Hello, LinkedIn Knowledge Brokers:

Over four months have passed since we met together to begin our journey of learning about LinkedIn and 20 weeks’ worth of “Tips & Helps.”  I hope this tool has become an important part of your branding and marketing efforts.  Although it may not feel like it—really, it is!  You just have to get your head around the fact that all the time you spend on LinkedIn is just that and not goofing around on the computer.  I say that as long as you have found strategic uses for it.  Here are a few new tips that may help you along to that point.

Profile Tips

Are you in the habit yet of printing the profile of the people you are going to meet at your next meeting?  If not, you need to be.  This is one of the big benefits of LinkedIn, and, remember, this business professional wrote this information and EXPECTS you to know this about him or her before you meet him/her for the first time.  It is his/her biography written just for people like you.  Things (besides the obvious things, like jobs and schools) that you may not think of looking at are:  recommendations (look for competitors, suppliers, key customers), groups (tells you what they are interested in), websites (tells you more about interests they have outside of work), summary (may list outside interests or what they feel are the important thoughts or feelings about how they like to run their business or relate to customers).

Connection Tips

Try to check out the “People You May Know” every day.  This is a box on the top right of your home page.  This list changes all the time; so you may not know if you will ever see those names again.  When you click on “See more,” you get an entire list.  The logic that this feature uses to find these people is beyond me, but some very interesting people and potential connections come up.  If you find a name that seems interesting, click on the profile and then decide what you should do with that information.  I am not saying you should connect right away since you know how I feel about people who may not be “trusted professionals,” but if they are, that is a “no-brainer.”  Otherwise the profile may give you information you need for the possibility of attempting to make them a “work-in-process” #1 connection.

Wildcard Tip or Question

If you are a job seeker, you should join the group “Star:Candidate.”  There is some great advice, and many recruiters love to use this group since it is loaded with people like you looking for jobs. 

Miscellaneous News and Notes

Here is my upcoming schedule for teaching/speaking so you can share with friends, relatives and business associates.  Follow link for additional details and registration information.

Thurs Jan 21, 2010    Top 10 Reasons Why You Should be on LinkedIn
                                   Society for Marketing Professional Services-WI
                                   8:00-9:30am; Country Springs Hotel
                                   http://www.smpswisconsin.org

Wed Jan 27, 2010      Wayne’s Intermediate LinkedIn Power Formula Training
                                   M&M Office Interiors; 5:00 PM – 7:00 PM
                                   http://budurl.com/65ub

Wed Feb 10, 2010    Wayne’s LinkedIn Power Formula Training for Beginners
                                  M&M Office Interiors; 5:00 PM – 7:00 PM
                                  http://budurl.com/wqqf

Thurs Feb 18, 2010    Power Formula for Networking Using Social Media
                                   M&M Office Interiors; 7:30-8:30am
                                   Waukesha Chamber of Commerce
                                   http://www.waukesha.org/calendar.asp?d=2/1/2010

Tues Feb 23, 2010      Top 10 Reasons Why You Should be on LinkedIn
                                    Knights of Columbus, 3200 S. 103rd St.; 1:00-2:30pm
                                    ABLE South
                                    Call UWM School of Continuing Education 414-227-3098

Thurs Feb 25, 2010     Milwaukee JobCamp3
                                    Potawatomi Casino; 9am-6pm

                                  http://www.milwaukeejobcamp.org/

Make this the week that you use LinkedIn—strategically!

Wayne

Wayne C. Breitbarth

President

M&M Office Interiors, Inc.

W233 N2833 Roundy Circle West Suite 100

Pewaukee, WI  53072

office 262-781-2600

cell 414-313-7785

http://www.mmoffice.com

http://www.Linkedin.com/in/waynebreitbarth

http://twitter.com/WayneBreitbarth