I remember the first time I was introduced to LinkedIn. It was several years ago and I was meeting with a customer in Tempe, AZ and he asked me if I had joined LinkedIn and created a profile. I told him that I had no clue what he was talking about. My customer told me this was a new way of connecting with customers, competitors, and potential clients. I remember going back to my hotel that night and looking up their website to check it out.
The next day I met with another customer which happened to be U - Haul which is also located in Tempe. In the course of our meeting I happened to ask the Purchasing Manager about LinkedIn and he had also joined up and was told by his boss that it was the latest, and greatest thing to do. Everyone was doing it and this was a great way to stay connected to everyone. So I followed the herd and joined the site.
That was all it took to convince me to sign up and check out the site. Heck if the buyer at U Haul said its good then I better get on board. That night in my hotel room, I filled in my profile and being naturally suspicious refrained from posting too much information I wanted to see what this new networking platform was all about and what I could use it for.
As it turned out, not much. I did receive emails from recruiters looking for potential candidates for their open positions but other than that I did not see the value of signing up. After all, I already had a job and was not interested in leaving.
Soon I figured out that if I began surfing the search bar I could find information on companies that I wanted to set up as new customers. Ok, I finally, found some value in this and began to use this as a marketing/prospecting tool for chasing down new customers.
I mentioned this aspect to another dealer I had in the Bay area and they cautioned me about connecting with potential customers. I asked why and he told me that my competitors could see my contacts and reach out to them and use my information to lay claim to my clients. That was a reality check and since my by industry is small and filled with insidious, cutthroat competitors I backed off on using LinkedIn for fear I was feeding my competitors.
So for the next several years I barely looked at my profile and was only mildly interested and really only looked at the site when I received a notification by email that someone was checking me out.
However, within the last year when the Pandemic hit I was forced to change how I go about finding customers and staying in touch with potential customers that things began to change for me with regards to this site. I was forced to find a new way to stay connected I could no longer travel and see clients.
Today, I actually use LinkedIn. Reasons Why: I have connected with former customers, and former employees. This had lead to some new sales. Which is a good thing. People move around and change jobs. So this is one way to keep in touch. If you actually make a new contact or resurrect an old one which leads to a deal then that is a success. Next, I participated in some networking events which are hosted online. Another good way to mingle and I don't even have to pick up the bar tab. Furthermore, I was attracting questions through the site from companies asking for some advice on products. Much like a consultant. So I found value in sharing this information.
Most people use this to look for a new job or in many cases fill out a job application through the site. This is now a common practice. And I get that is one of the primary functions for anyone joining.
But for me I use this to write messages ( I have the free version so not all contacts want unsolicited comments, if you pay $$$ you an get more access ) and stay in contact with both current customers and potential customers. I probably log on it at least twice a week. For anyone considering this I would now recommend it and sign up and create a profile. You want to invite people to join your network and that way you can gather contacts and connect with other LinkedIn users. It is all about creating new opportunities and that is how you boost your profile.
No comments:
Post a Comment