Lesson from LinkedIn

This year, I vowed to expand my network in savvy, professional ways including attending South Tampa Chamber luncheons and accepting everyone (with a profile picture) on LinkedIn. Making connections on LinkedIn seems like a solid approach to enhance my contacts for learning and idea-sharing. With that, nearly 200 invitations have been accepted so far as of this update.

Of those 200 "connections", I have received 29 solicitations. And, when I say solicitations, I mean true solicitations...and nearly all of them were sent immediately...

What a lesson learned!

That lack of true interest in learning about me or one another and the attack on my senses was a huge turnoff. These messages ranged from insulting the number of connections I have to insisting I probably "needed" to take a workshop on Public Speaking since that person said "you seem like you want to be a speaker", and others offered to get me my "1st Gig". Really? That's the approach people are taking? Wow! Does that work? I wondered, and yet the thoughtless messages just kept coming.

In fairness, a couple of them had some business approaches that could work, meaning they addressed that we hadn't met yet, and shared a little about themselves. Still, not one of them did any research. I am not sure if more than one or two even read my full LinkedIn profile! I feel 100% confident that nobody Googled my name!

Imagine if we saw an ad for spending 5 minutes to be doubly productive - most of us would listen or even buy-in, right? Googling someone after seeing a potential business match is a way to productively attempt to really connect business-wise.

So the lesson learned about LinkedIn is that while I will still accept connections, I do, and will also continue to send the following response to the impersonal messages:

Hello Name!

Thank you for your outreach.

Since we have not met, and you may or may not have fully read my LinkedIn profile, please consider a message such as yours, in particular, so quickly after my acceptance of your connection, comes across as a cold solicitation.

Respectfully, I am not interested.

Here's wishing you the best in your business pursuits,

Debbie

And then, I remove the connection. While technology and being linked are both important, being truly connected is even more "In"!

Message Me This...

"A message prepared in the mind
reaches a mind; a message prepared in
a life reaches a life."
~ Bill Gothard, American Clergy, b. 1934

Some of us may remember the days of busy signals and no voicemail options. There were times when if a human being did not connect with you, there was not a way to get a message to someone until the next call or the next day.

We have come a long way!! Still, with the technological advancements, we have gone backwards in some ways with our communication…in particular when it comes to messages for people.

With caller ID and immediacy in mind, often people do not even leave messages when calling anymore. Similarly, people often return calls without listening to a message if one is left.

Please leave a message if you want someone to return your call (instead of assuming that person saw your number and knows to call). And, when you leave your message, let the person know what you are seeking (rather than “Hey, it’s Debbie, give me a call”). This is a consideration of the person’s time, and if done well (with name, number, message, name and number), the person can return the call, and if s/he gets your voicemail, can answer your question and end the seemingly ever-lasting phone-tag that fills a lot of our to-do lists!

Likewise, if you are returning a call, please do listen to the person’s message before calling. This is a courtesy to that person, and, you can answer his/her question and you could end the seemingly ever-lasting phone-tag that fills a lot of our to-do lists!

So, while we get frustrated by not reaching someone, it could be worse, we could be hearing the wonk-wonk-wonk of a busy signal, or incessant ringing! Leave a message…listen to your messages. Having the ability to leave a message and communicate something is a great opportunity for each of us…failing to take advantage of it is not respectful of the technology or either person’s time!