How to Make LinkedIn Work for You

Like most folks in business, I created a LinkedIn profile and began building my connections. In a matter of months, I had hundreds of connections without doing too much work. Now what?

It wasn’t until I had lunch with a good friend, an expert at building client rosters for agencies, that I realized what a useful tool LinkedIn can be.

Step 1: Build your network. Fine past coworkers, clients, etc. As you add new people to your Rolodex, find them on LinkedIn, too.

Step 2: Review your connection’s connections. Say I’m looking for some new clients in the home and garden industry. I’m going to peruse my connections to see if they know any influentials in said industry.

Step 3: Request introductions. It’s simple, really. Just ask your connection to introduce you through LinkedIn. The site allows you to write a personalized not to both you connection and the person with which you want to be introduced.