One of the "good things" about being in a LinkedIn group is that another group member can contact you directly.
Today I got a letter from someone I don't know that is just wrong in so many ways (the names have been changed to protect the guilty):
Hi Joel,
Good Morning!!!
I saw you in Linkedin. And I feel like we can build a fruitful business relationship….
I am John Smith from Jones Accounting Service (India).
Jones Accounting Service is an India based freelance accounting firm providing online accounting and bookkeeping solutions. We work closely with CPA firms and Small Business enterprises. So we understand exactly what you need and want from an outsourcing Service firm.
Our Pricing is very cheaper compared to any other services. We charge you only $7 (US Dollar) per hour.
And also you can avail 24/7 support.
We deal with the softwares like QuickBooks, Peachtree, Netsuite, Sage, Xero, MYOB,HandiLedger, Quicken, Tally
You pay us only if you are satisfied with our services .
Sorry If you feel like I'm disturbing you...
Expecting your reply...
So what is wrong with this? For starters, "John" saw me on LinkedIn and thinks "we can build a fruitful business relationship." He clearly didn't read my profile to learn what kind of CPA work I do. If he did, he'd see his customers aren't really my customers. Does he explain how this would be fruitful for me?
Have I sent messages to people in groups I am in on LinkedIn? Of course. But when I do it, I don't make it so completely self-serving. And I certainly don't end it with "Expecting your reply...."
This is the equivalent of spam. I put up with it because the cost of the occassional spam I get is more than offset by the value I get from LinkedIn.
Actually it also reminds me of some really bad networkers I've met over the year. All about them.
You know those simple marketing rules you follow when you meet someone for the first time? They apply on LinkedIn too. "John" is going to be waiting a long time for my reply.
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Rules of networking
Edith - first as always thanks for your comments. You pretty much have those rules figured out, but now you've given me an idea for a future post. So watch for it!
What Not to do on LinkedIn
Joel,
Your series on what to do, and not do, on LinkedIn, is great. You mention at the end of this post "You know those simple marketing rules you follow when you meet someone for the first time?" I will admit I am not sure what 'rules' you are referring to, and I bet they are good to follow the first time people meet as well as thereafter. I assume it has something to do with asking questions as much as, or more than, talking about oneself/one's company, to be able to, in a followup meeting, bridge the gap between one's own products/services and expressed interests of the person/potential client/customer. Would you mind discussing those 'rules' in a future post, or if you did in a previous post, let us know which one?
Thank you!