Business Development Blog

Many of you have been hearing about Online Social Networks for some time.

You may even have a LinkedIn.com, Facebook.com, or MySpace.com account.

But how do you use it?  What do you DO to get the most out of it?

Each of these networks serve a different audience and have distinctly different purposes.

And given your busy days, with a focus on results - it's important to use the right system for maximum bottom line impact.

I'd like to focus on LinkedIn - primarily because if it's demographic - 27 million and growing business professionals.

Some stats:

Growing by 1.3 million members per month
750,000+ Senior Executives
Executives from all Fortune 500 companies
46% are Business Decision Makers
Average Household Income - $109,000
Average Years of Experience – 15
Average Age: 41

                   (source: LinkedIn.com)

This is a group of people that are not only your prospects, but also have access to your prospects. (Centers Of Influence)

The key with LinkedIn is to Map your current business network onto the system and begin to look for leverage points. 

LinkedIn is designed with a search engine that allows you to target your searches, via name, industry, location, etc., and see the direct introduction/referral pathway THROUGH THE PEOPLE YOU ALREADY KNOW.

Think "Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon"

You can approach the people you already have developed relationships with to make introductions to great prospects - and decrease the resistance that those prospects could experience because you are leveraging social capital.

I understand that some of you are simply technology averse.  And you can continue to do what you've done and continue to produce the results that you produce. No harm, no foul.

But for those of you that are looking for a way to increase your productivity, shorten your sales cycle, and increase your closing rate, you may want to consider learning to utilize and integrate LinkedIn to your prospecting strategy.

Raymond Chip Lambert
Network 2 Networth
Your Outsourced Business Development Training Partner

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