10 top (easy) #LinkedIn tips to ace #holiday #parties

Where did 2019 go? I recall as a kid that a year took forever. Now it seems each year flies by, supersonically. We’re fast approaching the time for holiday parties and group get-togethers, business or social. Or a combination. Expect to meet new people? Anticipate reacquainting with others? Catching up with old friends? Ten workable ideas for you:

1.    Get a hold of the attendee list and earmark a few you want to meet and greet. Memorize their LinkedIn headshot so you can spot them in a crowd and approach them. Research how they describe themselves and their work on LinkedIn to see where you share alma maters, common threads, or mutual interests. Bringing these mutual factors into the conversation makes you more interesting, as you explore deeper connectivity. It's not being creepy--it's smart business conversation.

2.    As part of that conversation, let them know your value proposition, by not overselling, but being proud of what you bring to the proverbial table. Perhaps they need your services. Perhaps they know others who do. Perhaps they don’t realize it yet. Perhaps someone in the room will speak to them a bit later on and that makes you an immediate and available referral. No time like the present!

3.    It's a process. You have to work it: in your initial contact, is your elevator pitch really honed? Is the listener stimulated enough by your self-introduction to ask a follow-up question? That’s the goal…two-sided conversation. Make it happen even if it seems a bit awkward at first. The ice breaks when you bring in your brand of personal warmth.

4.    Keep working it: when it’s your turn, as you converse, are you asking open questions like "why do you do what you do?" or "what are you really proud you accomplished this year?" and how about a real zinger "what unique aspects of your work makes you someone I can refer?" rather than the dull “what type of work do you do?” Start with those three unique questions and see where it goes. Be prepared to gently nudge out of the other person what you want to know.

5.    Are you probing them in conversation for ways you can solve an issue or work better with them–do you express how you or your connection(s) can help them? Try that.

6.    How are you going to be memorable in other ways based in this short meeting? Chances are there are others in the room whose service or product is similar to yours. Are you “amazing-er” than the competitor? Show how: in gestures and in rich words.

7.    Did you make it easy to find and read about you on LinkedIn, where you tell further in your own words, “why you?" Is your mobile number on your profile for the textaholics among us? Is your email address there too? If you blog, do you provide a link? When (if) it's appropriate to exchange business cards, does yours show your personalized LinkedIn profile URL for easy access to further information on you?

8.    If you are impressed with the other person, and you sense they are with you, did you offer to arrange another meeting over coffee or lunch to find more enhanced ways to continue a collaborative relationship? Someone has to kick off and do the follow-up.

9.    Later....And at the end of that second face-to-face follow-up meeting when you went deeper and broader into ways to collaborate, and only if you like that other person, respect that other person, think that other person is refer-able to your entourage, did you agree to connect on LinkedIn? No one is forcing you to connect; you have to want to include them in the entourage you surround yourself with and want to be seen associating with great connections. 

10. In your LinkedIn connection invitation, did you personalize it, giving context when and when you met, what you discussed, as a memory jog, and a call to action so you both actually connect and nurture the budding relationship? Once connected, did you on-board that new connection with an article or comment they might benefit from to prove you nurture your new relationships? Please continually nurture them as a valued connection to continue the growth of a budding relationship!

This can be enjoyable and a beneficial investment for you in your new colleague(s). It’s an ongoing process, in these ending days of the year that extends well into the new year. Do make it part of your skillset.  Happy Holidays!

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About Marc W. Halpert, LinkedIn Trainer and Evangelist

I am a “multi-preneur,” (www.linkedin.com/in/marchalpert) having started 3 companies, all of which I continue to operate. My latest business, connect2collaborate, spreads my LinkedIn and networking evangelism worldwide to train and coach others to better explain their brand and positioning on their LinkedIn profile pages:

• as an “evangelist” to help nonprofits cultivate talent pool, volunteers, boards, and corporate sponsors.
• as a corporate trainer for departments needing to know how to optimize LinkedIn for their responsible areas.
• as a coach helping professional practitioners in all industries use LinkedIn to better achieve their goals.
• as a high-energy speaker at conferences.
• as a volunteer coaching and teaching underemployed baby boomers to master new better career objectives.

I blog daily on LinkedIn topics to encourage readers towards a more beneficial use of this amazing tool. I speak about LinkedIn at public events and private corporate sessions too.

Each year I “niche out” a population to teach LinkedIn best practices. In past years I have served lawyers and professional practitioners, and nonprofit professionals. I have authored two books on LinkedIn: the first one was published by the American Bar Association “LinkedIn Marketing Techniques for Law and Professional Practices” was released June 2017 and "You, Us, Them, LinkedIn Marketing Concepts for Nonprofit Professionals Who Really Want to Make A Difference" in June 2018. Both are on Amazon in paper and e-book. The second book also has a companion online e-course to complement it, available here.

In September I announced my new "LinkedIn for Baby Boomers and Other Encore Career Seekers" online e-course. Psst--it's available here!

I encourage my fellow professionals, of all stripes, to make LinkedIn a central part of telling their career story, their “why,” and find their voice to offer their rich expertise earned over years (or decades), embrace new professional friendships, and nurture collaboration.

And thank you for a great year.