You’re connected to someone I’d like to know, so I ask LinkedIn to send you an Introduction request.

The cardinal rule here: graciousness. 

Recognize that you are asking someone to do one of the most important and potentially valuable things in business: use their trust, relationships, and established network to help expand yours. That’s a much bigger deal than most people realize. I value my relationships above everything else, and I don’t simply connect people without knowing, at the very least, that the person I’m introducing isn’t going to abuse that established trust or become that guy.

When you ask for an introduction, it’s best to tell your connection why you’re asking for it and what your intentions are as honestly as you can. Are you hoping to meet this person because you think they’d be a good prospect? Someone you simply want to meet? Are you intending to contact them with some kind of pitch or offer? Are you simply establishing the connection in hopes of getting to know that person better?

Your connection will appreciate understanding up front what you’re expecting from the introduction so they can ask questions in return of you (don’t forget to include your direct email address for that purpose) before following through.

Also, learn to interpret silence as a gentle no. One follow up on the introduction request is okay, but give your connection an out. Something like “If you’re not well-acquainted with them or not comfortable making an introduction at this time, I totally understand and this will be my only follow-up.”

Some people don’t know all their connections well and wouldn’t feel comfortable making an introduction on that basis. Sometimes they know the person you want to meet very well but don’t know you well enough to trust you with that relationship yet. Sometimes they know you well but not the other person, so they’d feel awkward saying “Hey, meet my friend” to someone they know only on a superficial basis.

Introductions on LinkedIn probably have the most potential, but they’re also the most delicate. Use your sharpest and most savvy judgment when asking for and making these intros.

What Are Your Best Practices?

If you consider yourself a savvy LinkedIn user, what great advice do you have for our readers here about how to make the most of it to develop your network with savvy and sensitivity?

If you’ve got things you hate about the way people use LinkedIn, by all means let us know…but provide some alternative guidance and potential solutions so we can all learn.

Looking forward to hearing what you have to say.