Yellow Dog Consulting

Sales & Marketing Consulting for solo-preneurs.

LinkedIn – We’re Not Friends

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Hank & Carson "sharing"

What’s the deal with people on LinkedIn lately? I know everyone has a different idea of how they use LinkedIn or WHEN they will “link.” For me, if we have met at an event before and had a conversation then LinkedIn is a great way to keep an eye on each other, see who we both know, and from there maybe meet up again.

However, lately a LOT of people seem to think we’re friends by using the canned “I’d like to add you to my professional network on LinkedIn.” Nope, not happening. Sometimes I will take the time to see if we know a few of the same people and maybe we HAVE met before, but often times I will ignore.

The other day someone said we were “Friends” and I had never seen him before. What’s MORE annoying is that he added a personal message – and by message I mean quick sales pitch “I do XXX and would love to work with you- call me 425…” SERIOUSLY?

RUDE.

LinkedIn is a place to connect with people you know professionally. And don’t assume that you’re as memorable as your mom tells you. A polite and PROFESSIONAL reminder of how you met will go a long way…and a canned request will get a canned response – and by canned, I mean kicked off LinkedIn.

Are You Comfortable With It?

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Hank in his typical stateI was meeting with a client last week and discussing their elevator pitch and messaging. The client kept asking if it should be one way or another- does it have to be positive? Do I talk to the pain or to the solution? Will they know what I mean? Do I know what I mean?

Here’s the short answer – tell the truth, and say what’s comfortable. Every time we tweaked the pitch I asked “does that sounds good to YOU” “are YOU comfortable with it?” You can’t sell your product or service if you aren’t comfortable with what you’re saying.

So, practice. If you aren’t getting the response you were hoping for while networking, tweak it. You know your message, your target market , what makes you unique, and there’s a way to say all of that without sounding pompous. I promise.

Connect with Yellow Dog Consulting in March!

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Hank and Tully talking it up
Hank and Tully talking it up

Well this year is flying by already – stay tuned for a birthday party in April and anniversary party in May! If you’d like to catch up with Yellow Dog Consulting – here’s where you can find us in March!

Friday, March 2nd 10 AM
Dog Park Networking!

Join Hank and me at Mercer Island Off Leash for some swimming and tennis ball throwing. You can’t miss Hank, he’s the loud one who barks at tennis balls and demands all the attention (I have no idea where he gets that from!) Let me know if you’ll be joining us – and you don’t need a dog to come play!

Thursday, March 8th
Puget Sound Business Journal Biz Mix
Wine, Women and networking? Yeah, I’ll be there!

Friday, March 9th
NWEN’s Breakfast Buzz
NWEN is one of my favorite organizations; the breakfast buzz is a great opportunity to network with entrepreneurs and service providers around the Puget Sound. Plus, the breakfast rotates between Seattle & Bellevue – this month it’s in Seattle, hope to see you there!

Thursday, March 15th
eWomen Network Luncheon
This is a fantastic networking event each month and THE place to learn how to most effectively network I believe. This month’s speaker is my friend and fantastic woman, Rachel Dexheimer of Equispire.

Thursday, March 22nd
NWEN eDate
Join me for eDate where entrepreneurs and experts meet. And some how Yellow Dog Consulting will be there to answer those burning marketing questions.

 

Here’s a couple other events that look great but don’t fit with my schedule…

Geekwire Summit
March 7th
If you work with the startup community you need to be here.

eWomen SBI’s

Strategic Business Introductions are a great way to get introduced to eWomen Network with a small group of people instead of 100 like at a luncheon. I understand it can be overwhelming for folks, an SBI is a great way to check out eWomen. There is one SBI in March and one in early April (3/20 & 4/3) let me know if you want to go to one and I’ll join you!

 

Let me know if you’re able to join me or if you know of other great networking events I should check out!