14 minute read
The Five Biggest LinkedIn Blinders
By: Lisa Apolinski
Avoid The Five Biggest LinkedIn Blunders
Advertisement
Surprising statistic from Kinsta: LinkedIn has over 575 million users and nearly half of those are active every month (meaning they post, comment or like on the platform). If that isn’t impressive enough, LinkedIn has their sites on further investments into Latin America. What makes LinkedIn even more powerful is that users update their bios regularly, so the connections you are potentially requesting are in the roles they have listed on their bios.
LinkedIn is a digital goldmine, especially now in the post-COVID digital paradigm. Users post on career engagement, network with others in the industry and share expertise and advice. Unfortunately, less professional engagement can and does happen on LinkedIn. Understanding what works in the world of LinkedIn for networking, and what hinders, can help remove obstacles for engagement. Here are the five biggest blunders that can hurt credibility and potentially, career advancement:
Blunder #1: Being vague in why a connection is requested. Some people believe more connections are better. However, some connection requests come with a note that does not share why the sender wants to network. If there is not a clear reasoning for the network connection, many of these requests appear to not help or enhance the receiver’s network. A connection request with a note can help put the connection request into context for the receiver.
Try Instead: Clearly state why a request has been sent and how the connection benefits both parties. To get a connection request accepted, think about why you are requesting the connection.
Blunder #2: Focusing on selling versus connecting. Many LinkedIn users complain about this practice and it seems to have become more common. After a connection has been accepted, the next message is a long selling pitch. What is even more surprising is the immediate request for a call or virtual demo. This is a request of someone’s time without taking time to connect first. A focus on selling will not help with lead generation or brand reputation. This type of communication does little for the recipient.
Try Instead: Thank the person for the connection and share something that might benefit the new connection, such as a video or article. Sharing knowledge can go a long way. Blunder #3: Not investing in a current professional photo. One of the first digital impressions from a LinkedIn profile is the user photo. Using a photo that is casual, that is old or that is provocative is missing a great opportunity to showcase a level of professionalism. A photo is a visual precursor to a job interview or lecturer. Investment in a professional photo is also a wise one as it can be used in a variety of digital ways. By keeping the photo current, network members are also easy to identify in other settings (remember those trade shows?).
Try Instead: Even a quick shot with your mobile can work. Have direct lighting and natural is best (morning or late afternoon). Capture from the shoulders up and minimize distractions in the background.
Blunder #4: Posting on politics. While many may have an opinion on the current political climate, sharing political viewpoints may not be the best decision. Posts and articles on LinkedIn should highlight expertise, provide knowledge and leadership within an industry and share resources that can help networks. Political postings do not fall into these three categories. These may also be off putting or polarizing to current and future networks.
Try Instead: If you wish to share political viewpoints, consider posting to another social media channel. Keep the LinkedIn channel focused on how to provide professional leadership and insight.
Blunder #5: The social channel is LinkedIn, not Love Connection. With so many other dating apps and websites available to find a soul mate, LinkedIn is not the place to request a connection with the purpose of asking someone out. Not only is this request unprofessional, it can easily come across as creepy, especially for women. LinkedIn users are using the platform for career and networking and expect others to do the same.
Try Instead: Use LinkedIn for its primary purpose, namely professional networking, and save the search for love to those websites or apps that have been specifically created for that reason.
LinkedIn has amazing potential to connect with experts, learn about new trends in your industry and discover new career paths and positions as you explore options. LinkedIn can work well for digital connection and professional networking, especially if these blunders are avoided. These small modifications can unlock new networking
opportunities and strong professional engagement now as well as in the future, and help establish your credibility within both your industry and your organization. With these missteps avoided, you will be able to more easily harness the power of LinkedIn in your professional practice and take your career to new heights.
About the Author:
Lisa Apolinski is an international speaker, digital strategist, author and founder of 3 Dog Write. She works with companies to develop and share their message using digital assets. Her latest book, Persuade With A Digital Content Story, is available on Amazon. For information on her agency’s digital services visit www.3DogWrite. com.
Agency Perpetuation & Acquisition Workshop October 14, 2021/ Sun Prairie, WI
What 2019 Attendees Had to Say!
“WOW, this was just what I needed!”
Jon Persky, CPA, CIC, PHR
If you can’t ask that question naturally you haven’t worked hard enough or taken enough time to EARN your prospect’s trust.
Adam: What is your best advice around making the ask?
Weldon: Many sales people fail to ask for the order because they are afraid they are going go annoy or frustrate the prospect. I teach students to imagine their family with them at the moment of closing and ask themselves who they would rather disappoint – their prospect or their family. If I fail to ask I am failing my family by not providing at my true potential. Listen, no one is going to close 100% of their leads. That includes me. But I can promise you that I’ll never go home to my wife and kids and say, “Hey guys, money is going to be a little tight, so there is no vacation or private school because daddy is too big of a chicken shit to ask prospects for the order.” That’s never going to happen.
Adam: Language is obviously very important throughout the sales process. What are key phrases or words you have found have helped or hurt your chances of success?
Weldon: Good words: Agreement, investment, authorization.
Bad words: Contract, cost, signature.
Most important words: “Will you trust me with my recommendations?”
Adam: On a scale of 1-10, how important are ethics to succeeding in sales? Explain.
Weldon: Ten.
First of all, I’ve tried it both ways and there is always a consequence to cutting the corners. As my friend and mentor, the late Dr. Stephen Covey, taught me, you can’t break the principles of fidelity, faith, honor and honesty. You can only break yourself against them. Ill gotten gain has a strange way of slipping away.
Secondly, successful sales is a reflection of earning a prospect’s trust through high character and high competency. You can fake those things short term, but time will expose or promote all of us. Compromise your ethics and your own peril.
Adam: What is your best advice on how to best manage and stay on top of leads?
Weldon: A CRM is critical to ensure leads are falling through the cracks. But the most important thing to me is having a simple metric to measure sales productivity. For some that might be close rate or average sale or success rate. For me it’s average sales revenue per lead. It’s a combination of close rate and average ticket. I consider it the “gas mileage” of a sales lead. How much am I getting out of each sales opportunity?
Adam: What is the single best piece of sales advice you have ever received?
Weldon: No is a perfectly acceptable answer in sales. The only unacceptable outcome is uncertainty. Bring the sales call to a conclusion one way or the other. It’s the loose ends that undermine sales success.
Adam: What sale are you proudest of? Walk through how you made it happen and its significance.
Weldon: It was a $2,000,000 training program sale I made to a billion dollar U.S. manufacturer. I am most proud of that one because when they first called me they told me their budget for the program was $500,000. Even worse, they wanted me to send a proposal over email. I am dead set against sending proposals via email. If a prospect is going to say “no” to me, they are going to say it to my face.
To appease them I did send a proposal, but the proposal was for $10,000,000, twenty times their budget. It was all I could do not to laugh when they called me back to discuss. On the call I pointed out several issues they had overlooked such as ongoing training to ensure CONSISTENT implementation of the sales process. About 30-minutes into the conversation they said the magic words, “Mr. Long, you’re going to have to come down and meet with us and explain this proposal.”
I never expected they would accept a $10,000,000 proposal but I had to use that to get a face to face.
Over the next few weeks I had several face to face meetings, including a final meeting with the Japanese leaders of the company who were the decision makers. I closed the deal for $2,000,000, four times their initial budget.
The best part of the story, however, is that at a dinner that night, one of the sales leaders leaned over to me and said, “You know what we were all thinking when we got you down to $2,000,000? At least it wasn’t $10,000,000!”
In their minds they got me DOWN from $10,000,000 not UP form $500,000. He who laughs last laughs best.
Adam: What is one thing everyone can do tomorrow to become better at selling?
Weldon: Haha. Read The Power of Consistency and learn how to create the Prosperity Mindset necessary to excel at sales. Then ask for the darn order!
Weldon Long will present at our new convention, “Engage 2021
TESTIMONIAL
“I have seen a lot of speakers over the years and some better than others. However, very few in my opinion have the ability to change your life. Weldon Long is one of those speakers. His message has changed my life and I hope he will do the same for you.”
Attention
College or University Juniors and Seniors!
Are you majoring in insurance or a related field of study?
Could you use up to $1,000?
The PIA of Wisconsin Past Presidents' Club could award a $1,000 scholarship to you!
To be considered for the scholarship, please complete the entry form via our website by September 1, 2021.
Ms. Julie Ulset, CPIA President Grams Insurance Agency LLC
PO Box 336 Edgerton, WI 53534 Phone: (608) 884-3304 Fax: (608) 884-9616 julset@gramsinsurance.com
Mr. Ryan Butzke, CIC, CISR Vice President Northbrook Insurance Associates, Inc.
PO Box 520 Slinger, WI 53086 Phone: (262) 297-7101 Fax: (262) 783-4075 ryanb@northbrook-ins.com
Mr. Steve Clements, CPIA
Treasurer Clements Insurance Agency
151577 King Fisher Ln. Wausau, WI 54401 Phone: (715) 842-1664 Fax: (715) 848-3337 steve@clementsagency.com
Ms. Lacey Endres, CIC
Secretary M3 Insurance, Inc.
828 John Nolan Dr. Madison, WI 53713 Phone: (608) 288-2874 Fax: (608) 273-8873 lacey.endres@m3ins.com
Ms. Ann Linstroth, CISR, PWCAM Fidelis Insurance Services
4060 N. Main St. Ste 108 Racine, WI 54302 Phone: (262) 456-0521 Fax: (262) 583-0729 annl@trustfidelis.com
Mr. Brian MacGillis, CPIA Past Presidents Liaison MacGillis Agency Inc.
PO Box 100 Fredonia, WI 53021-0100 Phone: (262) 790-0000 Fax: (888) 798-5040 brian@macgillisinsurance.com
Mr. Sean M. Paterson, CIC Immediate Past President Robertson Ryan & Associates, Inc.
20975 Swenson Dr. Ste. 175 Waukesha, WI 53186 Phone: (262) 782-5373 Fax: (262) 782-6327 spaterson@robertsonryan.com
Mr. Jon M. Strom Image of Wisconsin
PO Box 600 St. Germain, WI 54558 Phone: (920) 723-1209 Fax: (715) 542-2443 jon@imageofwi.com
Mr. Mitch Tarras Nett Insurance Agency LLC
607C Eastern Ave. Plymouth, WI 53073 Phone: (920) 893-3252 Fax: (920) 893-3250 mitch@bwoinsurance.com
Mr. Michael Winstanley Winstanley Insurance Agency Inc.
3044 S. 92nd St. West Allis, WI 53227 Phone: (414) 425-6914 mdw@mdwinstanley.com
Mr. Bob Wolfgram Wolfgram Insurance Agency
PO Box 122 North Prairie, WI 53153 Phone: (262) 349-9605 Fax: (262) 349-9608 bob@wolfgraminsurance.com
PIA National Director Ms. Tracy A. Oestreich, CIC, CPIA, AU, CPIW T4 Insurance Solutions, Inc.
PO Box 408 Jackson, WI 53037 Phone: (262) 423-4949 Fax: (262) 423-4959 tracyo@t4ins.com
Pete Hanson, CAE, CISR Executive Director
phanson@piaw.org
Becca Bredeson Administrative Assistant
bbredeson@piaw.org
Shirley Faherty Office Manager/Bookkeeper
sfaherty@piaw.org
Heidi Hodel-Faris, CPIA, CIC Insurance and Member Services Director
hhodel@piaw.org
Brenda Steinbach Education & Convention Director
bsteinbach@piaw.org
Natalie White Communications Director
nwhite@piaw.org
JULY 2021
Coming Events
AUGUST 2021 SEPTEMBER 2021
Twelve PIAW Webinars
(1 & 3 WI CE Options)
14
CISR Commercial Property Webinar
(7 WI CE)
20-22
CIC Commercial Casualty Classroom West Bend
(16 WI CE)
28
CISR Personal Residential Webinar
(7 WI CE)
Twelve PIAW Webinars
(1 & 3 WI CE Options)
17
CISR Commercial Casualty II Webinar
(7 WI CE)
19
CISR Elements of Risk Management Madison
(7 WI CE)
26
CISR Personal Lines Miscellaneous Webinar
(7 WI CE)
Twelve PIAW Webinars
(1 & 3 WI CE Options)
1
CISR Commercial Casualty I Webinar
(7 WI CE)
9
CPIA 2 Webinar
(7 WI CE)
16
CISR Agency Operations Webinar
(7 WI CE)
22-23
CIC Commercial Property Webinar
(16 WI CE)
29
CPIA 1 Classroom / Green Bay
(7 WI CE)
related to insurance marketing type conduct; being involved in lawsuits containing allegations of fraud, misrepresentation, misappropriation, or breach of fiduciary duty; having a conditional license in his resident state; and failing to disclose administrative actions and lawsuits on a licensing application.
Corinthian Preston, 5321 Suncatcher Dr., Wesley Chapel, FL 33545, was ordered to pay a forfeiture of $500.00. This action was taken based on allegations of failing to timely disclose to OCI administrative actions taken by the states of California, Washington, Alabama, Nebraska, and Indiana.
Corinthian Preston, 5321 Suncatcher Dr., Wesley Chapel, FL 33545, had his insurance license revoked. This action was taken based on allegations of failing to comply with a forfeiture order.
Jakeb Rasnake, 9925 Spring Lake Dr., Clermont, FL 34711, was ordered to pay a forfeiture of $500.00. This action was taken based on allegations of failing to timely disclose to OCI administrative actions taken by the states of North Carolina, Alabama, and Nebraska.
Jakeb Rasnake, 9925 Spring Lake Dr., Clermont, FL 34711, had his insurance license revoked. This action was taken based on allegations of failing to comply with a forfeiture order.
John R. Rosencrans, N2699 State Rd. 67, Williams Bay, WI 53191, had his application for an insurance license denied. This action was taken based on allegations of having criminal convictions and charges that may be substantially related to insurance marketing type conduct; owing delinquent child support; and providing incomplete information on a licensing application.
Robert Ryan, 208 S 3rd St., Delavan, WI 53115, had his insurance license revoked. This action was taken based on allegations of failing to pay a required fee.
Michael Sanchez, 9814 Balboa Island, San Antonio, TX 78245, was ordered to pay a forfeiture of $500.00. This action was taken based on allegations of failing to timely disclose to OCI administrative actions taken by the states of South Dakota, Louisiana, and Florida.
Thomas J. Smith, 8939 N Shore Dr, Amherst Junction, WI 54407, agreed to pay a forfeiture of $500.00 and agreed to cease and desist signing consumer names on insurance documents. These actions were taken based on allegations of improperly signing an insured's name to change of agent request forms.
Alexander Stout, 5206 Timberview Ter., Orlando, FL 32819, had his insurance license revoked. This action was taken based on allegations of failing to pay a required fee.
Takara L. Thompkins, 19411 Harlow St., Detroit, MI 48235, was ordered to pay a forfeiture of $500.00. This action was taken based on allegations of failing to timely disclose to OCI administrative actions taken by the states of Washington, Mississippi, Illinois, and Louisiana.
Takara L. Thompkins, 19411 Harlow St., Detroit, MI 48235, had her insurance license revoked. This action was taken based on allegations of failing to comply with a forfeiture order.
Yolanda D. Woods, 3332 N 12th St., Milwaukee, WI 53206, had her insurance license revoked. This action was taken based on allegations of failing to pay a required fee.
