How Not To Make A New Connection On LinkedIn

I love LinkedIn. I think if it is used properly it can be a powerful tool to network, market and build your business. The idea that I can peruse new connections at any hour of the day or night whilst in my yoga pants with no make-up on, is nothing short of a modern day miracle. Yet I continue to be amazed at how many people just don't get how to use it properly.

For example, last week I got what at first glance appeared to be a personalized email from someone who apparently I "share a group in common" with.  Don't ask me which group. The writer did not get that personal. 

Still he asked if I might like to connect further.

I don't. 

Here's why.

The next paragraph told me what he did, his closing ratio and how big the deals averaged. 

Nice information. But why should I care?

The paragraph after that was the real kicker. He asked if I have "considered or are considering going into consulting?" 

This was when I knew - with absolute certainty - that this was a form letter and I don't connect with form letters. 

Not that I don't suggest having a good, well written piece on hand with which to introduce oneself. The key is to remember to personalize it.

He didn't. If he had he might have noticed that my title in my LinkedIn profile includes the word "consultant." He might have read my summary which talks about my "consulting." 

But he didn't. 

The underlying message of his note was that he doesn't do his homework very well. There are no excuses for that - especially in a world where it is as easy as a Google search. 

At this point I saw this as material for a blog so I went nosing around on his website. It confirmed my suspicions that he was trying to sell me something. In this case becoming licensed by his consortium.

As I have written many times before - we are all trying to sell something. That is not my issue with this. My issue is - if you are going to do that start by doing your homework. 

He didn't have to read too far to see I was already consulting. In that case his pitch should have been something to intrigue me why a connection with his group is going to help me. 

But he didn't.

My guess is one of two things happened.

He relied on an automated system that probably pulled my name out of the pile through keywords.

He (or whoever he assigned this task to) didn't bother to think.

In an increasingly automated, digital world the need for humanization increases proportionately. 

You want to make a new connection? 

Tell me something that makes me feel like you care enough to at least read my LinkedIn profile first. Or perhaps, listen to this new Soundcloud audio version of what I do. In either case, do your homework first.

What To Do When Technology Fails You

We expect technology to work. We expect it never to fail us. Frustration levels rise when the page we opened in Safari is taking too long to load. We can't understand why we are at a conference with bad WIFI that is preventing us  from tweeting our opinions to the rest of the world. Ten years ago a Smartphone was not a necessity and today we panic if the battery is draining too quickly and our charger is nowhere to be found. A rash of expletives fall out of our mouths when we are trying to complete a transaction on line and have a bad user experience.

We don't just expect technology to work.  We demand it. In fact many of us think it's smarter than we are. 

Humans can and do make mistakes. But not technology. 

Or so we think.

We forget that it is humans who create the technology.  And it will always be humans who need to oversee their creations.

Case in point. The day after Christmas Delta Airlines experienced a glitch in their systems that offered crazy low fares - $6.99 round trip to Hawaii. The news of the offers spread like wildfire on the social networks while humans intervened to correct the mistake. The system did not know it made an error. The humans at the other end are the ones who found out and the ones who fixed it. 

This kind of stuff happens. It will always happen. No matter how advanced artificial intelligence might get - it will break down. And what do you do when it happens to you?

In the case of Delta they did the right thing. Once they caught it they shut down the site until it was corrected. And because it was their error,  they honored the bargain fares. 

Which proves my point :

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The Most Underused App On Your SmartPhone - Day 8

My smartphone sits next to me as I write. I have over six pages of Apps. I can use it to check Facebook, the Stock Market and the weather in Paris. I can snap a picture, edit it with my Camera+ App and then post in on Instagram. I can read The New York Times and listen to Pandora. I can send a text, write an email and set my alarm for the next morning.

But the thing that used to be it’s primary purpose - before it became so smart - is the most underused App of all. 

According to the IDC Research Study sponsored by Facebook only 16% of smartphone usage is spent talking on the phone !

The phone call has evolved from being "the next best thing to being there" to an intrusion and an infringement of one's precious time. 

Why talk when one can text? 

And email? It's so much more efficient to do business.

Or is it?

Is it a better use of time to watch the phone ring and let voice mail pick up - than to experience human interaction? 

Maybe.

Is it faster and quicker to reply to the phone message with a text rather than doing something rare and what in many circles is still considered polite and call me back?

Could be.

But not always. 

And here’s the reason. 

The sound of another’s voice is a source of human connection. 

Did you hear that?

It’s why radio still endures as a medium in an age of multiple choice. It’s why podcasts are increasing in popularity.

Your voice is a persuasive tool that does not translate in a text message. An email exchange might change the course of a difficult situation - but nothing will measure against the sound of another's voice.

True, it takes more courage to pick up the phone in a world that lets us hide behind our technology. But because it’s used so infrequently these days it also sends this wonderful signal that says the receiver is important enough to actually spend some time and talk with.

What a refreshing thought!

The point of technology is to enhance our relationships - personally or professionally - not substitute. There are plenty of situations where the text or email is the best and quickest route to communicate our message. But not always. 

If you don't believe me, give it a whirl this week and experiment. Let me know what happens.

note: This is Day #8 of a 30 Day Experiment. Here are the details on how it all started.