Are you impressed with LinkedIn members who have thousands of direct contacts in their network?

Alison's Contribution:

I think there are a couple of factors which determine the right strategy for you when using a tool as powerful as LinkedIn.

As I have said on more than one occasion, I see myself as the spider thread connecting an archipelago of talented individualists. Some parts of this grapevine are very active. Others are too busy with the day to day stuff that they don’t visit often. I view it as only a factor of time before one of them finds a friend they have yet to meet through me.

I encourage you to think about the picture you have of LinkedIn; can you compare it to an animal, bird, or insect grouping? You have an awesome responsibility of representing the power of LinkedIn to people who have never heard of it before. It’s an opportunity to paint a picture of possibilities instead of limiting their anticipation as to what they want to do.

So first, isn't it great that a tool like LinkedIn can be used in so many different ways by so many people? Gone are the straight-jackets of formalised database usage! Hooray!

For me, I love connecting islands of technologists and other professionals - many of who don't know each other because they are too busy at the coal face or inventing new things. Sure, some of them know some of their suppliers and, yes, they compete for the same clients.

And yet.... And yet some don't know who amongst a competitor (or even in a different industry) might be able to help them produce a new product/service which would enhance both their bottom lines. The ability to facilitate an introduction is a function of how wide your reach is, how compelling your approach is and how willing to “pay it forward” your “thread” is to leaping from A to D (from them to you to your contact to the target). With 40 million individuals, trying to connect to everyone is probably beyond the realms of possibility for most people.

When viewing each Individual an Entrepreneur in charge of their own destiny, I would have thought you would want to extend your reach as widely as possible - new sales leads, possible partnerships, and of course contact points for investment ideas. That doesn’t mean connecting with any an all, it just means to be open to the possibility of a chance “meeting” which may lead to something more. Unlike cold calling, if you say no to them once, they can’t ask you again.

Whilst Answers and Groups are great forums to extend one‘s thoughts, I would have thought connecting and building relationships one at a time is an activity best practiced daily.

Let me know if you want to quote me for your book.

Alison K Murray
posted 20 hours ago