The power of Introductions for building your Network & Engagement

I strongly feel that a Big Network is simply a Vanity exercise if you do not look to leverage the network for mutually benefit.On that point, Introductions are a powerful tool for building your Network & Engagement.

Below I try summarize best practices for both asking for an Introduction request and Accepting an Introduction request.

Firstly LinkedIn has a pretty good explanation of the mechanics of requesting an introduction. Its step-by-step guide, called Requesting an Introduction, shows you how to use the “get introduced” capability found on each person’s LinkedIn profile.

But there are a couple of nuances you need to know:

Asking for an Introduction request

The further removed you are from the person you want to be introduced to, the harder it is to get an introduction. If you want to connect with someone you already know, that’s easy. Just search for the person on LinkedIn, select him or her, click on the choice saying how you know that person (colleague, classmate, we’ve done business together, friend or other), include a personal note and send an invitation.

But say you want to be introduced to Anne and don’t know him personally. You’ve never worked together and you’re not friends or classmates. You have a first-degree connection to Joe, though, and Joe has one with Mary (which means you have a second-degree connection with her) and Mary has one with Anne. That means Anne is a third-degree connection for you; the two of you don’t have a mutual contact in common.

Bottom line: I don’t recommend requesting an introduction to someone who is a third-degree connection.

Keep your requests to second-degree connections, where you and the person you’d like to be introduced to have someone in common.

These are the steps to ask a second-degree contact to make an introduction on your behalf:

How to do it

1. Click your “Inbox” icon (looks like a cartoon message bubble) on the top right of any LinkedIn page.
2. Click “Compose a new message” (blue circle with a pencil tab).
3. In the “To:” field, type in the names of those you’d like to introduce (note: you must be connected already and the limit is 50 people—I recommend introducing only 2 people at a time).
4. Write a personal message on why you are providing a connection and include insight on the benefit you see from the relationship.
5. Send

The key to a successful “ask” is crafting your message properly.

That means writing a killer, but polite, introduction request.

Boosting Your Odds of Success

1. Create an intriguing subject line. Subject lines determine whether messages in a crowded inbox get opened. You want your message to be one that does. In addition to stirring someone’s curiosity, subject lines should be relevant. Make yours personal. Add humor if that fits with your personality.

2. Make sure it’s clear how you and the person who’ll introduce you know each other. Often, you’ll be asking a colleague or friend. But you might be trying to get an introduction from someone you don’t know very well. If so, make it easy on him or her; you don’t want to make the recipient of your request guess who you are. Your message could start off with something as simple as: “We met last year at the Pegasus conference during the financial modeling breakout session. I enjoyed our conversation about big data.”

3. Be as specific as possible about why you’re asking for the introduction. Talk about why connecting to the particular person could help you reach your goals and why you decided to ask the person who’s receiving your request.

4. Be gracious. Soften any deadlines you may have with wording such as: “It would be really helpful to me if you could provide your response by … ” People will respond to an invitation more than a demand.

A few useful Templates to consider

For the Near Strangers

If you’re reaching out to one of these people, try the following template:

Dear Mark,

Hope you’re well! We connected last [week/month/year] after I [read your article online, saw you speak at a conference, met you at the CRM conference].

Would you be open to introducing me to [person’s name]? I’d like to speak to [him/her] about [your purpose for talking].

Thanks so much!

Gareth

For the Professional Acquaintances

You know these people, but not very well. That’s why it’s a good idea to subtly include some context. Also, if you can think of some way of providing value to them, mention it.

Hi Grace,

How are you? It was really fun chatting with you at that product manager meetup last May—we should get together for coffee one of these days!

In the meantime, I was wondering if you could connect me with [person]. I’m looking to [reason you want to talk to him or her]. Your introduction would be hugely appreciated, and I would definitely owe you (if nothing else, coffee on me!).

Thank you,

Gareth

For the In-Between Connections

This category includes all the people you’re friendly with, but don’t know super well: former co-workers, current colleagues from a different department or office, that friend you had in college but haven’t seen for eight years. Obviously, you can be a little less formal.

Hey Jeremy,

Long time no see—I hope you’re doing well! I’d actually love your help. LinkedIn tells me you’re connected with [person], and I was wondering if you’d be willing to introduce me. I’d like to [reason for speaking with person].

Thanks so much,

Gareth

For the People You Know Fairly Well

You probably text, email, call, or see these people at least once a week.

You might wonder why it’s necessary to send a formal ask when you could just call them up or walk over to their desk. However, sending your request in writing is usually preferable—it gives the person a chance to gracefully decline if he or she chooses.

Hi Alex,

As I’ve mentioned, I’ve been [thinking about doing freelance web development/looking to transition to PR/trying to meet experienced sales directors].

I noticed you’re connected to [name]—would you be comfortable introducing me? I think [reason why meeting person would be helpful].

Thanks so much,

Gareth

Useful Tip to consider:

Often you can make things even easier on your connections by including a very short explanation of who you are that they can then forward along.

For example:

P.S. Here’s a quick summary of who I am, in case you want to explain to [name]!

Gareth is the Head of Fixed Income at Bank of Singapore who’s looking to learn more about [interesting field covered by introduction target].

What To Do When You’re Asked To Make A LinkedIn Introduction

Connecting two strangers in a professional capacity doesn’t have to be awkward.

Let’s imagine you just received a message from one of your friends (let’s call her Anna) who saw you were connected to someone she wants an introduction to (let’s call him Bob). Anna may really want to connect to Bob, but you’re not quite sure how to go about it. You’re not exactly best friends and you don’t want to hurt your reputation in the process.

This is a common situation (and kinda the whole point of LinkedIn). And the good news is that it’s pretty simple to do. The big trick is to get your friend to do the heavy lifting.

But more importantly, have your friend (Anna) answered the following questions:

1. Why does she want the introduction?
2. What about the person’s background interested her? What specifically about their experience made them special?
3. What is her professional summary or background overview?
4. What does she hope to get out of the introduction?

For example:

Hi Emily,

I stumbled across Bob Smith’s profile on LinkedIn as I was researching local meteorologists. I was particularly impressed with his published academic papers on climate change. His findings have not only made large contributions toward sustainability, but have also raised my awareness and impacted me to be make more conscious decisions in my purchases.

I’m currently finishing up my PhD program (graduating next month!) at UC Berkeley in the area of Atmospheric Sciences and would be very interested in meeting a fellow Cal alumni with such extensive experience in the field. I’d very much appreciate an introduction in case our schedules sync up so I can treat him to a cup of coffee, as I admire the wealth of knowledge he has developed in the field.

Thank you,

Anna

By answering these four questions, Anna did two important things: She articulated everything better than the mutual connection could, and she made it effortless for the mutual connection to agree to send an introduction.

Because now you can pen the message below, copy and paste Anna’s right under it, and hit send.

Hey Bob,

Anna, a good connection of mine, was really impressed by your background and I am thrilled to introduce you to her. I think the two of you would really enjoy connecting. Please see her message below and reach out directly if you have questions.