But one day, I saw a quote by Sir Richard Branson, “If somebody offers you an amazing opportunity but you are not sure you can do it, say yes—then learn how to do it later!” I had the chance to take over a profitable business with the support of the franchise network. I decided I couldn’t pass this up and jumped in with both feet. An accidental entrepreneur was born.
I have learned many lessons over the years since I made that decision—lessons about how to run a business, lessons about how to stay up-to-date in an industry that is constantly evolving, and many, many lessons about perseverance and what kind of person I really am. In previous jobs, I had received many accolades about how self-motivated and independent I was. Working by myself in my house day after day and week after week made me question whether I truly had those qualities. I came to realize that I needed to be around people more than I had originally thought; I also realized that collaboration was very important to my happiness and my success.
One of the most effective ways I found to fulfill those needs was to attend networking events. In addition to the benefit of seeing other people, networking meetings added structure to my day and required me to get out of my entrepreneur’s “uniform” of sweatpants and T-shirts. I met potential clients as well as potential partners there.
Because the various aspects of digital marketing kept expanding—website development, SEO, social media marketing, email marketing, online reputation management—it was soon clear that becoming an expert in one area was the only way to keep from being overwhelmed. While contemplating which area I wanted to specialize in, I noticed that most of the people at the networking events only saw the other attendees at the meetings. With once-a-month meetings, it was sometimes many months before people bumped into each other again. How can you develop a relationship with people you see so infrequently? The solution I found was to take face-to-face networking online.
Since LinkedIn is the only social network platform dedicated to professionals, I focused on LinkedIn. Microsoft bought LinkedIn in 2016 and has been revamping the user interface to make it more user-friendly and adding many useful features for professionals to keep in touch. LinkedIn is no longer just for job hunters and recruiters.
Although being part of a franchise system provided a number of advantages—in particular, having a group of people to discuss digital marketing issues with and opportunities for partnerships—I chose not to renew my contract and to branch out on my own, specializing in LinkedIn training. LinkedIn is an ideal platform for professionals to develop and nurture relationships. It can store many different types of content: text, articles, images, presentations, and most recently, videos and audio messages. You can share this content with people in your network to provide value and showcase your expertise.
I teach people how to use LinkedIn to follow up online after face-to-face networking events. Rather than connecting with people and then trying to sell to them right away, I suggest offering free content that they develop or sharing curated content that other people have created. Staying top of mind between in-person meetings is crucial to building the “Know, Like, and Trust” factor that is so essential to a business relationship.
Enhancing relationships with online activity on LinkedIn is a key way to find out whether someone is your ideal client and whether your solution would help someone before you try to sell them your product or service. It can be done anywhere there’s an Internet connection and at any time.
Becoming an entrepreneur has allowed me to work and to travel to see my family and friends on my own terms. As my daughters settle down in different areas of the country, I foresee visiting grandchildren more frequently than my own working mother was able to do. I couldn’t imagine being tied to a corporate job at this point. Sir Richard Branson had it right. I’m glad I took his advice.
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Linda Lovero-Waterhouse is a social media and online marketing consultant specializing in LinkedIn coaching. You can connect with Linda at https://www.linkedin.com/in/lindalwaterhouse/.
CYBER SECURITY
Craig Petronella, The Petronella Technology Group
The Petronella Technology Group leverages LinkedIn as a powerful lead-generation component of its Unhackable Growth Platform system. Craig Petronella has developed a unique system that blends artificial intelligence, customer relationship management (CRM) software, and a human sales team to create a powerful lead-generating machine.
The AI system leverages LinkedIn to search for customers’ ideal clients and build a highly focused LinkedIn network and prospect list. Automated, advanced LinkedIn searches are created in Sales Navigator to search for appropriate job titles, industries, locations, and specific company names.
Petronella Technology Group is a well-known and trusted cybersecurity group that specializes in helping medical practices, health-tech startups, and law firms with security and compliance:
■ PCI DSS for credit-card processing
■ HIPAA for patient health info
■ HITECH for electronic medical records
■ GDPR for privacy
■ Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act for confidential financial information
There are very specific and complicated cybersecurity requirements for these niches, so the automated searches in Sales Navigator help Craig zero in on his ideal client easily.
When a potential client is found on LinkedIn, we automatically send an invitation to connect to engage interest. When an invitation is accepted, we send follow-up messages to build a relationship with the new connection. We add leads from LinkedIn to our CRM system so they can be nurtured and tracked.
We send LinkedIn messages sharing valuable tips and information to build trust. We also start conversations using short messages to ask questions. As the relationship grows, we suggest scheduling a “get to know you” call with an automated calendar system. My sales team monitors the system and intervenes when necessary to move the prospect through the sales funnel.
■ ■ ■
Craig A. Petronella is the CEO of Petronella Technology Group Inc. (PTG), a well-known and trusted cybersecurity group that specializes in helping law firms with security and compliance. You can connect with Craig at https://www.linkedin.com/in/blockchainsecurity/.
FINANCIAL FITNESS FOR AMERICA
Keith Youngren, CPA and Financial Money Coach
I should have accessed the power of LinkedIn for business marketing and development a long time ago. I decided to take on a 90-day challenge in the summer of 2018 to commit to daily interaction on LinkedIn. I already had a respectable network of approximately 2,500 connections from existing clients and business contacts, but I had not directly worked with them to generate new business. During my 90-day commitment, my LinkedIn database more than doubled to more than 5,000 connections. Interacting with my new contacts as they accepted my invitations to connect created thousands of dollars in new business in just 90 days, with new Financial Money Coach (FMC) memberships and FMC Tax Planning Blueprints developed.
I am excited with my results over this short time period and plan to continue using LinkedIn as a significant part of my marketing strategy. This approach has reached many new potential FMC members and tax-planning clients I previously did not have access to.
Marketing costs using LinkedIn are virtually nonexistent and require only a daily commitment of 20 minutes. The returns have been well worth the effort. I have taken the approach of focusing on a niche market. My CPA tax firm concentrates on clientele in the real estate industry, including real estate market centers, realtors, and real estate investment. It made sense for us to focus our connection invitations on professionals in the real estate industry and others closely associated with this market.
My results have been tremendous since becoming active on LinkedIn daily, and focusing on a niche market created some unexpected additional benefits. We send between 40 to 60 invitations to connect every day. Our acceptance rate has averaged about 50 percent, ranging from 20 to 30 per day. Everyone do
es not respond the same day, but the pipeline is primed for daily responses from earlier invitations.
We spend only about 15 to 20 minutes each day sending out invitations, usually first thing in the morning or in the evening. It takes another 30 to 45 minutes every day to respond to our new connections with a brief, “Thank you for connecting. Let’s keep in touch” message.
LinkedIn has picked up on who my target market is. Fully 80 to 90 percent of its recommendations to connect are real estate industry professionals. Connecting with our niche target market has been made easier by LinkedIn.
I am just beginning to see the fruits of our marketing efforts on LinkedIn. The process takes time to continue interacting with your database, developing relationships and trust, but the journey is well worth the effort. Keeping your pipeline active is the key. Your business will thank you!
■ ■ ■
Keith P. Youngren is a CPA and the owner of Financial Money Coach LLC. You can connect with Keith at https://www.linkedin.com/in/financialmoneycoach/.
Chapter 23
Commencement
Many authors call the last chapter of their books “Conclusion,” “Wrapping It Up,” or something else to signify that you’ve successfully reached the end of the book. I prefer to call it “Commencement” because this is a new beginning for you—not the end. I want to be the first to congratulate you for reaching this chapter because you now know more about LinkedIn than 95 percent of all LinkedIn members.
As I have mentioned many times throughout the book, most LinkedIn members never reach the milestone of seeing that magical message saying their profile is 100 percent complete. I hope you have, and if not, you need to commit yourself to that goal in the next day or so. You’ve seen the benefits of completing your profile, and it will make a world of difference to your business and career.
A lot of people still think of LinkedIn as just a website for finding a job. After reading this book, you now know that it’s so much more. You’ve learned how to use LinkedIn to give you a huge competitive advantage over peers, co-workers, other businesses, job applicants, or consultants. It’s time to put into practice what you have learned and blow away your competition.
Throughout the book, you’ve read about the power of LinkedIn and how you can use it to rise above your rivals. Let’s recap a few of the highlights:
■ Use LinkedIn as a business intelligence search engine to find the best employees, find a new job, connect with key decision-makers, monitor trends in your industry, keep an eye on your competitors, or increase your sales.
■ Optimize your LinkedIn profile so you and your company can be easily found on LinkedIn and Google.
■ Build your professional network with the right people, whether you decide to have a massive open network, build a small, niche network, or fall somewhere in between.
■ Use LinkedIn tools so you can easily keep up with industry trends, connect with others, and automate many site functions.
■ Use LinkedIn mobile apps so you can easily access the site from your phone or tablet to keep your profile up-to-date, read the latest industry news, connect with others, and find new prospects.
■ Use LinkedIn’s newsfeed to stay current by reading articles from other industry experts and then demonstrate your expertise by sharing and commenting on the content.
■ Use LinkedIn Groups to build strong relationships with others, learn from other group members, and demonstrate your expertise.
■ Establish a presence for your company on LinkedIn with a company page to spread the word about your products, employees, and culture; to recruit new employees; and to generate leads.
■ Effectively use LinkedIn advertising to promote your brand, generate leads, recruit new employees, and promote events.
■ Use premium services like Career, Business, Talent Solutions, or Sales Navigator to help you get the most out of LinkedIn.
■ LinkedIn is constantly evolving, growing, and adding more great stuff, so stay tuned for developments as they occur.
Now that you qualify as an expert LinkedIn user, you have to apply that knowledge on a regular basis to maintain the competitive advantage you just gained. I could create a generic 30-day LinkedIn plan for you, but since everyone uses LinkedIn for different reasons, I recommend you design your own plan to fit your needs. Keep it very simple and ease into LinkedIn gradually. In no time you’ll be logging in to LinkedIn every day.
Here are 20 suggestions to get you started:
1. Change the start page in your browser to LinkedIn.com so you automatically log in every time you open your browser.
2. Get in the habit of logging in to LinkedIn every day, and check out your newsfeed to read your industry news and articles and updates posted by your connections.
3. Check out the People You May Know widget on your LinkedIn homepage and connect with a few new people every week.
4. Recommend one person every week.
5. Ask for recommendations from your current co-workers or past co-workers and bosses.
6. Read some of the new questions and content posted in your newsfeed.
7. Join a Group and read some of the popular discussions.
8. Check out the profiles of people with the same job title as you and update your profile so it’s more focused than theirs.
9. Follow some companies that are leaders in your industry.
10. Check out the Jobs section and see what new opportunities are out there—even if you aren’t looking for a job.
11. As you become more comfortable with the way group discussions work, try posting some provocative questions. When you’re even more comfortable, start answering other people’s questions. Remember, don’t self-promote! Just answer the questions in an unbiased way.
12. Help at least one person every day on LinkedIn by answering their question or by giving them a recommendation.
13. Add new multimedia content to your profile every week so it becomes more robust.
14. Learn one LinkedIn tool every week so you can become more efficient with LinkedIn.
15. Install the LinkedIn mobile apps on your phone or tablet.
16. Set a goal of connecting with at least one key 3rd-degree connection every week.
17. Practice using InMail by sending one to someone you know but aren’t connected to. This will increase your chances of them opening it and replying, which helps your InMail score and lets you practice writing interesting InMails. Ask them for feedback to see if they would have opened the InMail if you were a stranger. Practice with them and review their InMail messages in return for helping you.
18. Upgrade to at least a Premium Business account after you become comfortable with the basic LinkedIn functions.
19. Do a Google search on your name and see if your LinkedIn profile comes up. If it does, does your profile headline in the search results let people know exactly what you do and how you can help them?
20. When you are comfortable with your LinkedIn profile, start promoting it by adding a link in your email signature, and add the LinkedIn badge to your blog and website.
Well, that was easy! Do one item each day for the next 20 days, and you’ll be hooked on LinkedIn.
The key to success in business is consistency. If you consistently use LinkedIn every day to grow your professional network, help others, and demonstrate your expertise by answering questions, participating in group discussions, and displaying your blog posts, articles, and SlideShares in your profile, there is a good chance you will be considered a thought leader in your field. I’ve seen it happen again and again—when someone consistently posts fresh, relevant content and helps others, they are soon considered a leading expert in their field. What’s stopping you from doing the same?
I’ve really enjoyed sharing my LinkedIn experience with you, and I hope you use the information wisely. If you use just a fraction of the tips in this book, I guarantee your career will never be the same.
Will you do me one more favor? When your
career takes off because of what you learned in this book, please share your success story with me at [email protected].
Here’s to your LinkedIn success!
For additional updates and how-to videos, visit https://tedpodromou.com/ultimateguideupdates.
Glossary
1st-Degree Connections: LinkedIn members whom you’ve agreed to connect with. Your 1st-degree connections are usually friends, co-workers, or colleagues. If you are a LinkedIn LION, your 1st-degree connections are anyone who sent you an invitation, since you want to connect with everyone. You can send messages to them directly without using InMail.
2nd-Degree Connections: A “friend of a friend,” or the LinkedIn connections of your 1st-degree connections. You must request an Introduction from a 1st-degree connection if you want to connect with a 2nd-degree connection. You can only contact your 2nd-degree connections via an Introduction or InMail unless you are members of the same Group.
3rd-Degree Connections: The connections of your 2nd-degree connections, or the friends of your friends’ friends. You must request an Introduction or use InMail to contact your 3rd-degree connections unless you are members of the same Group.
Activity Feed: Displays your network activity, such as joining/starting Groups, comments, profile changes, and application downloads. You can control which activities appear in your Activity Feed in your LinkedIn Settings.
Anonymous Viewers: You can choose to keep personal identification information private when looking at profiles. Recruiters often choose to stay anonymous to remain discreet.
Basic Account: The free LinkedIn account that most members use. The features of the basic account are limited but meet the needs of most LinkedIn members.
Ultimate Guide to LinkedIn for Business Page 25