The Turtle and the Hare

Posted on 08-06-2010 | By: Rustam

THE TURTLE AND THE HARE

One of my daughters favorite stories before bed is the story of the “Turtle and the Hare” and as most of you know the moral of the story is:  SLOW AND STEADY WINS THE RACE.

In life and in business there are many free resources to help us succeed, it’s up to us to utilize these to our benefit.  The problem is, there are SO many resources, that we try to use all of them and get nowhere with any of them.  Sound familiar?

BEST ONLINE RESOURCE TO SLOWLY BUILD YOUR VALUE

Over the last year I have been building my professional network online through Linked-in, an online networking site for professionals.  Linked-in is absolutely free and has over 40 million professionals from every field imaginable.  Linked-in will allow you to build your resume online, connect with other professionals, seek potential employees, and help you generate business. (my favorite part)  I believe this is one of those free resources, that everyone should absolutely use and master.  Below I have laid out my success strategy for building a VALUABLE professional network using Linked-in.

SOME ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Within this last year, I have increased my number of QUALITY connections from 25 to nearly 400 and I am adding on average 3-5 a day.  Please note, the fact that I am adding QUALITY connections and not just anyone.  Over the last year, I have had numerous candidates respond to job postings, have connected with most of the top CEO’s in our industry, improved my image and credibility, and generated actual SALES.  All from spending a few minutes a day.  Even if you believe time is money, this is a HUGE Return on Investment. (ROI)

Here are my criteria for a QUALITY CONNECTION.

QUALITY CONNECTION CRITERIA:

1. Does my company currently do business with them?
2. Are they a decision maker for their business?
3. Are they an active member in my industry and do they have a lot of connections?
4. Is this a good contact for hiring future employees?
5. Is this a good connection for future business?

Once you have decided on the criteria for your connections, it’s important to have a GAME PLAN to build your profile.  Below are 7 STEPS to BUILDING A VALUABLE PROFESSIONAL PROFILE:

7 STEPS TO BUILDING A VALUABLE PROFILE

1. If you haven’t already, create a Linked-in profile at: http://www.linkedin.com
2. Update your information and have a goal of getting your profile to 100% complete.
3. Initially search and connect with people you already know.  This way you will have a greater chance of acceptance from a connection.
4. Set a GOAL of 5 new connections EVERY DAY.  I send about 25 invitations a week.  Initially I was getting about a 65% acceptance, but now I am at almost 100%.  The KEY is QUALITY!  Also, when you get a invite, DON’T accept everyone.  Revert back to your criteria and see if they are a good fit.
5. Groups Tab:  Click on the groups tab and find groups that are related to your business or interests.  This is one of the best and most underutilized resources.  Once your a member of a group, you can connect with other members of the group and they will most likely accept your invite.
6. Get involved.  Once you join a group, contribute to an interesting discussion or start your own.  Don’t spend too much time, but definitely contribute something useful.
7. Once you connect with someone, send a thank you response to the person who connected with you.  Here is an example:

Thank you for accepting my connection request. I appreciate the opportunity of sharing our resources and helping each other and our businesses grow.  I look forward to years of success ahead.  In Abundance, Rustam.

Your MAIN objective is to START the Race! On your marks, get set and…..GO!

~Rustam