Business Development Blog

I just posted this as a comment on the LinkedIn.com blog.

I'd been on a phone call with a gentleman I met 18 months ago and was reconnecting because we share a common market.  My frustration is this: After this communication, I had to go to LinkedIn to send an invite, go back to my CRM to enter the Email communication, and then set a follow up task to make sure that this opportunity didn't get dropped.  Multiple steps in disjointed systems - They don't talk.

But what if they could?  What if I could do this all in the same place?  And it was integrated?

"I am a huge fan of the site!  I love the work that you are doing to create a rich, relationship environment.

Some suggestions though:

1. Add the functionality to really manage relationships.  The Outlook toolbar is a great example of this.  I can be reminded to touch base with people if we haven't emailed in 60 days.  I can see when their birthday is and stay on top of it.  I can use my Explorer Toolbar to capture people that I want to learn more about.  But there is no comprehensive way for me to manage my relationship inside the application itself.  I already use LinkedIn as a huge part of my business development strategy.  Adding this functionality would move me out of my Outlook environment completely.
   
2. Let me bring my contact's full info into the application.  Then this becomes my platform for everything.  You guys are tight with Google - Integrate this with their Apps, Calendar, CRM and email and you've got THE KILLER BUSINESS APP.  Nothing could touch it.  I'd pay handsomely for a system that could do that because I could quintuple my efficiency.
   
3. Let us fully adopt this.  Right now it's fragmented.  It's an additional step.  I understand what your focus is - connecting people.  Let us take it to the next step to use it as the platform for managing all of it.

 

As I said,  I'm excited about what is happening within LinkedIn and am training people to use it in the small business arena.  Add this functionality and you can revolutionize the way business gets done.

My 2 cents."

I'm more than willing to continue to operate inside the current Terms of Service.  I understand what the system is for - It's a Social Medium.  So let me add it to my current business processes so I can more closely map the reality of my everyday business experience.  That's the point isn't it?

Raymond Chip Lambert
Network 2 Networth
Outsourced Business Development

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