What I’m listening to: Burn by Usher
Having a good month so far? I’m in the middle of doing something I haven’t had to do in a while — chase a payment. It’s not as though the client didn’t communicate post-project, but the silence after two emails (one including the invoice) isn’t sitting well. Time to pick up the phone.
I received a connection request on LinkedIn last week that made me pause. Normally, I’ll go to the person’s page, read a little, then make my decision. But lately, I’ve seen a lot of connection requests coming in from strangers. Beyond the obvious spammers, there are people who, quite frankly, are just sending out requests without any real connection to me or what I do.
Why that’s important to talk about — I know plenty of freelance writers who are doing the exact same thing.
So today’s strategy is all about LinkedIn.
December 15: Make a More Personal LinkedIn Connection
And don’t try telling me that you connect randomly with people because they might become clients some day. That’s not enough. And it’s more like spam if you’ve never had a conversation.
Time to get more personal.
Here are a few ways to connect on a more personal level on LinkedIn:
- Start with hello. Simple. Just say hello on a forum, in a message (that’s a paid feature, but worth it), or even on another form of social media. Make an acquaintance first.
- Build a rapport. Recently I followed a woman with whom I’d been having a nice conversation on a forum. She accepted immediately, and we continued the conversation. It’s okay to ask to connect if you’re already engaged.
- Use a connection to introduce yourself. If you’re both attending the same event either online or offline, that’s a great time to reach out, mention it, and ask to compare notes later. The same goes for a forum topic that you’re both engaged in.
- Send a personal note with your request. My lord, how many people bother to change that default message? Those are the people who are really interested in making a quality connection.
- Don’t stalk. If someone views your profile, that’s not an invitation to reach out and ask if they want to hire you. I’ve heard people saying how turned off they get when they go surfing, click on a profile, then suddenly are hit with a “Saw you looking! Do you need a writer?” type note. Instead, make note of who it is, then search your groups to see if there’s a connection there. Then refer to the first bullet point.
For more on how to get the most out of LinkedIn, refer to Susan Johnston Taylor’s excellent book, LinkedIn and Lovin’ It.