LinkedIn - Introduction requests

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LinkedIn Introduction Requests www.52lists.com © 2012 All rights reserved / 52lists®

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Introductions let you contact members in your extended network through the people you know. If you want to contact someone who is two or three degrees away from you; you can request an introduction through one of your connections. Your connection will, in turn, decide whether to forward your message on to the desired recipient (if in your 2nd degree network) or on to a shared connection (if in your 3rd degree network). Sending Introduction Requests is another very effective strategy to continue to grow your network!

Transcript of LinkedIn - Introduction requests

  • 1. LinkedIn Introduction Requests www.52lists.com 2012 All rights reserved / 52lists

2. Introductions let you contact members in your extended network through the people you know. If you want to contact someone who is two or three degrees away from you; you can request an introduction through one of your connections. Introduction Requests 3www.52lists.com 2012 All rights reserved / 52lists Your connection will, in turn, decide whether to forward your message on to the desired recipient (if in your 2nd degree network) or on to a shared connection (if in your 3rd degree network). Sending Introduction Requests is another very effective strategy to continue to grow your network! 3. TABLE OF CONTENTS Overview 4www.52lists.com 2012 All rights reserved / 52lists Section 1 Section 2 Section 3 Section 4 Section 5 Planning & Research Introduction Requests - Facts & Figures Sending Introduction Requests Maintenance & Clean-Up 4. OVERVIEW Section 1 5www.52lists.com 2012 All rights reserved / 52lists 5. 6www.52lists.com 2012 All rights reserved / 52lists LinkedIn Introductions are an integral part of the social networking platform. LinkedIn has given you the ability to search for someone and see how they are connected to you, and it is with this information that you can request an Introduction from your connection just as you would request a referral from a friend in real life. Very few people however actually ask for an Introduction on LinkedIn in the same manner that they ask for an introduction in a real-life. Make sure that each Introduction is not only diplomatic and tactful but it also has a Personal Touch. You need to remember that there are three (3) people involved in the introduction, and this action will impact on all of the participants names and reputation. You only have one chance so get it right! Overview 6. 7www.52lists.com 2012 All rights reserved / 52lists # 1 Clear Message You need to be able to articulate your message in a few short paragraphs. Demonstrate how you can be useful, and why it is important to them for you to connect. # 2 WIIFM Whats In It For Me? This is the oldest concept in sales and marketing, yet very few people use it effectively. When writing the note to the person youd like to be introduced to, understand that the person receiving your note is thinking Whats in it for me? # 3 Dont SELL In The Introduction Request Before you can sell anything, there needs to be an element of trust and at this stage of the proceedings, there is NO trust. # 4 Think Of The Person Making The Intro: Will they be comfortable with your language, your approach, and the relevance of your note? Is there a chance of embarrassment? What will happen if you dont deliver? What will be the implication on their friendship? # 5 Your Credentials Keep in mind that once your introduction request has been forwarded, the person youve approached will immediately check your profile. Make sure your profile is 100% complete, and it showcases who you are, professionally. Recommendations are important, as they will tell people reading your profile, not just what you think of yourself, but also how others think of you! # 6 Follow Up! So How Do You Do It Effectively? 7. 8www.52lists.com 2012 All rights reserved / 52lists If you don't know someone's email address and you were not a colleague or classmate in the past, then you can contact LinkedIn members using an Introduction or InMail. Unlike InMails, Introductions are FREE to all users! If you want to contact someone who is either two (2) or three (3) degrees away from you, you can request an introduction through one of your connections. You won't however become 1st degree connections when you your Introductions are successfully forwarded unless one of you invites the other to connect and the request is accepted. InMails extend your reach even further and enable you to contact any LinkedIn member directly. InMails are basically private messages that enable you to contact or be directly contacted by another LinkedIn user, while still protecting the recipient's privacy. With InMails, you also won't become 1st degree connections unless one of you invites the other to connect and the request is accepted. InMail is a paid feature or part of a premium account. Note: You can always send a standard invitation to someone to connect if you know their email address! What is the difference between Introductions & InMails? 8. PLANNING & RESEARCH Section 2 9www.52lists.com 2012 All rights reserved / 52lists 9. 10www.52lists.com 2012 All rights reserved / 52lists You can use Introductions on a casual / as needed basis or you can adopt a more systematic approach over time to rapidly grow your network. To do this, you first need to carry out a series of Advanced People Searches that will help you identify potential connections who are either two (2) or three (3) degrees away from you. Once you have printed all the results; you will need to keep them in a safe place as you will ONLY be able to send a limited number (Section 3: Introduction Requests Facts & Figures) of Invitation Requests at a time dependant on your type of LinkedIn Account. The key to growing your network is planning & research! Introduction 10. 11www.52lists.com 2012 All rights reserved / 52lists Go to the home page of the LinkedIn website and Sign in using your account details: Type your Email Address into this box: Type your Password into this box: Planning & Research 11. 12www.52lists.com 2012 All rights reserved / 52lists Select the Advanced search page by left clicking your mouse: Note: Some or all of the search parameter options marked with a gold Premium Badge on the following pages may or may not be accessible to you unless have a Premium LinkedIn Account. 12. 13www.52lists.com 2012 All rights reserved / 52lists Type the first Title (explained in detail on the next page) that you want to get introduced too in the Title: box and also select : Current from the drop down menu. # 1 Select Located in or near from the down menu of the Location: box # 2 Select Australia, United Kingdom or United States from the down menu of the Country: box # 3 Type in the Post Code or Zip Code in the Postal Code: box # 4 Select the search Radius from the drop down menu of the Within: box Note: Leave all other boxes blank for now. Make sure that you are in the Advanced People Search tab. 13. 14www.52lists.com 2012 All rights reserved / 52lists You need to choose very broad key words for each Title to capture the maximum number of Search Results to pick your Introduction Request targets from. Create a list of Job Titles relevant to you like the example below to help you choose your own 3 or 4 key words for casting the widest net possible. Example: Title Selecting Key Words Associate Director, Associate Vice President, Audio Visual Sales Manager, Australian General Business Software Sales Manager, Business Director, Australia CEO, CEO & Director, Company Director, Channel Sales Manager, Chief Executive Officer, Client Director , Client Director - Southern Region, Commercial Manager - AsiaPac, Consulting Director, Corporate Sales Manager, Director , Director - Sales and Customer Experience, Director & Co-Founder, Director & Principal, Director | Corporate Services, Director Business Development , Director of Marketing & Sales, Director of Sales, Director of Sales - Asia Pacific, Director of Sales & Marketing, Director Professional Services and Product Development, Director Sales, Australia and New Zealand, Director Strategic Accounts, Director Strategic Programs & Marketing, Director, Corporate Engagement & Human Capital, Director, Sales & Marketing, Enterprise Sales Manager, Executive Director, Field Sales Manager, Founder, Founder & CEO, Founder / Director, Founder and Managing Director, Founding President, General Manager - Regional Sales VIC/SA, General Manager and VP of Software Asia , General Manager Sales, General Manager, Victorian Sales, Global Head of Sales & Marketing, Global Sales Operations Manager , Global Services Director, Group Sales & Marketing Manager, Head of Sales/Branch Manager Victoria, Manager, Sales Manager, Tech Sales, Business Solutions, Managing Director, Managing, Director Aust/NZ, MD, National Sales and Marketing Manager, National Sales Manager, Owner, Owner and Director, Owner and Principal Consultant, Portfolio Sales Manager, President , Regional Director APAC, Regional President - Asia Pacific, Regional Sales Director, Regional Sales Manager Regional Sales Manager ANZ, Sales & Marketing Manager, Sales & Strategy Manager, Sales and Marketing Director , Sales Director, Sales Manager, Sales Manager - Australia, New Zealand, Sales Manager ANZ, Sales Manager Australia & New Zealand , Sales Manager, Australia, Sales Manager, Southern Region, Sales Manager/Account Director, Sales Operations Manager , Sales Team Manager - Online Marketing , Senior Regional Sales Director - Financial Services, Senior Vice President Sales Australia & New Zealand, Services Sales Manager, Enterprise and Public Sector, SMB Sales Manager, Australasia & South Africa, Southern Commercial Sales Manager, Southern Region Sales Manager, Southern Region Sales Manager Enterprise & Financial Services Sales Manager Director CEO President One or more of the four (4) key words or Titles below covers everyone of the Titles above: 14. 15www.52lists.com 2012 All rights reserved / 52lists Select the first Industry or industries (explained in detail on the next page) that you want to search for from the Industries: menu ONLY Select 2nd Connections and 3rd + Everyone Else from the Relationships: menu Select English from the Groups: menu Select All LinkedIn Members from the Groups: menu IMPORTANT! There is no need to select Group Members if you are already inviting them to join you network as per the Invite Group Members tutorial. 15. 16www.52lists.com 2012 All rights reserved / 52lists There are approximately 144 different industries on LinkedIn so only select the ones that are most relevant to you: Industries Create a matrix of industries & key words to cover as many possibilities as you can. This will help you capture the maximum number of Advanced Search results! 16. 17www.52lists.com 2012 All rights reserved / 52lists Select All Functions from the Function: menu Select All Company Sizes from the Company Size: menu Select Relevance from the from the drop down menu of the Sort: box Select Basic from the from the drop down menu of the Views: box 17. 18www.52lists.com 2012 All rights reserved / 52lists IMPORTANT! Make sure the Open Link radio button is not ticked: Each of these default selection boxes should be ticked: 18. 19www.52lists.com 2012 All rights reserved / 52lists Select the Search button to start the search by left clicking your mouse: 19. 20www.52lists.com 2012 All rights reserved / 52lists The total number of search results is shown here: A summary of your specific search criteria is shown here: 20. 21www.52lists.com 2012 All rights reserved / 52lists To be able to extract all of the necessary contact information, you need to physically print out each & every page of the search results on A4 or Letter sized paper in one go. The fastest way to do this is to press: Ctrl + P, next page, Ctrl + P, next page, Ctrl + P, next page Print on Paper & Achieve Tip Store (Achieve) all of the printed pages in a folder / binder marked Invitation Requests. You will need to refer to this file on a weekly or monthly basis as detailed in Section 4 [Sending Introduction Requests]. 21. 22www.52lists.com 2012 All rights reserved / 52lists Once you have completed your initial Advance People Search (Introduction Request Search) and printed the results; repeat the steps detailed in slides #7, #8, #9, #10, #11, #12, # 13, #14, #15 & #16 to capture more results from prospects who you can get introduced too: Example: Introduction Request Search # 1 Sales Manager / Melbourne / Information Technology (25 results); Introduction Request Search # 2 Sales Manager / Melbourne / Telecommunications (23 results); Introduction Request Search # 3 Sales Manager / Melbourne / Computer Software (37 results); Introduction Request Search # 4 Sales Manager / Melbourne / Finance (81 results); Introduction Request Search # 5 Sales Manager / Melbourne / Medical Devices (13 results); Introduction Request Search # 6 Director / Melbourne / Information Technology (34 results); Introduction Request Search # 7 Director / Melbourne / Telecommunications (43 results); Introduction Request Search # 8 Director / Melbourne / Computer Software (30 results); Introduction Request Search # 99 CEO / Melbourne / Medical Devices (26 results) SEARCHES 2, 3, 4 22. INTRODUCTION REQUESTS - FACTS & FIGURES Section 3 23www.52lists.com 2012 All rights reserved / 52lists 23. 24www.52lists.com 2012 All rights reserved / 52lists The following points will give you a better understanding of LinkedIn Introductions: 1. All LinkedIn members have introductions they can request 2. Basic (or Free) Account = 5 per month 3. Premium Accounts = 15, 25, 35 or 50 outstanding 4. Introductions expire after 6 months if the receiver doesn't respond 5. Once the member accepts your introduction you can exchange information and do business 6. You won't become 1st degree connections unless one of you invites the other to connect and the request is accepted Note: LinkedIn recommends that you only connect with contacts you know and trust. Introduction Requests Facts & Figures 24. 25www.52lists.com 2012 All rights reserved / 52lists Unlike Basic (or Free) Accounts which have a total monthly allocation of Introductions, Premium Accounts have a maximum number of outstanding Introductions that you can have in play. Once you send your full allocation of Introductions; you either have to: (i) Wait 6 months for them to expire or; (ii) Withdraw any unwanted outstanding Introductions before you can send anymore! Refer to Section 5, Maintenance & Clean-Up for details of how to withdraw Introductions. 52lists strongly encourages ALL of our Users to upgrade their LinkedIn account to one of the Premium Accounts offered by LinkedIn to take full advantage of the Introductions feature. Monthly v Outstanding 25. SENDING INTRODUCTION REQUESTS Section 4 26www.52lists.com 2012 All rights reserved / 52lists 26. 27www.52lists.com 2012 All rights reserved / 52lists The purpose of sending Introductions is to get introduced to 2nd and / or 3rd level contacts who are not already part of your current network of 1st level LinkedIn connections. Every 2nd or 3rd level contact that accepts an invitation will become a 1st level contact! Because you are ONLY able to send a limited number (Section 3: Introduction Requests Facts & Figures) of Introductions at a time it is important that you use them wisely. Until a 1st level contact that you ask to assist you takes action by either forwarding the Introduction request or rejecting it LinkedIn will not allow you to send that Introduction to someone else. Example: You are a Premium LinkedIn Account holder allocated 35 outstanding Introductions If you send 10 Introductions and no one either forwards or rejects them and you dont withdraw them (See Section 5: Maintenance & Clean-Up) then you would only have 25 available to send . You need to be proactive and NOT wait six (6) months for outstanding Introductions to expire. Note: Your acceptance rate will be much higher if you personalise your Introduction messages . Introduction 27. 28www.52lists.com 2012 All rights reserved / 52lists Select the Home search page by left clicking your mouse. Make sure that People is selected in the drop down search menu box: Type in the full name of the 1st person to send the Introduction to from your multiple pages of printed contacts: Left click using your mouse on the Magnify Glass icon to START the 1st individual search: 28. 29www.52lists.com 2012 All rights reserved / 52lists To narrow the number of search results, start typing Melbourne Area, Australia LinkedIn will auto complete the operation for you. IMPORTANT! Be sure to select Melbourne Area, Australia and NOT Melbourne Florida, Area which is the USA. 29. 30www.52lists.com 2012 All rights reserved / 52lists Hover your mouse over the small drop down menu icon next to the connect button The next step of the process involves clicking on the Connect icon of each of the 2nd or 3rd level search results. Ignore the 1st level results as they are already a part of our network. Also ignore Group ones. Left click on the Get Introduced menu item: 30. 31www.52lists.com 2012 All rights reserved / 52lists Now you are ready to get introduced to Fraser Hodgson via one of your current 1st Level connections Left click on the 1st level contact at the TOP of the list with the HIGHEST # of Shared Connections that can help you get introduced to the contact (Fraser Hodgson) 31. 32www.52lists.com 2012 All rights reserved / 52lists Cut & Paste the Subject from the .txt file on the following slide into each request 32. 33www.52lists.com 2012 All rights reserved / 52lists A smart way to save time when you are sending Introduction Request messages is to use Google Docs, Notepad, OneNote or Microsoft Word to create MASTER templates. All you then need to do then is CUT & PASTE your preferred template into the Introduction Request message field and personalise it as needed: Tips 33. 34www.52lists.com 2012 All rights reserved / 52lists Cut & Paste the BODY from the .txt file on the following slide into each Introduction Request. Personalise each message by using the FIRST name only of the 1st level contact who is helping you get introduced. Personalise each message by using the FIRST & LAST name of the contact you are trying to get introduced too. Left click Send Request! 34. 35www.52lists.com 2012 All rights reserved / 52lists The following message or similar should be displayed. You can check if it worked for the first couple of times by looking in the Sent Messages folder below: In Progress / Waiting for Stephen to respond 35. 36www.52lists.com 2012 All rights reserved / 52lists Click on the Home icon to find the next contact from the printed search results and continue the process one by one up to the maximum number of Introduction Requests you can send. Note: Refer to Section 3: Introduction Requests Facts & Figures for details on the maximum number of Introduction Requests you can send. 36. 37www.52lists.com 2012 All rights reserved / 52lists TIP Some search results dont include a name and are private. They are of little or no use so ignore them! These two (2) are OK! 37. 38www.52lists.com 2012 All rights reserved / 52lists TIP As you do searches 2, 3, 4 for a specific Title You often ONLY need to change the Industry. Select one or more Industries from the Industry menu without exceeding the number of allowable results you can display. or Start typing the first few letters of the Industry name There are over 140 Industries to choose from and fall within the limits. Left click the Search button to generate the next set of results. 38. 39www.52lists.com 2012 All rights reserved / 52lists TIP As you do searches 2, 3, 4 for a specific Industry You often ONLY need to change the Title. Type the next title to search for - Director or CEO or President or Note: The other search parameters you selected will not be effected . Left click the Search button to generate the next set of results. 39. MAINTENANCE & CLEAN-UP Section 5 40www.52lists.com 2012 All rights reserved / 52lists 40. 41www.52lists.com 2012 All rights reserved / 52lists As explained in Section 3: Introduction Requests Facts & Figures, LinkedIn allows Premium Account holders to have a maximum number of outstanding or un-answered Introductions Requests in their account at a time. The only way to redeem these Introductions is to withdraw them manually one-by-one. This is a fairly simple task to do as explained in the following slides: The vast majority of contacts that you send Introductions too will either accept and / or respond to them in less than a week so there is NO issue in withdrawing ALL Introductions from the previous week. If you are a Premium Account holder, you should perform this Maintenance & Clean-Up task on a weekly basis so you can continue to send Introductions and make the most of your Introduction allowances. It should only take you 5 to 10 minutes a week. Maintenance & Clean-Up 41. 42www.52lists.com 2012 All rights reserved / 52lists Step 1. Left click on the Inbox / Then left click the Sent Messages tab: Step 2. Left click on the Sent menu 42. 43www.52lists.com 2012 All rights reserved / 52lists Step 4. Left click on the Sort menu and select Oldest: Step 3. Left click on the Introductions menu option 43. 44www.52lists.com 2012 All rights reserved / 52lists Step 5. Left click on Friendly LinkedIn Introduction Request TEXT of each Introduction that is 1 week old or older and has the (In Progress) message next to the name of the invitee NOTE: DO NOT left click on the messages with the GREEN (Responded ) message displayed! 44. 45www.52lists.com 2012 All rights reserved / 52lists Step 6. Left click on the Withdraw button to withdraw the un-answered Introduction Request and return it to the pool! 45. 46www.52lists.com 2012 All rights reserved / 52lists Step 7. Left click on the 1st radio button - The need has been filled: Step 8. Left click on the Withdraw button: 46. 47www.52lists.com 2012 All rights reserved / 52lists The following message or similar will be displayed Step 9. Left click on the Sent Messages tab to return: 47. 48www.52lists.com 2012 All rights reserved / 52lists Step 10. You can now withdraw the other remaining Introduction Requests that are in progress and either 1 week old or older as per Steps 1 ~ 9 WARNING: Make sure that each of these menu items are selected before continuing! 48. 49www.52lists.com 2012 All rights reserved / 52lists The ONLY thing left to do is delete all the (Withdrawn) Introductions plus the ones with a green (Responded) message Tick the correct boxes and left click on the Delete button: 49. 50www.52lists.com 2012 All rights reserved / 52lists IMPORTANT! You can check how many of the Introductions are available by left clicking on the Settings tab underneath your name: This shows that there are currently only 3 of a possible 35 Introductions available. You would need to withdraw any which are I week or older to free up some more! 50. Windmill Networking: Understanding, Leveraging & Maximizing LinkedIn Author: Neal Schaffer Email: [email protected] Maximizing LinkedIn for Sales and Social Media Marketing: An Unofficial, Practical Guide to Selling & Developing B2B Business on LinkedIn Author: Neal Schaffer Email: [email protected] Additional LinkedIn Tutorials 52lists.com/resources www.leadgen365.com 2012 All rights reserved / leadgen365 51 Recommended Reading 51. www.leadgen365.com 2012 All rights reserved / leadgen365 52 Frequently Asked Questions - FAQs 52lists.com/helpdesk Contact Us: Level 23, HWT Tower 40 City Road Southgate, Vic. 3006 Australia www.52lists.com