LinkedIn for Consultants: Why, How and Now
This is the first in a series of posts that'll outline best practices for using LinkedIn from the point-of-view of our diverse groups of users. As many of you know, LinkedIn continues to provide value to consultants in different industry segments by helping them accomplish two of their most pressing needs:
(1) Winning new business
(2) Strengthening existing business
So, let's see what are the ways in which LinkedIn can help facilitate the above two goals and also some immediate steps you can follow, to effect some results.
How
Here are 5 ways that LinkedIn can help consultants win and strengthen their business relationships
- Be found:
Potential clients find you when your LinkedIn profile matches a keyword they use for their search. With millions of searches done on LinkedIn per month, odds are someone has already searched LinkedIn for a person with your expertise. Include the right keywords in your profile, so you show up in the search results of potential clients.
- Search and Research:
LinkedIn not only allows you to find hiring managers in your industry and region, but also enables you to identify new prospects in the networks of your former clients or colleagues. The most valuable information for your clients is rarely on a Web page: it is usually in the minds of influencers and potential customers. LinkedIn helps you find these people and reach them through introductions made by your trusted contacts.
- Get introduced:
Most consultants get the majority of their clients through word-of-mouth referrals. When you connect on LinkedIn with professionals who have referred business to you in the past, you strengthen your relationship with them by helping them reach people you know. Also, once connected on LinkedIn, you can see who they or their contacts know and proactively reach out to potential new clients via referrals from past clients or former co-workers. If you have more business than you can handle, you can also use LinkedIn to find qualified staff and subcontractors.
- Get endorsed:
One of the first steps in establishing your reputation within LinkedIn is to get endorsed by your former clients and colleagues whom you've impressed with your work ethic. This not only offers examples of consulting work you've done in the past on your LinkedIn profile, but may seem mandatory given the competitive consulting environment in different fields today. Also, don't forget to recommend your co-workers (past and present) and fellow consultants whose work you admire.
- Got Answers?
Another effective way to substantiate your expertise in a given field is offering solutions and answers to specific questions being posed by your trusted network through LinkedIn Answers. Besides helping other professionals; this is a great way to further solidify your expertise in your related field of work. We have a slew of categories and sub-groups within LinkedIn Answers that cover a broad swath of possible consulting work.
Now
If you're a consultant who has just joined LinkedIn, here are four action items to help you get started:
- Connect with your past and current clients. Referrals from clients are your best lead source — and once you are connected, you can also proactively search their networks.
- Reconnect with old colleagues. You never know all the people your old colleagues know until you connect with your colleagues on LinkedIn.
- Connect with people who've recommended you in the past. These people have already recommended or referred you to their trusted network. By connecting with them, you maximize the chances of people in their network finding you when they are looking for help.
- Request recommendations from past clients or old colleagues. This ensures that potential clients or employers who find you will choose you from their search results as the person to contact.
Now, this is just a starting point. If you've used LinkedIn in unique and effective ways as a consultant, feel free to leave a comment or contact me at msundar@linkedin.com.
Riku Eskelinen Jul 9, 2007
I have noticed that there are a lot of independent countries, even with big population missing from the locations list of LinkedIn. There are also some relatively small places, not even independent (like Cook Islands), listed on locations. There is also Yugoslavia, which has not been existing since 1991. You mention only one Korea, even though both are internationally recognised. etc.etc. Why is that?
According to my list the following independent countries (listed by population) are missing from your list:
Kongo Kinshasa, Myanmar, Sudan, Afganistan, North Korea, Mosambique, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso, Cambodza, Niger, Malawi, Mali, Senegal, Zambia, Cuba, Chad, Guinea,
Rwanda, Somalia, Haiti, Burundi, Tajikistan, Paraguay, Laos, Sierra Leone, Libya, Papua New Guinea, Turkmenistan,
Eritrea, Central Africa, Kongo Brazzaville, Liberia, Mauritania, Jamaica, Mongolia, Bhutan, Lesotho, Guinea-Bissau, Swaziland, Fiji, Comores, Djibouti, Guyana, Cap Verde, Solomon Islands, Surinam, Brunei, Maledives, Belize, Barbados, Vanuatu, Samoa, Saint Lucia, Sao Tome & Principe, Saint Vincent & Grenadines, Tonga, Kiribati, Grenada, Seychelles, Andorra, Antigua & Barbuda, Dominica, Marshall Islands, Saint Kitts & Nevis, Monaco, San Marino, Palau, Nauru, Tuvalu, Vatican
There are also many places, de facto independent, or otherwise could make to your list... Here are some of them on escalating order by population:
Puerto Rico, Palestine, Somaliland, Reunion, Transnistria, Macao, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Western Sahara, Northern Cyprus, New Caledonia, French Guyana, Guam, Nagorno-Karabah, US Virgin Islands, Jersey, Northern Mariana Islands, Isle of Man, Aruba, Guernsey, American Samoa, Cayman Islands, British Virgin Islands, Turks & Caicos Islands, Wallis & Futuna, Anguilla, Montserrat, Saint Helena, Saint-Pierre & Miquelon, Falkland Islands, Niue, Tokelau, Pitcairn Islands
Fernando Aramburu Jul 10, 2007
Mario,
About your post, I guess there are other ways to do it and is to network and to contribute to your connections. Social networks are a both way connection , and I guess one way to improve your connections and convert them in future clients or someone more close to you is give something before receiving :)
Another thing... I'm looking for linkedin developers blogs. Do you know if there is or can you recommend me some blogs specific related to the next Linkedin API. I'm looking something specific for developers and not only people saying "it will be great".
Hope you can mail me ...
Fer
vijay patnaik Jul 18, 2007
I am sort of new to LinkedIn or other network sites. Being a recruitment consultant myself, your article is just perfect in leading my entry to networking for clients and candidates alike.
Richard Goodwin Jul 25, 2007
Good blog, just one comment regarding recommendations;
Recommendations ONLY show in a 'Public' profile if the person viewing your profile is actually logged in. Whilst I understand this may be to protect the privacy of the person who made the recommendation, can the recommendation text not be shown but the identity of the author witheld?
Marilyn Reap Jul 24, 2008
Can someone please explain how to display keywords in my profile? I see on some profiles keywords are listed right below current and past employment history. This keyword section does not appear on my profile. How do I add it?