Magnus Marketing Blog

So, we find many holes in using social media for sales prospecting. Namely ninnies who are clueless about LinkedIN and it's use. LinkedIN is a social network centered around business networking - a public resume database highlighting professionals centered around business topics, issues and the like. Here is a sampling of some issues that have cropped up:

1. People who confuse social with business. LinkedIN was designed as a business networking site, sort of a business card exchange on steroids. The idea is to facilitate connections between people that can help each other in a professional way, whether an exchange of goods and services, information, or career help. It is the electronic automation of a business networking exchange. Yet, there are people who insist on challenging this by confusing it with "non business issues". If you want to advertise - buy advertising or talk about chocolate - go on Facebook or MySpace where yammering about personal stuff is the norm. Know thy network.

2. People who connect for the sake of connecting. The story goes as follows. Glen Gutmacher, VP of Arbita asked me to reach out to a segment of companies because he felt that there may be opportunity for JobMachine. One company that Glen suggested looked interesting, I reached out to the VP of HR. The VP of HR, as with most VP's of HR, was completely clueless as to who Shally & Glen were and what JobMachine did. Which is more the norm, unfortunately which is why recruiting tends to be run so poorly - the executives don't even provide proper training or help their teams improve performance! As someone said in the Talent Acquisition area, if you don't know Shally & Glen, you aren't current with the industry. Anyway, I went to LinkedIN to see if there was a Talent Acquisition manager, someone familiar with Shally & Glen who could champion their services internally. It would be easier to sell them and then they would sell their management, because they would know what is really going on in the company. I found that there was a VP of Global Talent Acquisition, I called back and asked for her and was told that she left the company some time ago. Not only was her profile completely out of date and still up on LinkedIN, but also the receptionist transferred me to another person in HR who just joined and was totally clueless about who even worked in HR. I went back to LinkedIN to find another contact, someone familiar with Shally and/or Glen to talk with. I found a Staffing Operations person, someone who handles vendors and was LinkedIN to both Shally and Glen (we shared the connection). I called her, she answered. In short, after the introduction and why I was calling - she abruptly told me the standard corporate blow off, "we aren't working with any new vendors", I explained - we aren't a staffing agency or sourcing outsourcing firm, we work with recruiters/sourcers to help them improve their sourcing capability, save costs, etc. Somehow I asked her, you know Shally, right? She replied - "NO, I don't know of any Shally Stickers (which she mispronounced) or Glen", I told her that she was LinkedIN to them. She gave a "I don't know them" equivalent of a verbal shrug and hung up. I was shocked, this person was LinkedIN to people she didn't even know nor did she understand what they did. Why LinkIN to them then? I dropped the company because any company this idiotic is not worth JobMachine's advanced intelligence, they can't handle it. Great opportunity for staffing agencies, this company will net tons of revenue in staffing services.

3. Don't Call Any LinkedIN Connections. Some people advised me not to jump the network and call people. Right. In any networking situation, there is follow up and follow up means personal interaction. If my boss asked me to contact you, then I call if there is a connection, email is so impersonal and is easily overlooked. Additionally, going through referrals is fine, if you want to wait months on end or you assume your connection actually KNOWS the people you want to be introduced to. One thing Shally Steckerl advises is not to depend on email referrals, use INMAIL and direct contact instead precisely for that reason. If the information is public and we are connected, I will call you - you are on LinkedIN because you want to network and that means you want to be contacted. Plus, I can find you anywhere - pick a Web 2.0 tool - if not LinkedIN, you are on JigSaw, Spoke, or ZoomInfo. More often than not, people are quite responsive when you tell them that you are connected to them on LinkedIN and thought it would be better to call. After all, I'd like a relationship with the person and build my network beyond a database and email. We are not living in a purely transactional society now are we?

The downfall of social media and Web 2.0 will come with the dilution of purpose and lack of understanding. If you do not want to be contacted, you don't put your information on a social network. If you are on a social network, maintain your profile and keep it updated - people can help you get a new job or help you do your job better. Know what social network is appropriate for what type of messaging and most of all: don't LinkIN to people with whom you are not familiar and have no clue as to what they do!!!